What advantages do gridded data have, compared to station data?
The advantages of gridded data include: – regional values can be produced for any arbitrary area (county, unitary authority, river catchment, etc.) with greater accuracy and consistency – they facilitate the creation of contoured or colour-shaded maps, e.g. of 30-year averages – they can be combined with other spatial data, such as transport routes, to study links between them – less reliance on a weather station network that is irregularly spaced and changing with time – reliable climate estimates for points some distance from weather stations, e.g.
