During the last several years there has been a signi?cant coalescence of interest in Open Source Geospatial (OSG) or, as it is also known and referred to in this book, Free and Open Source for Geospatial (FOSS4G) software technology. This interest has served to fan embers from pre-existing FOSS4G efforts, that were - cused on both standalone desktop geographic information systems (GIS), such as GRASS, libraries of geospatial utilities, such as GDAL, and Web-based mapping applications, such as MapServer. The impetus for the coalescence of disparate and th independent project-based efforts was the formal incorporation on February 27 , 2006 of a non-pro?t organization known as the Open Source Geospatial Foun- tion (OSGeo). Full details concerning the foundation, including its mission sta- ment, goals, evolving governance structure, approved projects, Board of Directors, journal, and much other useful information are available through the Foundation's website (http://www. osgeo. org). This book is not about OSGeo, yet it is dif?cult to produce a text on FOSS4G - proaches to spatial data handling without, in some way or another, encountering the activities and personalities of OSGeo. Of the current books published on this topic the majority are written by authors with very close connections to OSGeo. For - ample, Tyler Mitchell who is the Executive Director of the Foundation, is author of one of the ?rst books on FOSS4G approaches ('Web Mapping Illustrated' (2005)).

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.

This first of a kind book places spatial data within the broader domain of information technology (IT) while providing a comprehensive and coherent explanation of the guiding principles, methods, implementation and operational management of spatial databases within the workplace. 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. In this respect, this book is unique in its coverage of spatial database principles and architecture, database modelling including UML, database and spatial data standards, spatial data infrastructure, database implementation, and workplace-oriented project management including user needs study and end user education.