This book is the result of invited and competitive submissions to a 2015 academic institute on Advancing Geographic Information Science: The Past and Next Twenty Years. A core goal of the institute was to review the research challenges of the past twenty years and discuss emerging challenges of the next twenty.

Geographical Information Systems, Three Volume Set is a computer system used to capture, store, analyze and display information related to positions on the Earth’s surface. It has the ability to show multiple types of information on multiple geographical locations in a single map, enabling users to assess patterns and relationships between different information points, a crucial component for multiple aspects of modern life and industry. This 3-volumes reference provides an up-to date account of this growing discipline through in-depth reviews authored by leading experts in the field. VOLUME EDITORS Thomas J. Cova The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States Ming-Hsiang Tsou San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States Georg Bareth University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany Chunqiao Song University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States Yan Song University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States Kai Cao National University of Singapore, Singapore Elisabete A. Silva University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom Covers a rapidly expanding discipline, providing readers with a detailed overview of all aspects of geographic information systems, principles and applications Emphasizes the practical, socioeconomic applications of GIS Provides readers with a reliable, one-stop comprehensive guide, saving them time in searching for the information they need from different sources

This book draws on author’s wealth of knowledge working on numerous projects across many countries. It provides a clear overview of the development of the SDI concept and SDI worldwide implementation and brings a logical chronological approach to the linkage of GIS technology with SDI enabling data. The theory and practice approach help understand that SDI development and implementation is very much a social process of learning by doing. The author masterfully selects main historical developments and updates them with an analytical perspective promoting informed and responsible use of geographic information and geospatial technologies for the benefit of society from local to global scales. Features Subject matter spans thirty years of the development of GIS and SDI. Brings a social science perspective into GIS and SDI debates that have been largely dominated by technical considerations. Based on a world-wide perspective as a result of the author's experience and research in the USA, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Peru, China, India, Korea, Malaysia, and Japan as well as most European countries. Draws upon professional and academic experience relating to pioneering UK and European GIS research initiatives. Includes updated historical material with an analytical perspective explaining what was done right, and what didn't work.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue" Smart machines, Remote Sensing, Precision Farming, Processes, Mechatronic, Materials and Policies for Safety and Health Aspects" that was published in Agriculture

Learning to Think Spatially examines how spatial thinking might be incorporated into existing standards-based instruction across the school curriculum. Spatial thinking must be recognized as a fundamental part of Kâ€"12 education and as an integrator and a facilitator for problem solving across the curriculum. With advances in computing technologies and the increasing availability of geospatial data, spatial thinking will play a significant role in the information-based economy of the twenty-first century. Using appropriately designed support systems tailored to the Kâ€"12 context, spatial thinking can be taught formally to all students. A geographic information system (GIS) offers one example of a high-technology support system that can enable students and teachers to practice and apply spatial thinking in many areas of the curriculum.

Understanding GIS through Sustainable Development Goals applies a pedagogical shift to learning GIS, as the readers employ the concepts and methodologies on real-world problems. This book provides 16 case studies across most of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with step-by-step practical instructions using QGIS(Quantum Geographic Information System) , an open-source software. It helps readers develop GIS skills on real-world data, while learning the fundamentals including spatial data models, projections, and spatial databases, different cartographic methods, such as graduated symbology, change maps, and dynamic visualization, as well as more intermediate and advanced spatial analysis such as geoprocessing, multiple criteria analysis, and spatial statistics. The topics chosen are taught in secondary and tertiary education institutions which make this a textbook for all students and educators. Features: Focuses on learning GIS through 16 real world case studies. Introduces an open-source software that can be used beyond the classroom. Analyzes Sustainable Development Goals in a global framework and provides an alternative approach to learning GIS. Supports both secondary and tertiary educators and improves GIS education at all levels. Contains a holistic range of case studies that extend across several disciplines, from geography education, environmental sciences, geosciences, natural sciences, social sciences, and digital humanities. This is a textbook for all students and educators, providing 16 case studies across most of the SDGs with step-by-step practical instructions using QGIS, an open-source software.

Smart technologies have advanced rapidly throughout our society (e.g. smart energy, smart health, smart living, smart cities, smart environment, and smart society) and across geographic spaces and places. Behind these "smart" developments are a number of seminal drivers, such as social media (e.g. Twitter), sensors (drones, wearables), smartphone apps, and computing infrastructure (e.g. cloud computing). These developments have captured the enthusiasm of the public, while inevitably present unprecedented challenges and opportunities for the geographic research community. When meeting the smart challenges, are there emerging theories, methods, and observations that reveal new spatial phenomena, produce new knowledge, and foster new policies? Smart Spaces and Places addresses questions such as how to make spaces and places "smart", how the "smartness" affects the way we think spaces and places, and what role geographies play in knowledge production and decision-making in a "smart" era. The collection of 21 chapters offers stimulating discussion over the meaning of spaces, places, and smartness; scientific insights into smartness; social-political views of smartness; and policy implications of smartness. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Annals of the American Association of Geographers.