Geographic Information Systems: A Guide to Technology

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) enable governments, public agencies and utilities, scientists and commercial organizations to access and integrate data from several unrelated databases at once to share information more easily. An implementation guide to geographic informations managements technology for mapping, storing, acquiring and minipulating spatial data. Designed to advance the understanding and implementation of this growing technology, it explains how GIS encourages the integrated activity of multiple departments to solve problems more comprehensively and systematically, while dramatically reducing the redundancies and inconsistancies that occur daily in research and industry. This text reaches out to novices by answering the most frequently asked questions about the technology, defusing misconceptions and calming typical users anxieties along the way. While some knowledge of computer and data processing concepts is helpful, it is not essential to their understanding of basic computer terms and concepts. At the same time it serves veteran GIS practitioners by thoroughly addressing such central concerns as database development, maintenance and access, cost benefit analysis, selecting and upgrading hardware and software packages, minimizing the "cultural" impact of database sharing and dealing with corporate and legal issues. This book should be of interest to earth scientists, computer scientists, and information technologists.