While preparing and teaching ‘Introduction to Geodesy I and II’ to undergraduate students at Stuttgart University, we noticed a gap which motivated the writing of the present book: Almost every topic that we taught required some skills in algebra, and in particular, computer algebra! From positioning to transformation problems inherent in geodesy and geoinformatics, knowledge of algebra and application of computer algebra software were required. In preparing this book therefore, we have attempted to put together basic concepts of abstract algebra which underpin the techniques for solving algebraic problems. Algebraic computational algorithms useful for solving problems which require exact solutions to nonlinear systems of equations are presented and tested on various problems. Though the present book focuses mainly on the two ?elds, the concepts and techniques presented herein are nonetheless applicable to other ?elds where algebraic computational problems might be encountered. In Engineering for example, network densi?cation and robotics apply resection and intersection techniques which require algebraic solutions. Solution of nonlinear systems of equations is an indispensable task in almost all geosciences such as geodesy, geoinformatics, geophysics (just to mention but a few) as well as robotics. These equations which require exact solutions underpin the operations of ranging, resection, intersection and other techniques that are normally used. Examples of problems that require exact solutions include; • three-dimensional resection problem for determining positions and orientation of sensors, e. g. , camera, theodolites, robots, scanners etc.

Charity Mupanga, the resilient and maternal proprietor of Harrods International Bar (and Nightspot) faces her toughest challenge in Dizzy Worms, the final novel in Michael Holman's acclaimed trilogy set in the African slum of Kireba. Faced with a Health and Safety closure, Charity has a week to appeal and the chances of success seem negligible: elections are imminent, and Kireba is due to become a showcase of President Josiah Nduka's 'slum rehabilitation program', backed by gullible foreign donors. But before taking on Nduka and the council, she has a promise to keep – to provide a supply of her famous sweet doughballs to a small army of street children, as voracious as they are malodorous . . . Michael Holman uses his witty satirical pen to brilliant effect in this affectionate portrait of a troubled region, targeting local politicians, western diplomats, foreign donors and journalists, puncturing pretensions and questioning the philosophy of aid.

Improved geospatial instrumentation and technology such as in laser scanning has now resulted in millions of data being collected, e.g., point clouds. It is in realization that such huge amount of data requires efficient and robust mathematical solutions that this third edition of the book extends the second edition by introducing three new chapters: Robust parameter estimation, Multiobjective optimization and Symbolic regression. Furthermore, the linear homotopy chapter is expanded to include nonlinear homotopy. These disciplines are discussed first in the theoretical part of the book before illustrating their geospatial applications in the applications chapters where numerous numerical examples are presented. The renewed electronic supplement contains these new theoretical and practical topics, with the corresponding Mathematica statements and functions supporting their computations introduced and applied. This third edition is renamed in light of these technological advancements.

The Hotine-Marussi Symposium is the core meeting of a “think thank”, a group scientists in the geodetic environment working on theoretical and methodological subjects, while maintaining the foundations of geodesy to the proper level by corresponding to the strong advancements improved by technological development in the field of ICT, electronic computing, space technology, new measurement devices etc. The proceedings of the symposium cover a broad area of arguments which integrate the foundations of geodesy as a science. The common feature of the papers therefore is not on the object, but rather in the high mathematical standards with which subjects are treated.

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.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Mathematical Software, ICMS 2014, held in Seoul, South Korea, in August 2014. The 108 papers included in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 150 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections named: invited; exploration; group; coding; topology; algebraic; geometry; surfaces; reasoning; special; Groebner; triangular; parametric; interfaces and general.