Geographic Info Science & Techn

Geographic Information Science and Technology provide new and powerful tools for the earth sciences - not only in geology and geophysics but also in meteorology, hydrology, physical oceanography and ecology. To succeed professionally, undergraduate students in the geosciences now need to learn the use of modern GIScience tools - Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Remote Sensing (RS) - as a means of understanding various aspects of the earth system. This new textbook outlines and explains GIS for students and provides illustrations of applications specifically in Earth System Science. A general overview of GIScience is given at the start of the book, emphasising the basic concepts, information and technology resources, and giving examples of their use in Earth Systems research and applications. This shows how many of the basic spatial concepts behind GIScience are identical to those underlying Earth System Science. GIScience concepts and technology are then applied to solve Earth System problems by facilitating the analysis and modelling of Earth systems, and are shown as effective tools in current and future Earth systems research. An interdisciplinary team-based project and problem-solving approach is taken. With a central theme that cuts across key components of the Earth system, each chapter identifies and explores an earth-system problem from different sides at increasing levels of complexity as the text progresses. The text is practical and gives guidance for students. Extensive computer exercises show how to apply GIScience and technology to simulate scenarios, address 'what if' type questions and explore alternative solutions. Key features: * Adopts a problem-solving approach to demonstrate how to apply GI concepts and techniques to solve geoscience problems * Examines geoscience problems and the interplay between geo-scientific inquiries and GIScience solutions * Hands-on exercises aid learning and appreciation for mathematics and modelling. Yuan; May University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA,Snow; John University of Oklahoma,