Interpolation methods derive surfaces from measured samples to predict values for each location in a landscape. ArcGIS Geostatistical Analyst provides two groups of interpolation methods: deterministic and geostatistical. All methods rely on the similarity of nearby sample points to create the surface. Deterministic methods use predefined mathematical functions for interpolation. Geostatistical methods rely on statistical features of the data. Geostatistical models also assess the uncertainty of the predictions.