This book approaches the realisation of digital terrain and landscape data through clear and practical examples. From data provision and the creation of revealing analyses to realistic depictions for presentation purposes, the reader is led through the world of digital 3-D graphics. The authors’ deep knowledge of the scientific fundamentals and many years of experience in 3-D visualization enable them to lead the reader through a complex subject and shed light on previously murky virtual landscapes.

Written by experts, Digital Terrain Modeling: Principles and Methodology provides comprehensive coverage of recent developments in the field. The topics include terrain analysis, sampling strategy, acquisition methodology, surface modeling principles, triangulation algorithms, interpolation techniques, on-line and off-line quality control in data a

CD-ROM contains: Digital version of some of the text, illustrations, examples, animations, JAVA applications, and tutorial.

Dieses Buch untersucht, welchen Einfluß Landschaftsformen, insbesondere Höhenunterschiede, auf die an der Erdoberfläche ablaufenden Prozesse haben. Wasserbewegungen, die Sonneneinstrahlung sowie die Bodenentwicklung und -erosion werden alle mehr oder minder durch die Form der Landschaftsoberfläche gesteuert. Die Anwendungsmöglichkeiten der Landschaftsanalyse sind vielfältig: Sie reichen von Studien über Wasserscheiden und Feuchtgebiete über Bodenkunde und Erosionsstudien, Landschafts- und Landnutzungsstudien bis zu geomorphologischer Forschung und regionalen und globalen Ökologiestudien. Darüber hinaus kann die Landschaftsanalyse auch zu meteorologischen Vorhersagen sowie bei Problemen mit TV- oder Radiosignalempfang eingesetzt werden. Dieses Forschungsgebiet hat in Verbindung mit den jüngsten Fortschritten auf dem Gebiet der GIS und GPS eine rasante Entwicklung durchlaufen. In diesem Band werden alle diese neuen Ansätze und Anwendungsbereiche umfassend erläutert. (y05/00)

Geographic Visualization: Concepts, Tools and Applications is a 'state-of-the-art' review of the latest developments in the subject. It examines how new concepts, methods and tools can be creatively applied to solve problems relevant to a wide range of topics. The text covers the impact of three-dimensional displays on user interaction along with the potentialities in animation and clearly explains how to create temporally sensitive visualizations. It also explores the potential for handling mobile data and representing uncertainty; as well as the role of participatory visualization systems and exploratory methods. Hallmark Features: An introduction to the diverse forms of geographic visualization which draws upon a number of theoretical perspectives and disciplines to provide an insightful commentary on new methods, techniques and tools. Richly illustrated in full colour throughout, including numerous relevant case studies and accessible discussions of important visualization concepts to enable clearer understanding for non-technical audiences. Chapters are written by leading scholars and researchers in a range of cognate fields, including, cartography, GIScience, architecture, art, urban planning and computer graphics with case studies drawn from Europe, North America and Australia This book is an invaluable resource for all graduate students, researchers and professionals working in the geographic information sector, computer graphics and cartography.

The explosion of public interest in the natural environment can, to a large extent, be attributed to greater public awareness of the impacts of global warming and climate change. This has led to increased research interest and funding directed at studies of issues affecting sensitive, natural environments. Not surprisingly, much of this work has re

A digital elevation model (DEM) is a digital representation of ground surface topography or terrain. It is also widely known as a digital terrain model (DTM). A DEM can be represented as a raster (a grid of squares) or as a vector based triangular irregular network (TIN). DEMs are commonly built using remote sensing techniques, but they may also be built from land surveying. DEMs are used often in geographic information systems, and are the most common basis for digitally-produced relief maps. The terrain surface can be described as compromising of two different elements; random and systematic. The random (stochastic) elements are the continuous surfaces with continuously varying relief. It would take an endless number of points to describe exactly the random terrain shapes, but these can be described in practice with a network of point. It is usual to use a network that creates sloping triangles or regular quadrants. This book examines how the methods and data sources used to generate DEMs and calculate land surface parameters have changed over the past 25 years. The primary goal is to describe the state-of-the-art for a typical digital terrain modeling workflow that starts with data capture, continues with data preprocessing and DEM generation, and concludes with the calculation of one or more primary and secondary land surface parameters. Taken as a whole, this book covers the basic theory behind the methods, the instrumentation, analysis and interpretation that are embedded in the modern digital terrain modeling workflow, the strengths and weaknesses of the various methods that the terrain analyst must choose among, typical applications of the results emanating from these terrain modeling workflows, and future directions. This book is intended for researchers and practitioners who wish to use DEMs, land surface parameters, land surface objects and landforms in environmental projects. The book will also be valuable as a reference text for environmental scientists who are specialists in related fields and wish to integrate these kinds of digital terrain workflows and outputs into their own specialized work environments.