Geographic Information Analysis [Hardcover]

David O'Sullivan (Author), David Unwin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471211761 | ISBN-13: 978-0471211761 | Publication Date: November 15, 2002 | Edition: 1

Clear, up-to-date coverage of methods for analyzing geographical information in a GIS context

Geographic Information Analysis presents clear and up-to-date coverage of the foundations of spatial analysis in a geographic information systems environment. Focusing on the universal aspects of spatial data and their analysis, this book covers the scientific assumptions and limitations of methods available in many geographic information systems.

Throughout, the fundamental idea of a map as a realization of a spatial stochastic process is central to the discussion. Key spatial concepts are covered, including point pattern, line objects and networks, area objects, and continuous fields. Analytical techniques for each of these are addressed, as are methods for combining maps, exploring multivariate data, and performing computationally intensive analysis. Appendixes provide primers on basic statistics and linear algebra using matrices.

Complete with chapter objectives, summaries, "thought exercises," a wealth of explanatory diagrams, and an annotated bibliography, Geographic Information Analysis is a practical book for students, as well as a valuable resource for researchers and professionals in the industry.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a strong text...should be commended with its attention to practical examples..." (Progress in Human Geography, Vol.27, No.5, 2003)

From the Back Cover

Clear, up-to-date coverage of methods for analyzing geographical information in a GIS context

Geographic Information Analysis presents clear and up-to-date coverage of the foundations of spatial analysis in a geographic information systems environment. Focusing on the universal aspects of spatial data and their analysis, this book covers the scientific assumptions and limitations of methods available in many geographic information systems.

Throughout, the fundamental idea of a map as a realization of a spatial stochastic process is central to the discussion. Key spatial concepts are covered, including point pattern, line objects and networks, area objects, and continuous fields. Analytical techniques for each of these are addressed, as are methods for combining maps, exploring multivariate data, and performing computationally intensive analysis. Appendixes provide primers on basic statistics and linear algebra using matrices.

Complete with chapter objectives, summaries, "thought exercises," a wealth of explanatory diagrams, and an annotated bibliography, Geographic Information Analysis is a practical book for students, as well as a valuable resource for researchers and professionals in the industry.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 436 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (November 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471211761
• ISBN-13: 978-0471211761
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #543,357 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good basic introduction, June 23, 2008

By 

SJ de Swardt (Harare, Zimbabwe) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Geographic Information Analysis (Hardcover)

I bought this book to assist with me the geographic analysis of human rights violations in Zimbabwe. I have no prior experience or qualifications in geography or GIS, but have taken to the field through the necesssity of the work that I do. This book is a technical and mathematical introduction to geographical information analysis. It helps you understand the principles of eg kriging, or the different sorts of geographical data (point, line and polygon) and the kinds of analysis one can do with them. It does this fairly efficiently and it has certainly given me some ideas on possible future paths to take.
However, it is more of a technical guide to the methods than an ideas book. And although I did not understand everything on the first pass, I must say that I imagine more experienced or technical people would be rather disappointed at the depth of the content. It seems a bit simple, and is clearly aimed as an undergrad primer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid grounding in the fundamentals of spatial analysis, May 7, 2009

By 

Mr. W. Waters "Critical thinker" (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Geographic Information Analysis (Hardcover)

Easy to understand
Sympathetic to the beginner
They appear earnest in their attempt to educate by providing appendices on fundamentals of statistics and matrix maths
Other books failed to explain MAUP, spatial autocorrelation to me where this one did
Nice to read a book by cogent authors who make the subject enjoyable.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, January 3, 2008

By 

Walid Ae Belal (OAkville, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Geographic Information Analysis (Hardcover)

I think that this book presents the subject of spatial analyses in a very organized and logical manner. It also has an appendix that contains explanations of basic statistical and mathematical theories that are discussed in the book. This book is a great text book and a great reference book for GIS practitioners.