Cover -- Preface -- Contents -- Chapter 1 Geographical Information Systems-Representing Geography -- Information Technologies in Geography -- The Course of Technological Innovation -- Geographic Information Systems: a Generic Definition -- The Gis View of the World -- Why is GIS Important? -- Contributing Disciplines -- Major Areas of Application -- The Appeal and Potential of GIS -- Components of GIS -- Benefits of Computerizing Information -- Chapter 2 History and Development of GIS -- Advantages of GIS Over Manual Methods -- First Automatic Processing of Geographical Information -- Important Milestones in the Development of GIS -- Recent Developments -- Chapter 3 GISs Roots in Cartography -- Human Cognition of the Spatial World -- Sensing and Perceiving the World -- Cognitive Maps -- Spatial Learning and Development -- Using and Learning Maps -- GIS and Spatial Cognition -- Defining a Map -- Types of Maps -- Other Representations of the World -- Gis and Computer Cartography -- Mapping Concepts, Features & Properties -- Types of Information in a Digital Map -- The Shape of the Earth -- Datum Types -- General Coordinate Systems -- Earth Coordinate Geometry -- Map Projections -- World Geographic Reference System (GEOREF) -- Affine and Curvilinear Transformations -- Chapter 4 Spatial Data Structure and Models -- Information Organization and Data Structure -- Geographic Data and Geographic Information -- Information Organization -- The Relationship Perspective of Information Organization -- The Operating System (OS) Perspective of Information Organization -- The Application Architecture Perspective of Information Organization -- Data - Fundamental Concepts -- Spatial - Non-Spatial Data -- Database Management System (DBMS) -- Data Models -- Data Modelling -- Chapter 5 The Nature and Source of Geographic Data.

Spatial data formats: raster data format -- Choice Between Raster and Vector -- Data Capture -- Data Collection Workflow -- Primary Geographic Data Capture -- Secondary Geographic Data Capture -- Obtaining Data from External Sources (Data Transfer) -- Geographic Data Formats -- Capturing Attribute Data -- Managing a Data Capture Project -- Data Editing -- Data Conversion -- Geographic Data - Linkages and Matching -- Chapter 6 GIS and the Real World Model -- Real World Model -- Entity Types -- Entity Relations -- Geographical Representation of Objects -- Object Attributes -- Object Relations -- From Database to GIS to Map -- Shortcomings of the Traditional GIS Data Model -- Entities and fields -- Uncertainty -- Conceptual Generalization -- Role of Maps in Data Modelling -- Extension of the Reality Concept -- Chapter 7 Basic Data Models in GIS -- Vector Data Model -- Coding Digital Data for Map Production -- Coding Digital Data for GIS -- Storing Points and Lines -- Storing Area Boundaries -- Spaghetti Model -- Storing Area Boundaries: The Topological Approach -- How it Works? The Dime Example -- Data Compression -- Storing Vector Data -- Raster Data Models -- Realizing the Raster Model -- Storing Raster Data Structures -- Raster Data Structure: The Array -- Compression of Raster Data -- Saving Space: The Run Length Encoding and Quad-Trees -- Automatic Conversion Between Vector and Raster Models -- Vector Versus Raster Models -- Attribute Data and Computer Registers -- Coding and Entering Attribute Data -- Storing Attribute Data -- Linking Digital Map and Register Information -- Chapter 8 Advanced Data Models -- Surface Representation -- Grid Model -- TIN Model -- Other Models -- Practical Observations -- Accuracy -- Three-Dimensional Objects -- Representation of Time -- Models for Moveable Objects -- Network Model -- Model for Movement Over Surfaces.

Combination of Models -- The Representation of Networks -- Node-Node Adjacency Matrix -- Forward and Reverse Star Representation -- Representation of Network Attributes -- Computation of Shortest Paths on a Network -- Chapter 9 Geographic Query and Analysis -- Types of Spatial Analysis -- Queries and reasoning -- Measurements -- Transformations -- Descriptive summaries -- Optimization techniques -- Hypothesis testing -- Spatial Interpolation -- Inverse distance weighting -- Kriging -- Density Estimation and Potential -- Advanced Spatial Analysis -- Descriptive Summaries -- Centers -- Dispersion -- Histograms and Pie Charts -- Scatterplots -- Spatial Dependence -- Fragmentation and Fractional Dimension -- Optimization -- Hypothesis Testing -- Chapter 10 Selection of a GIS -- The Evolution of GIS Software -- The Early GIS Software Programs -- Operating Systems and GIS -- GIS Functional Capabilities -- Data Capture -- Data Storage -- Data Management -- Data Retrieval -- Data Analysis -- Data Display -- Data Structures and GIS Software -- The Leading GIS Softwares -- Chapter 11 The Future of GIS -- Future Data -- Easy access to digital data -- Remote Sensing and GIS -- GPS as data source for GIS -- Image Maps and GIS -- Data Exchange and GIS -- Location-Based Services and GIS -- Future Hardware -- The Workstation Revolution -- The Network Revolution -- The Microcomputer Revolution -- The Mobility Revolution -- The Impact of the Revolutions -- Future Prospects of Hardware -- Future Software -- Software Trends -- The User Interface and WIMPs -- The Raster versus Vector Debate -- Object - Oriented GIS -- Distributed Databases -- GIS User Needs -- GIS Software Research -- GIS Interoperability -- Future Issues and Problems -- Privacy -- Data Ownership -- Scientific Visualization -- New Focus -- Chapter 12 GIS Project Design and Management.

Problem Identification -- The rich picture -- The root definition -- Designing a data model -- Conceptual and physical data model -- Cartographic modelling -- Project Management -- Systems life cycle approach -- The prototyping approach -- Implementation problems -- Project evaluation -- Project Design- An Example (Urban Sprawl GIS) -- Objective -- Database Design -- Database Automation -- Database Management -- Data Analysis -- Presentation of Results -- Glossary -- References.