This edited volume presents a collection of lessons learned with, and research conducted on, OpenStreetMap, the goal being to promote the project's integration. The respective chapters address a) state-of-the-art and cutting-edge approaches to data quality analysis in OpenStreetMap, b) investigations on understanding OpenStreetMap contributors and the nature of their contributions, c) identifying patterns of contributions and contributors, d) applications of OpenStreetMap in different domains, e) mining value-added knowledge and information from OpenStreetMap, f) limitations in the analysis OpenStreetMap data, and g) integrating OpenStreetMap with commercial and non-commercial datasets. The book offers an ideal opportunity to present and disseminate a number of cutting-edge developments and applications in the field of geography, spatial statistics, GIS, social science, and cartography.

This book delivers concise coverage of classical methods and new developments related to indoor location-based services. It collects results from isolated domains including geometry, artificial intelligence, statistics, cooperative algorithms, and distributed systems and thus provides an accessible overview of fundamental methods and technologies. This makes it an ideal starting point for researchers, students, and professionals in pervasive computing. Location-based services are services using the location of a mobile computing device as their primary input. While such services are fairly easy to implement outside buildings thanks to accessible global positioning systems and high-quality environmental information, the situation inside buildings is fundamentally different. In general, there is no simple way of determining the position of a moving target inside a building without an additional dedicated infrastructure. The book's structure is learning oriented, starting with a short introduction to wireless communication systems and basic positioning techniques and ending with advanced features like event detection, simultaneous localization and mapping, and privacy aspects. Readers who are not familiar with the individual topics will be able to work through the book from start to finish. At the same time all chapters are self-contained to support readers who are already familiar with some of the content and only want to pick selected topics that are of particular interest.

The main focus of this monograph is synthesizing the importance of geographic approaches to public health and patient care. The chapters are organized into four themed sections: the role of geography in health care reform; the geographies of human health; geospatial data and technologies; and geography in medicine. It is a highly informative book, providing scientific insight for geographers with an interest in advanced geospatial applications and health research. The author is an international expert in geography, GIS, and public health, who co-edited a special issue on "Geospatial Applications in Disease Surveillance," published in the International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research. "Health, Science, and Place is a well-intentioned overview of medical geography in the context of the ACA. Blatt does an excellent job synthesizing ecologic and geographic literatures with what we know about individual health, health care systems, and public health. ... this book fills a need in the field by offering a timely discussion of the ACA and medical geography." - Jennifer L. Moss, The AAG Review of Books, Vol. 4 (2), 2016 "Amy Blatt's pioneering new book on geomedicine and its exciting capacity to promote health and minimize risk is a robust call for understanding the role of geography for everyone's quality of life. In Health, Science, and Place: A New Mode, Dr. Blatt's contributions can be summarized in three categories: comprehensive analysis, creative curating, and targeted innovations... Overall, Dr. Blatt's Health, Science, and Place: A New Model is a pathbreaking book challenging all public health and health communication scholars and practitioners to explore vigorously the role of medical geography as a shining new bridge between geography and patient care." - John C. Pollock, PhD, MPA, Professor of Health Communication and Human Rights, and Faculty Affiliate in Public Health, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ

This book presents a general picture of recent research activities related to location-based services. Such activities emerged in the last years especially concerning issues of outdoor/indoor positioning, smart environment, spatial modelling, personalization and context-awareness, cartographic communication, novel user interfaces, crowdsourcing, social media, big data analysis, usability and privacy. This book is comprised of a selection of the best papers presented during the 11th International Symposium on Location Based Services, which was held in Vienna (Austria) between 26th and 28th November 2014.

"The PhD thesis written by Mr. Ackermann is an outstanding and in-depth scientific study that closes a research gap and paves the way to new developments. Despite the extremely complex issues, his work is very understandable and excellently elaborated." Prof. Dr. Christiane Schmullius "The PhD thesis written by Mr. Ackermann is an excellent and very comprehensive work performed at the highest scientific level. It examines in detail the potential of SAR data with regards to the derivation of forest stem volume in the temperate latitudes. The work belongs to a technically complex field. Nevertheless, Mr. Ackermann has succeeded in presenting the content in a clear and understandable way." Dr. Christian Thiel "The proposed document is overall of very good quality. Mr. Ackermann has done an exhaustive analysis of the in-situ data available on the Thuringian forest and was able to derive Growing Stocking Volume using L- and X-band spaceborne SAR data. The document is very well structured with a good split of information between the core of the text presented in the 6 chapters and the 4 annexes, which contain detailed results. Mr. Ackermann's English grammar is excellent and his syntax is crystal clear, making his document pleasant to read. The way arguments are presented is logical and Mr. Ackermann gives a lot of attention to ensuring that sound explanations properly support these arguments." Dr. Maurice Borgeaud

Remote Sensing Applications in Environmental Research is the basis for advanced Earth Observation (EO) datasets used in environmental monitoring and research. Now that there are a number of satellites in orbit, EO has become imperative in today's sciences, weather and natural disaster prediction. This highly interdisciplinary reference work brings together diverse studies on remote sensing and GIS, from a theoretical background to its applications, represented through various case studies and the findings of new models. The book offers a comprehensive range of contributions by well-known scientists from around the world and opens a new window for students in presenting interdisciplinary and methodological resources on the latest research. It explores various key aspects and offers state-of-the-art research in a simplified form, describing remote sensing and GIS studies for those who are new to the field, as well as for established researchers.

Applications, 2nd Edition focuses on moving object management, from the location management perspective to determining how constantly changing locations affect the traditional database and data mining technology. The book specifically describes the topics of moving objects modeling and location tracking, indexing and querying, clustering, location uncertainty, traffic-aware navigation and privacy issues, as well as the application to intelligent transportation systems. Through the book, the readers will be made familiar with the cutting-edge technologies in moving object management that can be effectively applied in LBS and transportation contexts. The second edition of this book significantly expands the coverage of the latest research on location privacy, traffic-aware navigation and uncertainty. The book has also been reorganized, with nearly all chapters rewritten, and several new chapters have been added to address the latest topics on moving objects management. Xiaofeng Meng is a professor at the School of Information, Renmin University of China; Zhiming Ding is a professor at the Institute of Software, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISCAS); Jiajie Xu is an assistant professor at the ISCAS.

Many important planning decisions in society and business depend on proper knowledge and a correct understanding of movement, be it in transportation, logistics, biology, or the life sciences. Today the widespread use of mobile phones and technologies like GPS and RFID provides an immense amount of data on location and movement. What is needed are new methods of visualization and algorithmic data analysis that are tightly integrated and complement each other to allow end-users and analysts to extract useful knowledge from these extremely large data volumes. This is exactly the topic of this book. As the authors show, modern visual analytics techniques are ready to tackle the enormous challenges brought about by movement data, and the technology and software needed to exploit them are available today. The authors start by illustrating the different kinds of data available to describe movement, from individual trajectories of single objects to multiple trajectories of many objects, and then proceed to detail a conceptual framework, which provides the basis for a fundamental understanding of movement data. With this basis, they move on to more practical and technical aspects, focusing on how to transform movement data to make it more useful, and on the infrastructure necessary for performing visual analytics in practice. In so doing they demonstrate that visual analytics of movement data can yield exciting insights into the behavior of moving persons and objects, but can also lead to an understanding of the events that transpire when things move. Throughout the book, they use sample applications from various domains and illustrate the examples with graphical depictions of both the interactive displays and the analysis results. In summary, readers will benefit from this detailed description of the state of the art in visual analytics in various ways. Researchers will appreciate the scientific precision involved, software technologists will find essential information on algorithms and systems, and practitioners will profit from readily accessible examples with detailed illustrations for practical purposes.

This book provides an extensive review of three interrelated issues: land fragmentation, land consolidation, and land reallocation, and it presents in detail the theoretical background, design, development and application of a prototype integrated planning and decision support system for land consolidation. The system integrates geographic information systems (GIS) and artificial intelligence techniques including expert systems (ES) and genetic algorithms (GAs) with multi-criteria decision methods (MCDM), both multi-attribute (MADM) and multi-objective (MODM). The system is based on four modules for measuring land fragmentation; automatically generating alternative land redistribution plans; evaluating those plans; and automatically designing the land partitioning plan. The presented research provides a new scientific framework for land-consolidation planning both in terms of theory and practice, by presenting new findings and by developing better tools and methods embedded in an integrated GIS environment. It also makes a valuable contribution to the fields of GIS and spatial planning, as it provides new methods and ideas that could be applied to improve the former for the benefit of the latter in the context of planning support systems. "From the 1960s, ambitious research activities set out to observe regarding IT-support of the complex and time consuming redistribution processes within land consolidation - without any practically relevant results, until now. This scientific work is likely to close that gap. This distinguished publication is highly recommended to land consolidation planning experts, researchers and academics alike." - Prof. Dr.-Ing. Joachim Thomas, Munster/ Germany "Planning support systems take new scientific tools based on GIS, optimisation and simulation and use these to inform the process of plan-making and policy. This book is one of the first to show how this can be consistently done and it is a triumph of demonstrating how such systems can be made operational. Essential reading for planners, analysts and GI scientists." - Prof. Michael Batty, University College London

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 work presents cases studies of applications of Geotechnology such as Geography Information Systems, virtual reality and cellular automaton and multi-agent systems in the field of urban planning and design.These are joint research presentations with students and colleagues from Kanazawa University. All these case studies are about application in Japanese or Chinese cities, which are on-field examples reflecting the enormous spread of geo-computation technology. Nevertheless, the concepts have wide applicability to other contexts. The works can be classified into three types of Geotechnological applications at different levels of urban spaces, which are relevant to different kinds of urban planning and development projects. The book is comprised of three parts: Part 1: Geosimulation and land use plan Part 2: Geo Visualization and urban design Part 3: Geography information system and planning support

The fast exchange of information and knowledge are the essential conditions for successful and effective research and practical applications in cartography. For successful research development, it is necessary to follow trends not only in this domain, but also try to adapt new trends and technologies from other areas. Trends in cartography are also quite often topics of many conferences which have the main aim to link research, education and application experts in cartography and GIS&T into one large platform. Such the right place for exchange and sharing of knowledge and skills was also the CARTOCON2014 conference, which took place in Olomouc, Czech Republic, in February 2014 and this book is a compilation of the best and most interesting contributions. The book content consists of four parts. The first part New approaches in map and atlas making collects studies about innovative ways in map production and atlases compilation. Following part of the book Progress in web cartography brings examples and tools for web map presentation. The third part Advanced methods in map use includes achievement of eye-tracking research and users' issues. The final part Cartography in practice and research is a clear evidence that cartography and maps played the significant role in many geosciences and in many branches of the society. Each individual paper is original and has its place in cartography.

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as GPS, have become an efficient, reliable and standard tool for a wide range of applications. However, when processing GNSS data, the stochastic model characterising the precision of observations and the correlations between them is usually simplified and incomplete, leading to overly optimistic accuracy estimates. This work extends the stochastic model using signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measurements and time series analysis of observation residuals. The proposed SNR-based observation weighting model significantly improves the results of GPS data analysis, while the temporal correlation of GPS observation noise can be efficiently described by means of autoregressive moving average (ARMA) processes. Furthermore, this work includes an up-to-date overview of the GNSS error effects and a comprehensive description of various mathematical methods.

Expert perspectives on SDI theory and practice The spatial data infrastructure (SDI) concept continues to evolve and become an increasingly important element of the infrastructure that supports economic development, environmental management, and social stability. Because of its dynamic and complex nature, however, it remains a fuzzy concept to many, and depending on their needs and circumstances, practitioners, researchers, and governments adopt different views of it. Developing Spatial Data Infrastructures: from Concept to Reality makes a timely contribution to the theory and practice of SDIs and breaks new ground in improving understanding of their relevance and value. It provides expert overviews of policies, concepts, standards, and practices associated with the design, implementation, and operation of SDIs. It introduces the concept of an SDI Hierarchy based on Hierarchical Spatial Reasoning, sets out the similarities and differences between SDIs operating within and between different jurisdictions, and identifies factors key to the success of SDI initiatives. Built on key contributions to the International Symposium on Spatial Data Infrastructure held in Melbourne in November 2001, this book is the first of its kind to provide address both the theoretical and practical aspects of developing appropriate SDIs. It offers unique, detailed discussions on the challenges and direction of future SDI development and thus provides an outstanding resource for those involved in building and maintaining SDIs and for GIS professionals and students.

The Landscapes and Landforms of Spain provides an informative and inviting overview of the geology and geomorphology of Spain. It incorporates a diverse range of topics, ranging from the fiery landscapes of the Canary Islands and its volcanic formations to the glacial scenery of the Pyrenees. The book devotes attention to granite landforms, karst terrains, coastal dunes and marshes, as well as to heritage and conservation, with the objective of offering the reader a comprehensive insight into the Spanish geological setting. The book presents readers with the opportunity to explore Spanish landforms in detail through its highly illustrated pages and maps, making this an appealing text on the subject field.

This SpringerBrief presents the fundamental concepts of a specialized class of data stream, spatio-temporal data streams, and demonstrates their distributed processing using Big Data frameworks and platforms. It explores a consistent framework which facilitates a thorough understanding of all different facets of the technology, from basic definitions to state-of-the-art techniques. Key topics include spatio-temporal continuous queries, distributed stream processing, SQL-like language embedding, and trajectory stream clustering. Over the course of the book, the reader will become familiar with spatio-temporal data streams management and data flow processing, which enables the analysis of huge volumes of location-aware continuous data streams. Applications range from mobile object tracking and real-time intelligent transportation systems to traffic monitoring and complex event processing. Spatio-Temporal Data Streams is a valuable resource for researchers studying spatio-temporal data streams and Big Data analytics, as well as data engineers and data scientists solving data management and analytics problems associated with this class of data.

Significant advances in the scientific use of space based data were achieved in three joint interdisciplinary projects based on data of the satellite missions CHAMP, GRACE and GOCE within the R&D program GEOTECHNOLOGIEN. It was possible to explore and monitor changes related to the Earth's surface, the boundary layer between atmosphere and solid earth, and the oceans and ice shields. This boundary layer is our habitat and therefore is in the focus of our interests. The Earth's surface is subject to anthropogenetic changes, to changes driven by the Sun, Moon and planets, and by changes caused by processes in the Earth system. The state parameters and their changes are best monitored from space. The theme "Observation of the System Earth from Space" offers comprehensive insights into a broad range of research topics relevant to society including geodesy, oceanography, atmospheric science (from meteorology to climatology), hydrology and glaciology.

This book covers up-to-date methods and algorithms for the automated analysis of engineering drawings and digital cartographic maps. The Non-Deterministic Agent System (NDAS) offers a parallel computational approach to such image analysis. The book describes techniques suitable for persistent and explicit knowledge representation for engineering drawings and digital maps. It also highlights more specific techniques, e.g., applying robot navigation and mapping methods to this problem. Also included are more detailed accounts of the use of unsupervised segmentation algorithms to map images. Finally, all these threads are woven together in two related systems: NDAS and AMAM (Automatic Map Analysis Module).

A variety of disciplines and professions have embraced geospatial technologies for collecting, storing, manipulating, analyzing and displaying spatial data to investigate crime, prosecute and convict offenders, exonerate suspects and submit evidence in civil lawsuits. The applications, acceptability and relevance and procedural legality of each geospatial technologies vary. The purpose of this book is to explain the nature of geospatial technologies, demonstrate a variety of geospatial applications used to investigate and litigate civil and criminal activities and to provide a reference of current acceptability of geospatial technology in the production of evidence. This book is an introductory overview designed to appeal to researchers and practitioners across disciplinary boundaries. The authors of this book are researchers and practitioners across disciplines and professions, experts in the field.

Archaeology has been historically reluctant to embrace the subject of agent-based simulation, since it was seen as being used to "re-enact" and "visualize" possible scenarios for a wider (generally non-scientific) audience, based on scarce and fuzzy data. Furthermore, modeling "in exact terms" and programming as a means for producing agent-based simulations were simply beyond the field of the social sciences. This situation has changed quite drastically with the advent of the internet age: Data, it seems, is now ubiquitous. Researchers have switched from simply collecting data to filtering, selecting and deriving insights in a cybernetic manner. Agent-based simulation is one of the tools used to glean information from highly complex excavation sites according to formalized models, capturing essential properties in a highly abstract and yet spatial manner. As such, the goal of this book is to present an overview of techniques used and work conducted in that field, drawing on the experience of practitioners.

Everyone likes maps and maps are always used to illustrate the many books on the Antarctic. Here the focus is reversed with contemporary maps telling the story - one that should be attractive to the widest audience as it is a unique approach complimenting what has gone before and providing something different for all interested in Antarctica.

Real Estate and GIS focuses on the application of geographic information systems (GIS) and mapping technologies in the expanding property and real estate discipline. Whilst a thorough understanding of location is understood to be fundamental to the property discipline, real estate professionals and students have yet to harness the full potential of spatial analysis and mapping in their work. This book demonstrates the crucial role that technological advances can play in collecting, organising and analysing large volumes of real estate data in order to improve decision-making. International case studies, chapter summaries and discussion questions make this book the perfect textbook for property and applied GIS courses. Property and real estate professionals including surveyors, valuers, property developers, urban economists and financial analysts will also find this book an invaluable guide to the understanding and application of GIS technology within a real estate industry context.

This volume constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Third International Conference on Geo-Informatics in Resource Management and Sustainable Ecosystem, GRMSE 2015, held in Wuhan, China, in October 2015. The 101 papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 321 submissions. The papers are divided into topical sections on Smart City in Resource Management and Sustainable Ecosystem; Spatial Data Acquisition Through RS and GIS in Resource Management and Sustainable Ecosystem; Ecological and Environmental Data Processing and Management; Advanced Geospatial Model and Analysis for Understanding Ecological and Environmental Process; Applications of Geo-Informatics in Resource Management and Sustainable Ecosystem.

This book offers a unique collection of inter- and multidisciplinary studies on river systems. Rivers have been the prime source of sustenance since the advent of civilization and river systems often form the basis for agriculture, transport, water, and land for domestic, commercial, and industrial activities, fostering economic prosperity. A river basin is a basic geographical and climatological unit within which the vagaries of natural processes act and manifest themselves at different spatio-temporal scales. Even if compared side-by-side, no two river basins respond to natural processes in the same way and thus, it has long been recognized that each river basin is unique. Hence, any developmental activity or conservation effort has to be designed and implemented to match each unique river basin. With the burgeoning population and increasing dependency on natural resources, understanding and maintaining river systems has become increasingly important. This book provides a varied reference work on and unprecedented guidelines for conducting and implementing research on river basins, and for managing their ecological development.

A variety of biophysical applications (e.g. leaf area index and gross primary productivity) have been derived from measurements of the Earth system obtained remotely by NASA's MODIS sensors and other satellite platforms. In Biophysical Applications of Satellite Remote Sensing, the authors describe major applications of satellite remote sensing for studying Earth's biophysical phenomena. The focus of the book lies on the broad palette of specific applications (metrics) of biophysical activity derived using satellite remote sensing. With in-depth discussions of satellite-derived biophysical metrics that focus specifically on theory, methodology, validation, major findings, and directions of future research, this book provides an excellent resource for remote sensing specialists, ecologists, geographers, biologists, climatologists, and environmental scientists.