I am using the extract() function within the R raster package and I am trying to
both understand the output as well as figure out how to convert the output to a
2D matrix. So, I am using a SpatialPoints file and the method "buffer". The
returned results represent rows, point location, and columns, pixel values
extracted. Ultimately, I want to convert each record to a 2D matrix.
Questions:
How do I convert the extract() results, using the buffer method, to a 2D matrix
for each point?
Does the buffer method return pixels that fall within a radius (circle), and is
the buffer defining a 2D array? If extract returns pixels within a circle, does
it assign NA to the pixels in the circle that fall outside the circle but reside
within a 2D matrix (This is generally how most programs I work with handle
this).
What happens when a point falls near the edge of a raster dataset and the buffer
distance exceeds the distance between the point and the edge of the raster--Are
NAs returned or do these result in a non-square 2D array?
Thank you for your help,
Mike