GIS and Environmental Modeling: Progress and Research Issues Michael F. Goodchild, Louis T. Steyaert, Bradley O. Parks, Carol Johnston, David Maidment, Michael Crane, and Sandi Glendinning, Editors With growing pressure on natural resources and landscapes there is an increasing need to predict the consequences of any changes to the environment. Modelling plays an important role in this by helping our understanding of the environment and by forecasting likely impacts. In recent years moves have been made to link models to Geographical Information Systems to provide a means of analysing changes over an area as well as over time. GIS and Environmental Modeling explores the progress made to date in integrating these two software systems. Approaches to the subject are made from theoretical, technical as well as data stand points. The existing capabilities of current systems are described along with important issues of data availability, accuracy and error. Various case studies illustrate this and highlight the common concepts and issues that exist between researchers in different environmental fields. The future needs and prospects for integrating GIS and environmental models are also explored with developments in both data handling and modelling discussed. The book brings together the knowledge and experience of over 100 researchers from academic, commercial and government backgrounds who work in a wide range of disciplines. The themes followed in the text provide a fund of knowledge and guidance for those involved in environmental modelling and GIS. The book is easily accessible for readers with a basic GIS knowledge and the ideas and results of the research are clearly illustrated with both colour and black and white graphics.
About the Author
The Editors Michael Goodchild is Professor of Geography and Director of the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis at the University of California, Santa Barbara, California USA. Louis Steyaert is a Remote Sensing Scientist at the Science Applications Branch, EROS Data Center of the US Geological Survey. Bradley O Parks is an Environmental Scientist with the University of Colorado, Boulder, Cooperative Institute for Research and Environmental Sciences, USA. Carol O Johnston is a Senior Research Associate at the Natural Resources Research Institute of the University of Minnesota, Duluth, USA. David R Maidment is Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, USA. Michael P Crane is Director of the Central Region Geographic Information Systems Laboratory of the US Geological Survey. Sandi Glendinning is a Visitor and Program Coordinator for the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis at the University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA.
