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Skip to main contentEssentials of Geographic Information Systems integrates key concepts behind the technology with practical concerns and real-world applications. Recognizing that many potential GIS users are nonspecialists or may only need a few maps, this book is designed to be accessible, pragmatic, and concise. Essentials of Geographic Information Systems also illustrates how GIS is used to ask questions, inform choices, and guide policy. From the melting of the polar ice caps to privacy issues associated with mapping, this book provides a gentle, yet substantive, introduction to the use and application of digital maps, mapping, and GIS.
GIS is used today to better understand and solve urban problems. This book explores and illustrates the use of geo-information in the planning and management of urban regions. The first part of the book addresses the concept of sustainable urban development, its different frameworks, the many ways of measuring sustainability, and its value in the urban policy arena. The second part discusses how urban planning can shape our cities, examines various spatial configurations of cities, the spread of activities, and the demands placed on different functions to achieve strategic objective. It further focuses on the recognition that urban dwellers are increasingly under threat from natural hazards and climate change.
The applications of geomatics technology in its broader context have resulted in significant progress in the field of earth science. This book provides brief coverage on some trends in geomatics technology as it relates to earth scientists. The development in geomatics, whether GIS, remote sensing, GPS or photogrammetry, can be seen from trends in the applications of Big Data, Smart City, Internet of Things (IoT), the use of augmented reality and utilization of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and in the impact of machine learning and AI on geomatics.
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