Binary Mosaics and the Spatial Pattern of Heather

An idealized model for the spatial pattern of heather in a planar region is proposed; in this model the subregiorl occupied by heather is represented by the union of randomly located discs of randomly varying radii. Some previous applications of the model are noted. Techniques for parameter estimation and for testing goodness of fit are suggested; these techniques are applied to data showing the incidence of heather in a lOmX20m rectangle at Jadraas, Sweden, thereby demonstrating the extension to binary mosaics of methodology previously illustrated with spatial point processes.