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Monday, October 25, 2010

Geographic Information Systems and Science by Paul A. Longley

Review

“One of the nicest features is the book’s accessibility … this is a must-have reference guide for all newcomers to the field, be they students or professionals.” (GISProfessional, July / August 2005)

Geographic Information Systems and Science Book Review

The first edition of Geographic Information Systems and Science has taken the GIS textbook market by storm, selling over 22,000 copies since publication. It is the most current, authoritative and comprehensive treatment of the field, that goes from fundamental principles to the big picture. GISS 2e builds on the success of the first edition:
  • Completely revised with a new five part structure: Foundations; Principles; Techniques; Analysis; Management and Policy
  • All new personality boxes of current GIS practitioners
  • New chapters on Distributed GIS, Map Production, Geovisualization, Modeling, and Managing GIS
  • Specific coverage of current hot topics:
    • GIS and the New World Order
    • Security, health and well-Being
    • Digital differentiation in GIS consumption
    • The core organizing role of GIS in geography
    • The greening of GIS
    • Grand challenges of GIS science
    • Science and explanation
A new suite of instructor resources including a companion website with an on-line lab resource and personal student sullabus and a cehensive Instructor’s Manual that maps the textbook to various disciplines and levels of courses.

From the Back Cover

Geographic Information Systems and Science has become the pre-eminent textbook in its field, for students and practitioners alike. Its unique approach communicates the richness and diversity of GIS in a lucid and accessible format. This fully revised and updated second edition reinforces the view of GIS as a gateway to science and problem solving, sets out the scientific principles that govern its use, and describes the impact of people on its development, design, and success. The second edition of Geographic Information Systems and Science includes:
  • A new five-part structure: Foundations; Principles; Techniques; Analysis; and Management and Policy
  • New chapters on Distributed GIS, Map Production, Geovisualization, Modeling, and Managing GIS
  • All-new personality boxes of current GIS practitioners
  • New real-world applications of GIS
  • New or expanded coverage of important current topics:
    • Location-based services
    • Distributed computing
    • Virtual and augmented realities
    • Homeland security
    • Business GIS and geodemographics
    • The emergence of geoportals
    • Grand challenges of GIScience
  • A new suite of instructor and student resources hosted on the companion Website www.wiley.com/go/longley, including on-line GIS lab exercises and an instructor manual.
  • Links to further reading in the abridged edition of Geographical Information Systems: Principles, Techniques, Management and Applications, edited by Longley, Goodchild, Maguire, and Rhind.
The second edition of Geographic Information Systems and Science is essential reading for undergraduates taking courses in GIS within departments of Geography, Environmental Science, Business (and Public) Administration, Computer Science, Urban Studies, Planning, Information Science, Civil Engineering, and Archaeology. It is also provides a key resource for foundation GIS courses on taught MSc and other higher-degree programs. Where courses are highly modular, this book will support not only the technology and environmental elements but will give a business, managerial and societal context – and show how these tie together, no one element being of value if seen as ‘an island’. Professional users of GIS from governmental organizations and industries across the private sector will find this book an invaluable resource with a wealth of relevant applications.
Comments on the first edition:
"Once in a generation a textbook appears which redefines its field and becomes the standard for years to come. This is such a book." Bob Barr, GI News, May 2001
"anyone who uses any form of formal GIS education in the future will have this book listed as the core text for many years to come." Civil Engineering Surveyor, November 2001
"Geographic Information Systems and Science is a landmark in the evolution of GIS. It is a book that captures and redefines the richness and diversity of GIS, in an accessible form". Geometre Landmeter, March 2002