Line-intercept sampling

This article is about the sampling technique used in biological studies. For the structural reliability analysis method, see Line Sampling.

In statistics, more specifically in biostatistics, line-intercept sampling (LIS) is a method of sampling elements in a region whereby an element is sampled if a chosen line segment, called a “transect”, intersects the element.^[1]

Click to see animation of line-intercept sampling.

Line intercept sampling has proven to be a reliable, versatile, and easy to implement method to analyze an area containing various objects of interest.^[2] It has recently also been applied to estimating variances during particulate material sampling.^[3]