This book aims to promote the synergistic usage of advanced computational methodologies in close relationship to geospatial information across cities of different scales. A rich collection of chapters subsumes current research frontiers originating from disciplines such as geography, urban planning, computer science, statistics, geographic information science and remote sensing. The topics covered in the book are of interest to researchers, postgraduates, practitioners and professionals. The editors hope that the scientific outcome of this book will stimulate future urban-related international and interdisciplinary research, bringing us closer to the vision of a "new science of cities."

The Internet has become the major form of map delivery. The current presentation of maps is based on the use of online services. This session examines developments related to online methods of map delivery, particularly Application Programmer Interfaces (APIs) and MapServices in general, including Google Maps API and similar services. Map mashups have had a major impact on how spatial information is presented. The advantage of using a major online mapping site is that the maps represent a common and recognizable representation of the world. Overlaying features on top of these maps provides a frame of reference for the map user. A particular advantage for thematic mapping is the ability to spatially reference thematic data.

This book presents the latest research developments in geoinformation science, which includes all the sub-disciplines of the subject, such as: geomatic engineering, GIS, remote sensing, digital photogrammetry, digital cartography, etc.

This volume comprises an outstanding variety of chapters on Earth Observation based time series analyses, undertaken to reveal past and current land surface dynamics for large areas. What exactly are time series of Earth Observation data? Which sensors are available to generate real time series? How can they be processed to reveal their valuable hidden information? Which challenges are encountered on the way and which pre-processing is needed? And last but not least: which processes can be observed? How are large regions of our planet changing over time and which dynamics and trends are visible? These and many other questions are answered within this book "Remote Sensing Time Series Analyses - Revealing Land Surface Dynamics". Internationally renowned experts from Europe, the USA and China present their exciting findings based on the exploitation of satellite data archives from well-known sensors such as AVHRR, MODIS, Landsat, ENVISAT, ERS and METOP amongst others. Selected review and methods chapters provide a good overview over time series processing and the recent advances in the optical and radar domain. A fine selection of application chapters addresses multi-class land cover and land use change at national to continental scale, the derivation of patterns of vegetation phenology, biomass assessments, investigations on snow cover duration and recent dynamics, as well as urban sprawl observed over time.

Computerized crime mapping or GIS in law enforcement agencies has experienced rapid growth, particularly since the mid 1990s. There has also been increasing interests in GIS analysis of crime from various academic fields including criminology, geography, urban planning, information science and others. This book features a diverse array of GIS applications in crime analysis, from general issues such as GIS as a communication process and inter-jurisdictional data sharing to specific applications in tracking serial killers and predicting juvenile violence. Geographic Information Systems and Crime Analysis showcases a broad range of methods and techniques from typical GIS tasks such as geocoding and hotspot analysis to advanced technologies such as geographic profiling, agent-based modeling and web GIS. Contributors range from university professors, criminologists in research institutes to police chiefs, GIS analysts in police departments and consultants in criminal justice.

These Workshop Proceedings reflect problems concerning advanced geo-information science with a special emphasis on deep virtualization for mobile GIS. They present papers from leading scientists engaged in research on environmental issues from a modeling, analysis, information processing and visualization perspective, as well as practitioners involved in GIS and GIS applications development. The proceedings examine in detail problems regarding scientific and technological innovations and deep virtualization for mobile GIS, its potential applications, and the monitoring, planning and simulation of urban systems with respect to economic trends as related to: Artificial intelligence; Knowledge-based GIS; Spatial ontologies in GIS; Positioning and analyzing moving information; Energy GIS; GIS data integration and modeling; Environmental management; Urban GIS; Transportation GIS; Underwater acoustics and GIS; GIS and real-time monitoring systems; GIS algorithms and computational issues; Data reliability and quality assurance for open data; Spatial and data quality; and lastly Open source GIS.

Spanning the Islamic world, from ninth-century Baghdad to nineteenth-century Iran, this book tells the story of the key Muslim map-makers and the art of Islamic cartography. Muslims were uniquely placed to explore the edges of the inhabited world and their maps stretched from Isfahan to Palermo, from Istanbul to Cairo and Aden. Over a similar period, Muslim artists developed distinctive styles, often based on geometrical patterns and calligraphy. Map-makers, including al-Khwarazmi and al-Idrisi, combined novel cartographical techniques with art, science and geographical knowledge. The results could be aesthetically stunning and mathematically sophisticated, politically charged as well as a celebration of human diversity. 'Islamic Maps' examines Islamic visual interpretations of the world in their historical context, through the lives of the map-makers themselves. What was the purpose of their maps, what choices did they make and what was the argument they were trying to convey? Lavishly illustrated with stunning manuscripts, beautiful instruments and Qibla charts, this book shows how maps constructed by Muslim map-makers capture the many dimensions of Islamic civilisation, providing a window into the worldviews of Islamic societies.

This book focuses on the integration of spatial statistics, GIS-technology, ecosystem studies, and scenario modelling. Its main aim is to extend the information gained at the stand level to larger spatial scales, i.e. to forest districts, forest landscapes or to the total area of Lower Saxony. The studies demonstrate the potential and limitations of regionalization approaches for forest ecological variables. The results provide valuable spatial information for forest managers and landscape planners as well as for policy-makers. Some spatial models outlined in this book have been implemented as useful tools in present forest management. With current improvements of data quality, e.g. from remote sensing and refined ground-based inventories, methods are now available to develop large-scale approaches to forest ecology and management. This book is an indispensable tool for scientists and those involved in forest management.

The book comprises innovative research presented at the 14th Conference of the Association of Geographic Information Laboratories in Europe (AGILE), held in 2011 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The scientific papers cover a large variety of fundamental research topics as well as applied research in Geoinformation Science including measuring spatiotemporal phenomena, quality and semantics, spatiotemporal analysis, modeling and decision support as well as spatial information infrastructures. The book is aimed at researchers, practitioners and students who work in various fields and disciplines related to Geoinformation Science and technology.

The limitations of satellites create a large gap in assistive directional technologies, especially indoors. The methods and advances in alternate directional technologies is allowing for new systems to fill the gaps caused by the limitations of GPS systems. Positioning and Navigation in Complex Environments is a critical scholarly resource that examines the methodologies and advances in technologies that allow for indoor navigation. Featuring insight on a broad scope of topics, such as multipath mitigation, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and multi-sensor integration, this book is directed toward data scientists, engineers, government agencies, researchers, and graduate-level students.

The region of Central and Eastern Europe has a rich and long history in cart- raphy. Many important improvements in mapping and cartography have been proposed and performed by cartographers and researchers of that region. The long and outstanding history has led to a lively and vivid presence. Now contemporary methods for depicting the earth and its cultural and natural attributes are used. This book focuses on the contemporary activities in all major realms of cartography in Central and Eastern Europe. It covers aspects of theoretical, topographical, thematic and multimedia cartography, which have been presented at the frst Symposium on Cartography for Central and Eastern Europe, which took place from February 16th to 17th, 2009 in Vienna, Austria and was organized by the International Cartographic Association (ICA) and the Vienna University of Technology. The symposium's aim was to bring together cartographers, GI scientists and those working in related disciplines from CEE with the goal of offering a platform for discussion and exchange and stimulation of joined projects. About 130 scientists from 19 countries followed the invitation and visited Vienna, Austria. A selection of fully reviewed contributions is edited in this book and is meant as a mirror of the wide range of activities in the realm of cartography in this region. The innovative and contemporary character of these topics has lead to a great variety of interdis- plinary contributions. Topics cover an enormous range with heterogenous relati- ships to the main book issues.

Aerosols have a significant influence on the Earth's radiation budget, but there is considerable uncertainty about the magnitude of their effect on the Earth's climate. Currently, satellite remote sensing is being increasingly utilized to improve our understanding of the effect of atmospheric aerosols on the climate system.

Satellite Aerosol Remote Sensing Over Land is the only book that brings together in one volume the most up-to-date research and advances in this discipline. As well as describing the current academic theory, the book presents practical applications, utilizing state-of-the-art instrumentation, invaluable to the work of environmental scientists.

With contributions by an international group of experts and leaders of correspondent aerosol retrieval groups, the book is an essential tool for all those working in the field of climate change.

This unique resource offers you a thorough overview of the principles and design of magnetic sensors and magnetometers, as well as guidance in applying specific devices. From exploring sensor and magnetometer properties for optimum system design... to the testing and calibration of precise magnetometers for full utilization, this book serves as your complete reference. You get practical approaches to selecting the right sensors for specific applications and advice on development of a customized device.

"Satellite Data Compression" covers recent progress in compression techniques for multispectral, hyperspectral and ultra spectral data. A survey of recent advances in the fields of satellite communications, remote sensing and geographical information systems is included. "Satellite Data Compression," contributed by leaders in this field, is the first book available on satellite data compression. It covers onboard compression methodology and hardware developments in several space agencies. Case studies are presented on recent advances in satellite data compression techniques via various prediction-based, lookup-table-based, transform-based, clustering-based, and projection-based approaches. This book provides valuable information on state-of-the-art satellite data compression technologies for professionals and students who are interested in this topic. "Satellite Data Compression" is designed for a professional audience comprised of computer scientists working in satellite communications, sensor system design, remote sensing, data receiving, airborne imaging and geographical information systems (GIS). Advanced-level students and academic researchers will also benefit from this book.

This textbook is one of the first to explain the fundamentals and applications of remote sensing at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Topics include definitions and a brief history of payloads and platforms, data acquisition and specifications, image processing techniques, data integration and spatial modeling, and a range of applications covering terrestrial, atmospheric, oceanographic and planetary disciplines. The policy and law issues of remote sensing and the future trends on the horizon are also covered. Remote sensing is an exciting, dynamic technology that is transforming the Earth sciences - terrestrial, atmospheric, and marine - as well as the practices of agriculture, disaster response, engineering, natural resources, providing evidence in legal cases and documented humanitarian crises, and many other fields. Increasingly, understanding of these techniques will be central to a number of disciplines, particularly as the technology advances.

Water balance studies for large and small river basins are the subject of this book. Here, the specific focus is on the soil and water assessment tools (SWAT) model coupled with geographic information system (GIS) remote sensing data for a comprehensive study. Some books available in the market provide an overview of different hydrological models for water balance but not specifically for the SWAT model. This book effectively utilizes the SWAT model to study the water balances in small and large catchments with consistent competence and excellent accuracy for yearly and monthly water balance modules along with suspended sediment yield over several slope classes of the catchments. The approach is new and has been successfully utilized, as discussed in a case study on the Taleghan Catchment in Iran. These implementation models may assist as advantageous techniques for incorporated management of catchments in the direction of sustainable development. This book will help readers who wish to study all the changes related to those in water balances.

This book addresses the issue of smart and sustainable development in the Mediterranean (MED) region, a distinct part of the world, full of challenges and risks but also opportunities. Above all, the book focuses on smartening up small and medium-sized cities and insular communities, taking into account their geographical peculiarities, the pattern of MED urban settlements and the abundance of island complexes in the MED Basin. Taking for granted that sustainability in the MED is the overarching policy goal that needs to be served, the book explores different aspects of smartness in support of this goal's achievement. In this respect, evidence from concrete smart developments adopted by forerunners in the MED region is collected and analyzed; coupled with experiences gathered from successful, non-MED, examples of smart efforts in European countries. More specifically, current research and empirical results from MED urban environments are discussed, as well as findings from or concerning other parts of the world, which are of relevance to the MED region. The book's primary goal is to enable policymakers, planners and decision-making bodies to recognize the challenges and options available; and make to more informed policy decisions towards smart, sustainable, inclusive and resilient urban and regional futures in the MED.

Quo Vadis: Evolution of Modern Navigation presents an intelligent and intelligible account of the essential principles underlying the design of satellite navigational systems-with introductory chapters placing them in context with the early development of navigational methods. The material is organized roughly as follows: the first third of the book deals with navigation in the natural world, the early history of navigation, navigating by the stars, precise mechanical chronometers for the determination of longitude at sea, and the development of precise quartz controlled clocks. Then, the reader is introduced to quantum ideas as a lead in to a discussion of microwave and optical interactions with atoms, atomic clocks, laser gyrocompasses, and time based navigation. The final third of the book deals with satellite-based systems, including orbit theory, early satellite navigation systems, and a detailed treatment of the Global Positioning System (GPS). Intended for non-specialists with some knowledge of physics or engineering at the college level, this book covers in an intuitive manner a broad range of topics relevant to the evolution of surface and space navigation, with minimum mathematical formalism.

One of the most beautiful maps to survive the Great Age of Discoveries, the 1513 world map drawn by Ottoman admiral Piri Reis is also one of the most mysterious. Gregory McIntosh has uncovered new evidence in the map that shows it to be among the most important ever made.

This detailed study offers new commentary and explication of a major milestone in cartography. Correcting earlier work of Paul Kahle and pointing out the traps that have caught subsequent scholars, McIntosh disproves the dubious conclusion that the Reis map embodied Columbus's Third Voyage map of 1498, showing that it draws instead on the Second Voyage of 1493-1496. He also refutes the popular misinterpretation that Reis's depictions of Antarctica are evidence of either ancient civilizations or extraterrestrial visitation. McIntosh brings together all that has been previously known about the map and also assembles for the first time the translations of all inscriptions on the map and analyzes all place-names given for New World and Atlantic islands. His work clarifies long-standing mysteries and opens up new ways of looking at the history of exploration.

Flooding is one of the most devastating natural hazards in the world. Available records suggest that both flood frequency and severity are on the rise and this is likely to worsen in the context of climate change. As population, infrastructure and poverty grow rapidly in developing countries, particularly in urban agglomerations of 10 million people or more, floods could cause widespread devastation, economic damage and loss of life. Assessment of vulnerability and risk from naturally occurring phenomena is therefore imperative in order to achieve urban sustainability. This book uses geospatial techniques to evaluate hazards, risk and vulnerability at a metropolitan scale in a data-scarce country. An empirical study was performed using remote sensing, GIS and census data. This research offers a new approach to mapping population, infrastructures and communities at risk which can greatly contribute to the deeper understanding of flood disasters in a rapidly expanding megacity. Examples shown in this book are from Dhaka Megacity, however, the techniques and methods can easily be implemented in medium to large cities of similar characteristics. The book is essential reading for hazard researchers, geospatial scientists, disaster management professionals, geographers, urban planners, and social scientists. Ashraf M. Dewan is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Spatial Sciences at Curtin University, Western Australia (on leave from his substantive position as Associate Professor in the Geography & Environment Department at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh).

Land use and land cover (LULC) as well as its changes (LUCC) are an interplay between bio-geophysical characteristics of the landscape and climate as well as the complex human interaction including its different patterns of utilization superimposed on the natural vegetation. LULC is a core information layer for a variety of scientific and administrative tasks(e.g. hydrological modelling, climate models, land use planning).In particular in the context of climate change with its impacts on socio-economic, socio-ecologic systems as well as ecosystem services precise information on LULC and LUCC are mandatory baseline datasets required over large areas. Remote sensing can provide such information on different levels of detail and in a homogeneous and reliable way. Hence, LULC mapping can be regarded as a prototype for integrated approaches based on spaceborne and airborne remote sensing techniques combined with field observations. The book provides for the first time a comprehensive view of various LULC activities focusing on European initiatives, such as the LUCAS surveys, the CORINE land covers, the ESA/EU GMES program and its resulting Fast-Track- and Downstream Services, the EU JRC Global Land Cover, the ESA GlobCover project as well as the ESA initiative on Essential Climate Variables. All have and are producing highly appreciated land cover products. The book will cover the operational approaches, but also review current state-of-the-art scientific methodologies and recommendations for this field. It opens the view with best-practice examples that lead to a view that exceeds pure mapping, but to investigate into drivers and causes as well as future projections.