Provides a global perspective on drought prediction and management and a synthesis of the recent state of knowledge. Covers a wide range of topics from essential concepts and advanced techniques for forecasting and modeling drought to societal impacts, consequences, and planning. Presents numerous case studies with different management approaches from different regions and countries. Addresses how climate change impacts drought, the increasing challenges associated with managing drought, decision making, and policy implications. Includes contributions from hundreds of experts around the world.

Globalization is not a new phenomenon, but it is posing new challenges to humans and natural ecosystems in the 21st century. From climate change to increasingly mobile human populations to the global economy, the relationship between humans and their environment is being modified in ways that will have long-term impacts on ecological health, biodiversity, ecosystem goods and services, population vulnerability, and sustainability. These changes and challenges are perhaps nowhere more evident than in island ecosystems. Buffeted by rising ocean temperatures, extreme weather events, sea-level rise, climate change, tourism, population migration, invasive species, and resource limitations, islands represent both the greatest vulnerability to globalization and also the greatest scientific opportunity to study the significance of global changes on ecosystem processes, human-environment interactions, conservation, environmental policy, and island sustainability. In this book, we study islands through the lens of Land Cover/Land Use Change (LCLUC) and the multi-scale and multi-thematic drivers of change. In addition to assessing the key processes that shape and re-shape island ecosystems and their land cover/land use changes, the book highlights measurement and assessment methods to characterize patterns and trajectories of change and models to examine the social-ecological drivers of change on islands. For instance, chapters report on the results of a meta-analysis to examine trends in published literature on islands, a satellite image time-series to track changes in urbanization, social surveys to support household analyses, field sampling to represent the state of resources and their limitations on islands, and dynamic systems models to link socio-economic data to LCLUC patterns. The authors report on a diversity of islands, conditions, and circumstances that affect LCLUC patterns and processes, often informed through perspectives rooted, for instance, in conservation, demography, ecology, economics, geography, policy, and sociology.

This book presents essential information on modern location science - in a word, all you need to know about location. The second edition of this handbook has been fully revised throughout, with numerous updates and chapters added, to offer an even more comprehensive overview of methods and applications. The book is divided into three parts: basic concepts, advanced concepts and applications. Written by the most respected specialists in the field and thoroughly reviewed by the editors, it first lays out the fundamental problems in location science and provides readers with basic background information on location theory. Part II covers advanced models and concepts, broadening and expanding on the content presented in Part I. It also discusses important tools to help readers grasp and solve real-world location problems. Part III focuses on the links between location science and other areas like GIS, telecommunications, healthcare, rapid transit networks, districting problems and disaster events, and presents a wide range of applications to allow readers to understand the role of facility location in such areas and learn how to handle real-world location problems. The book is intended for researchers working on theory and applications involving location problems and models. It is also suitable as a textbook for graduate courses on facility location.

This book gathers contributions on modern irrigation environments in Egypt from an environmental and agricultural perspective. Written by leading experts in the field, it discusses a wide variety of modern irrigation problems. In the context of water resources management in Egypt, one fundamental problem is the gap between growing water demand and limited supply. As such, improving irrigation systems and providing farmers with better control over water are crucial to increasing productivity. The book presents state-of-the-art technologies and techniques that can be effectively used to address a range of problems in modern irrigation, as well as the latest research advances. Focusing on water sensing and information technologies, automated irrigation technologies, and improved irrigation efficiency. It brings together a team of experts who share their personal experiences, describe the various applications, present recent advances, and discuss possibilities for interdisciplinary collaboration and implementing the techniques covered

This book provides in-depth explanations of design theories and methods for remote sensing satellites, as well as their practical applications. There have been significant advances in spacecraft remote sensing technologies over the past decade. As the latest edition of the book "Space Science and Technology Research," it draws on the authors' vast engineering experience in system design for remote sensing satellites and offers a valuable guide for all researchers, engineers and students who are interested in this area. Chiefly focusing on mission requirements analyses and system design, it also highlights a range of system design methods.

Remote Sensing of Geomorphology, Volume 23, discusses the new range of remote-sensing techniques (lidar, structure from motion photogrammetry, advanced satellite platforms) that has led to a dramatic increase in terrain information, and as such provided new opportunities for a better understanding of surface morphology and related Earth surface processes. As several papers have been published (including paper reviews and special issues) on this topic, this book summarizes the major advances in remote sensing techniques for the analysis of Earth surface morphology and processes, also highlighting future challenges. Useful for MSc and PhD students, this book is also ideal for any scientists that want to have a single volume guideline to help them develop new ideas. In addition, technicians and private and public sectors working on remote sensing will find the information useful to their initiatives.

This book presents the fundamentals of data assimilation and reviews the application of satellite remote sensing in hydrological data assimilation. Although hydrological models are valuable tools to monitor and understand global and regional water cycles, they are subject to various sources of errors. Satellite remote sensing data provides a great opportunity to improve the performance of models through data assimilation.

Hyperspectral Imaging, Volume 32, presents a comprehensive exploration of the different analytical methodologies applied on hyperspectral imaging and a state-of-the-art analysis of applications in different scientific and industrial areas. This book presents, for the first time, a comprehensive collection of the main multivariate algorithms used for hyperspectral image analysis in different fields of application. The benefits, drawbacks and suitability of each are fully discussed, along with examples of their application. Users will find state-of-the art information on the machinery for hyperspectral image acquisition, along with a critical assessment of the usage of hyperspectral imaging in diverse scientific fields.

This book is an introduction to a new branch of archaeology that scrutinises landscapes to find evidence of past human activity. Such evidence can be hard to detect at ground-level, but may be visible in remote sensing (RS) imagery from aerial platforms and satellites. Drawing on examples from around the world as well as from her own research work on archaeological sites in India (including Nalanda, Agra, Srirangapatna, Talakadu, and Mahabalipuram), the author presents a systematic process for integrating this information with historical spatial records such as old maps, paintings, and field surveys using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to gain new insights into our past. Further, the book highlights several instances where these insights are actionable -- they have been used to identify, understand, conserve, and protect the fragile remnants of our past. This book will be of particular interest not only to researchers in archaeology, history, art history, and allied fields, but to governmental and non-governmental professionals working in cultural heritage protection and conservation.

This set of lectures focusses on techniques to retrieve atmospheric components, gases, aerosols and clouds, as well as application such as in connection with climate changes. This book addresses primarily graduate students and young researchers in the atmopheric sciences but will be useful for all those wishing to study various techniques for exploring the atmosphere by remote sensing.

Advanced Remote Sensing: Terrestrial Information Extraction and Applications, Second Edition, is a thoroughly updated application-based reference that provides a single source on the mathematical concepts necessary for remote sensing data gathering and assimilation. It presents state-of-the-art techniques for estimating land surface variables from a variety of data types, including optical sensors like RADAR and LIDAR. The book provides scientists in a number of different fields, including geography, geophysics, geology, atmospheric science, environmental science, planetary science and ecology with access to critically-important data extraction techniques and their virtually unlimited applications. While rigorous enough for the most experienced of scientists, the techniques presented are well designed and integrated, making the book's content intuitive and practical in its implementation.

This book is designed to help students and researchers understand the latest research and development trends in the domain of geospatial information and communication (GeoICT) technologies. Accordingly, it covers the fundamentals of geospatial information systems, spatial positioning technologies, and networking and mobile communications, with a focus on OGC and OGC standards, Internet GIS, and location-based services. Particular emphasis is placed on introducing GeoICT as an integrated technology that effectively bridges various information-technology domains.

This book highlights advanced applications of geospatial data analytics to address real-world issues in urban society. With a connected world, we are generating spatial at unprecedented rates which can be harnessed for insightful analytics which define the way we analyze past events and define the future directions. This book is an anthology of applications of spatial data and analytics performed on them for gaining insights which can be used for problem solving in an urban setting. Each chapter is contributed by spatially aware data scientists in the making who present spatial perspectives drawn on spatial big data. The book shall benefit mature researchers and student alike to discourse a variety of urban applications which display the use of machine learning algorithms on spatial big data for real-world problem solving.

This monograph is a fundamental study of watershed erosion and runoff processes. It utilizes decades of soil erosion data to take a comprehensive and balanced approach in covering various watershed erosion processes. While there are many works on soil erosion and conservation, this book fills the gaps in previously published research by focusing more on mass movement, gully erosion, soil piping/tunnel erosion, and the spatial interactions of different erosion processes. Additionally, the book examines erosion processes in extreme rainfall events, something typically absent in short-term studies but discussed in detail here as the book draws on 60 years of research and observations, including 30 years of the author's own investigations of erosion under a wide range of rainfall conditions. The book is divided into 3 parts, and is intended for soil erosion researchers and practitioners, and postgraduate students studying soil erosion and water conservation. Part 1 opens with a comprehensive and critical review of existing literature on soil erosion processes, discusses this book's place among existing literature, and examines the major erosion processes (rainwash, gully erosion, tunnel erosion, and mass movements) including their controlling factors and mechanisms. Part 2 explores the spatial interactions of these different erosion processes to provide a prerequisite for effective design of comprehensive soil erosion control measures in a watershed. Part 3 evaluates the relative significance of these erosion processes in sediment production, the effectiveness of comprehensive soil and water conservation programs, and the applications of watershed modelling in determining the impact of land-use changes on soil erosion and other ecological processes.

Estimating evapotranspiration (ET) has been one of the most critical research areas in agriculture because of water scarcity, the growing population, and climate change. The accurate estimation and mapping of ET are necessary for crop water management. Traditionally, researchers use water balance, soil moisture, weighing lysimeters, or an energy balance approach, such as Bowen ratio or eddy covariance towers to estimate ET. However, these ET methods are point-specific or area-weighted measurements and cannot be extended to a large scale. On the other hand, while remote sensing is able to provide spatially distributed measurements, the spatial resolution of multispectral satellite images is often not enough for crops with clumped canopy structures, such as trees and vines. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can mitigate these spatial and temporal limitations. Lightweight cameras and sensors can be mounted on the UAVs and take high-resolution images. Unlike satellite imagery, the spatial resolution of the UAV images can be at the centimeter-level. UAVs can also fly on-demand, which provides high temporal imagery. This book examines the different UAV-based approaches of ET estimation. Models and algorithms, such as mapping evapotranspiration at high resolution with internalized calibration (METRIC), the two-source energy balance (TSEB) model, and machine learning (ML) are discussed. It also covers the challenges and opportunities for UAVs in ET estimation, with the final chapters devoted to new ET estimation methods and their potential applications for future research.

This book systematically introduces readers to laser imaging target detection principles and techniques. It covers the fundamentals of laser imaging and presents an extensive, up-to-date analysis of how to best use laser imaging to detect targets. This is followed by a comprehensive discussion of laser imaging target detection principles, laser imaging generation, and target detection methods. The book offers an invaluable resource for researchers, especially those who are engaged in the fields including target detection based on a laser imaging system, target detection and identification, remote sensing imaging and image processing. Additionally, it can be used as a reference book for advanced undergraduates and postgraduates of relevant majors.

This book presents a systematic analysis of challenges in the field of Geographical Information Systems and Science, geographical analysis, and regional science for Ontario, one of the fastest-changing provinces in Canada and one of North America's largest economic hubs. In nine chapters, the book offers advanced spatial analysis techniques and digital data content to integrate Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as tools to tackle regional and urban challenges. The chapters address the following main topics: 1) state-of-the-art approaches for regional discrepancies, 2) investigations of available methods for advanced spatial analysis, 3) identification of regional patterns and land use dynamics, 4) availability of Web 3.0 data content for regions without standardized data, and 5) the limitations and challenges of urbanization and its impact on landscape, heritage and ecosystems.   The volume is divided into four sections dealing with key issues in Ontario, each addressing the use of GIS for crucial regional decision-making. The book will be of interest to researchers, undergraduate and graduate students, planners, regional scientists, and policy makers.

Statistical and machine learning methods have many applications in the environmental sciences, including prediction and data analysis in meteorology, hydrology and oceanography, pattern recognition for satellite images from remote sensing, management of agriculture and forests, assessment of climate change, and much more. With rapid advances in machine learning in the last decade, this book provides an urgently needed, comprehensive guide to machine learning and statistics for students and researchers interested in environmental data science. It includes intuitive explanations covering the relevant background mathematics, with examples drawn from the environmental sciences. A broad range of topics are covered, including correlation, regression, classification, clustering, neural networks, random forests, boosting, kernel methods, evolutionary algorithms, and deep learning, as well as the recent merging of machine learning and physics. End-of-chapter exercises allow readers to develop their problem-solving skills and online data sets allow readers to practise analysis of real data.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This book aims to inspire decision makers and practitioners to change their approach to climate planning in the tropics through the application of modern technologies for characterizing local climate and tracking vulnerability and risk, and using decision-making tools. Drawing on 16 case studies conducted mainly in the Caribbean, Central America, Western and Eastern Africa, and South East Asia it is shown how successful integration of traditional and modern knowledge can enhance disaster risk reduction and adaptation to climate change in the tropics. The case studies encompass both rural and urban settings and cover different scales: rural communities, cities, and regions. In addition, the book looks to the future of planning by addressing topics of major importance, including residual risk integration in local development plans, damage insurance and the potential role of climate vulnerability reduction credits. In many regions of the tropics, climate planning is growing but has still very low quality. This book identifies the weaknesses and proposes effective solutions.

This volume in the Space Sciences Series of ISSI is dedicated to the detennination of the Earth's gravity field, which was the topic of a workshop organized by ISSI from 11 to 15 March 2002 in Bern. The aim of the meeting was to gather active researchers from various fields (satellite geodesy, gravity field modelling, solid Earth physics, oceanography, etc.) to assess the exciting new developments that are made possible by space missions currently in orbit or about to be launched. Following some general enquiries with the scientific community concerning the desirability of organising a workshop on the proposed topic, a group of four con- venors (Gerhard Beutler, Univ. of Bern; Mark Drinkwater, ESA-ESTEC, Noord- wijk; Reiner Rummel, Techn. Univ. Miinchen; Rudolf von Steiger, ISS I, Bern) for- mulated the aims and goals of the workshop, structured the workshop into six sec- tions, nominated a list of session chairs (Georges Balmino, GRGS-CNES, Toulouse; Roberto Sabadini, Univ. of Milano, Christian Le Provost, Obs. Midi-Pyrenees, Toulouse; Philip Woodworth, Bidston Observatory, Birkenhead; Miguel Aguirre, ESA-ESTEC, Noordwijk), who in turn set up a programme of introductory talks. The workshop was organized such as to have only plenary sessions with typically half-hour presentations and ample time for discussions. The last day was devoted to conclusions and future objectives.

The text explains the key concepts, issues and processes of spatial data implementation and provides a holistic management perspective that complements the technical aspects of spatial data stressed in other textbooks. The text first overviews the current state of spatial information technology and it concludes with a speculative account of likely future developments. Cutting edge research and practical workplace needs are defined and explained. Topics covered, among others, include strategies for end user education, current spatial data standards and their importance, legal issues and liabilities in the ownership and use of spatial data, spatial metadata use within distributed databases, the Internet and Web-based solutions to database deployment, quality assurance and quality control in database implementation and use, spatial decision support, and spatial data mining.

Spatial Modeling in GIS and R for Earth and Environmental Sciences offers an integrated approach to spatial modelling using both GIS and R. Given the importance of Geographical Information Systems and geostatistics across a variety of applications in Earth and Environmental Science, a clear link between GIS and open source software is essential for the study of spatial objects or phenomena that occur in the real world and facilitate problem-solving. Organized into clear sections on applications and using case studies, the book helps researchers to more quickly understand GIS data and formulate more complex conclusions. The book is the first reference to provide methods and applications for combining the use of R and GIS in modeling spatial processes. It is an essential tool for students and researchers in earth and environmental science, especially those looking to better utilize GIS and spatial modeling.

This book proposes a general methodology to introduce Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) integrity, starting from a rigorous mathematical description of the problem. It highlights the major issues that designers need to resolve during the development of GNSS-based systems requiring a certain level of confidence on the position estimates. Although it follows a general approach, the final chapters focus on the application of GNSS integrity to rail transportation, as an example. By describing the main requirements in the context of train position function, one of which is the safe function of any train control system, it shows the critical issues associated with the concept of safe position integrity. In particular, one case study clarifies the key differences between the avionic domain and the railway domain related to the application of GNSS technologies, and identifies a number of railway-signaling hazards linked with the use of such technology. Furthermore, it describes various railway-signaling techniques to mitigate such hazards to prepare readers for the future evolution of train control systems, also based on the GNSS technology. This unique book offers a valuable reference guide for engineers and researchers in the fields of satellite navigation and rail transportation.