A generalization of inverse distance weighting and an equivalence relationship to noise-free Gaussian process interpolation via Riesz representation theorem

In this paper, we show the relationship between two seemingly unrelated approximation techniques. On the one hand, a certain class of Gaussian process-based interpolation methods, and on the other hand inverse distance weighting, which has been developed in the context of spatial analysis where there is often a need for interpolating from irregularly spaced data to produce a continuous surface. We develop a generalization of inverse distance weighting and show that it is equivalent to the approximation provided by the class of Gaussian process-based interpolation methods. The equivalence is established via an elegant application of Riesz representation theorem concerning the dual of a Hilbert space. It is thus demonstrated how a classical theorem in linear algebra connects two disparate domains.