Handbook of Geographic Information Science - 9781405107952

With a definition of geographic information science so broad as to include any aspect of the capture, storage, integration, management, retrieval, display, analysis, and modeling of spatial data and applications found in bathymetry, orthoimagery, hydrography, transportation and communication networks, utility planning, medical service planning, and even retailing, it is clear this handbook cannot comprehensively cover all topics of its chosen subject. Editors Wilson (director, GIS Research Laboratory, U. of Southern California, US) and Fotheringham, (director, National Centre for Geocomputation, National U. of Ireland, Ireland) have nevertheless tried to be as comprehensive as possible by soliciting contributions that have fairly general application across subfields. They present 34 chapters organized into seven sections that focus on recent trends and issues of geographic data acquisition and distribution, enduring database issues and trends, challenges concerning the visualization of spatial data, the increasingly important task of knowledge elicitation, spatial analysis, broad issues that influence the development and impacts of geographic information technologies such as institutional partnering and public participation, and future trends and challenges. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)