@gka
If you want to know what I think, I'll say I think it's fascinating due to a similar discussion of pitfalls I underscored in the analyses of a particular monarch butterfly disease, in which I quoted Mark Twain about "lies, damn lies, and there are statistics".
I have a side interest in spatiotemporal matters but more as a hobby.
The way any data gets analyzed really depends upon what it is you're attempting to learn from it. Sometimes means gets the job done, sometimes averages, and sometimes either one when you've narrowed your scope of inquiry.