"Geographic Information Science & Systems" provides a detailed examination of the framework for capturing, managing, analyzing, and visualizing spatial data. The book establishes the core principles of GIScience, which include the conceptual models for representing real-world geography as digital data-through points, lines, polygons, and raster grids. It details the critical process of georeferencing, which ties this data to precise locations on the Earth's surface using coordinate systems and map projections. A central theme is the transformation of raw geographic facts into structured information that can support query, measurement, and interpretation. The narrative then focuses on the functional components of GISystems, the software and hardware that bring the science to life. This includes databases specifically designed for spatial data, tools for editing and maintaining data integrity, and a suite of analytical operations. The text explains key techniques like overlay analysis, buffer creation, network routing, and spatial statistics, showing how these methods extract patterns, relationships, and trends that are not apparent in tables or simple maps. It further explores cartographic design and visualization methods for effectively communicating geographic insights.This work positions GIS as an essential integrative technology for a vast range of disciplines.
Edward Harris operates at the critical junction where geography meets computation. His domain is Geographic Information Science & Systems (GIS), a field he presents not merely as a software tool, but as a fundamental framework for asking spatial questions and solving realworld problems. For Harris, every feature on the Earth's surface-a road, a disease cluster, a forest, a zoning law-holds a location, and that location is a key to unlocking patterns, relationships, and insights invisible in spreadsheets or lists. Harris excels at demystifying the technical core of GIS while foregrounding its analytical power. He articulates how spatial data is captured from satellites, surveys, and sensors; structured within databases using models for vectors, rasters, and topologies; and transformed through precise geospatial analysis. His focus rests on the logic behind the operations-how overlay functions combine map layers, how network analysis finds optimal routes, and how spatial statistics distinguish meaningful clusters from random noise. A central theme in his work is the indispensable link between rigorous scientific methodology and effective system use. He emphasizes that a GIS is only as insightful as the questions it is asked and the data it is fed. His teaching and writing guide practitioners through the entire workflow: from defining a spatial problem and collecting appropriate data, to selecting correct analytical methods, and finally to crafting maps and visualizations that communicate results with clarity and integrity. As a communicator, Harris's style is structured and pragmatic. He avoids software-specific jargon, focusing instead on universal concepts of scale, projection, uncertainty, and spatial relationship. He frames GIS as a discipline of thoughtful inquiry, where the map becomes both a powerful analytical engine and a compelling narrative device for stories about urban growth, environmental change, public health, and social equity.
Preface
Chapter 1. Introduction to Geographic Information Science and Systems
Chapter 2. Geographic Data and Spatial Data Models
Chapter 3. Geodesy, Coordinate Systems, and Projections
Chapter 4. Spatial Analysis and Modeling
Chapter 5. Cartography and Visualization in GIS
Chapter 6. Remote Sensing and GIS Integration
Chapter 7. Geospatial Databases and Information Management
Chapter 8. Advanced GIS Techniques and Analysis
Chapter 9. GIS Applications across Sectors
Chapter 10. Challenges, Trends, and the Future of GIScience
Bibliography
Index
$280.00