Geographic Information Systems for the Social Sciences: Investigating Space and Place [Hardcover]

Steven J. Steinberg (Author), Sheila L. Steinberg (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0761928723 | ISBN-13: 978-0761928720 | Publication Date: August 4, 2005

Geographic Information Systems for the Social Sciences: Investigating Space and Place is the first book to take a cutting-edge approach to integrating spatial concepts into the social sciences. In this text, authors Steven J. Steinberg and Sheila L. Steinberg simplify GIS (Geographic Information Systems) for practitioners and students in the social sciences through the use of examples and actual program exercises so that they can become comfortable incorporating this research tool into their repertoire and scope of interest. The authors provide learning objectives for each chapter, chapter summaries, links to relevant Web sites, as well as suggestions for student research projects. 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Steven J. Steinberg is an Associate Professor of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences at Humboldt State University, Arcata, California. He received his bachelor's degree from Kent State University, Ohio; his master's from The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; and his doctorate from The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He has been involved extensively in the development and teaching of geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing courses in both the university and professional development arenas. Since coming to Humboldt State University, Dr. Steinberg has taught and developed a variety of courses in the area of GIS, remote sensing, and spatial data analysis, with an emphasis on human interactions with social and environmental surroundings. His recent research interests include the development of simple, Web-based spatial analysis tools. He also has interests in the interactions between people and their surroundings through the use of spatial analysis techniques. As cofounder and director of Humboldt State University's Advanced Spatial Analysis Facility, Dr. Steinberg has overseen a variety of GIS and spatial analysis projects and research with organizations and government agencies in northern California and elsewhere. He was selected as a Fulbright Scholar for 2004-2005, serving as distinguished chair in airborne remote sensing with the Centre for Scientific Computing at Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. During 2005-2007, he is participating as part of an interdisciplinary team of scientists at Humboldt State University on a National Science Foundation project extending research experience to undergraduate students in a cross-disciplinary computing modeling and applications environment.

 

Dr. Sheila L. Steinberg is Associate Director of the California Center for Rural Policy and is an Associate Professor of sociology at Humboldt State University, Arcata, California. She completed her bachelor’s at the University of California, Santa Barbara; her master’s at the University of California, Berkeley; and her doctorate at The Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests include sociospatial research, rural poverty, rural health, applied sociology, community development, and environmental sociology. She has conducted field research in Nepal, Guatemala, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and northern California. The theme throughout this research has been the examination of people and their relationship to space and place. Her current research examines how to integrate GIS into rural health research. In 2000, she joined Humboldt State University, where she now teaches courses on human interactions with the physical environment at the local, national, and global levels.

 

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc (August 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761928723
• ISBN-13: 978-0761928720
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,629,438 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Steven J. Steinberg, is currently a Principal Scientist and Department Head (Information Management and Analysis) at the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) in Costa Mesa, California.

Previously (1998-2011) he was a Professor of Geospatial Sciences at Humboldt State University (Arcata, California) in the Department of Environmental Science and Management. His teaching and research emphasis was in map analysis, GPS, GIS and image analysis. In 2006, he founded HSU's Institute for Spatial Analysis (ISA) and served as its Director from 2006-2011. Dr. Steinberg also served as the Director of Klamath Watershed Institute (KWI) from 2005-2011.

Dr. Steinberg was twice selected as a Fulbright Scholar. He was appointed as Distinguished Chair of Airborne Remote Sensing at the Centre for Scientific Computing, Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 2004. In 2008 he was invited to teach with the International Master's Degree Programme in Geoinformatics (GIMP) at the University of Helsinki, Finland (2004) as a Fulbright Senior Scholar.

Dr. Steinberg's Ph.D. work emphasized the introduction and adoption of internet-based GIS tools in seven Department of Natural Resource agency offices throughout the State of Minnesota. He has researched and presented extensively on the application of geospatial analysis technologies for modeling and visualization in both human and natural environments.

He is co-author of the book, GIS for the Social Sciences: Investigating Space and Place with Dr. Sheila Lakshmi Steinberg and author or co-author of numerous book chapters, journal articles, conference proceedings and technical reports.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent guidebook for good research practices, April 23, 2008

By 

Warren G "saywhat" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Geographic Information Systems for the Social Sciences: Investigating Space and Place (Paperback)

I bought this book several months ago, but only just recently finished reading it. I got it on the recommendation of a colleague who recommended it, and I was not disappointed.
While the book is geared more towards social scientists and graduate students pursuing a career in social scientists, it does an excellent job of showing researchers common fallacies in using GIS for research. The book does not use many case studies, as other books do, which I think is more helpful because it allows the reader to think out how they would like to pursue their own direction in researching a topic, as opposed to a reader thinking, "well now, that doesn't really work for me," and tossing out the advice that comes from examples altogether.
The book is generic enough when talking about GIS systems that you don't get the feeling that you're reading a 200-page advertisement on the glories and wonders of ArcGIS. I also appreciate the layout of each chapter, opening with an outline of topics, an introduction, the main chapter, and then a summary. It gives you several opportunities to check to make sure you understand exactly what the authors are talking about.