Pairwise interaction point processes form a useful class of models for
spatial point patterns, especially patterns for which the spatial dis
tribution of points is more regular than for a homogeneous planar Pois
son process. Several authors have proposed methods for estimating the
parameters of a pairwise interaction point process. However, there app
ears to be no general theory which provides grounds for preferring a p
articular method, nor have any extensive empirical comparisons been pu
blished. In this paper, we review three general methods of estimation
which have been proposed in the literature and present the results of
a comparative simulation study of the three methods.