With the release of GIS Tutorial II: Spatial Analysis Workbook, ESRI Press has expanded its instructional workbook offerings to benefit geographic information system (GIS) users at the intermediate level.

Building on the basic skills taught in GIS Tutorial: Workbook for ArcView 9, GIS Tutorial II teaches readers how to perform spatial analysis using the tools in ArcGIS Desktop. Detailed, step-by-step procedures are included to guide them in a number of spatial analysis methods including comparison, overlay, density, proximity, statistical, temporal, distribution, pattern, cluster, autocorrelation, and hot spot.

Observes David W. Allen, author of GIS Tutorial II, “Spatial analysis is what distinguishes GIS from other forms of digital map representations. It’s the problem-solving aspect of GIS, whether it’s done in the viewer’s brain or worked to a full conclusion on the map. The tools seem very basic—buffers, overlays, selections—but when combined in the correct sequence and symbolized sufficiently, they can reveal things about the data that can’t be seen in a spreadsheet or chart.”

Allen is the GIS manager for the City of Euless, Texas, where he designs data structures and custom applications from scratch. He has used his knowledge of GIS as an instructor at Tarrant County College for the past eight years, during which time he assisted in the development of a GIS degree program and worked to establish a state standard for GIS degree programs in Texas.

The exercises in GIS Tutorial II also provide practical application to the concepts presented in The ESRI Guide to GIS Analysis, volumes 1 and 2, which are previous ESRI Press publications written by Andy Mitchell. Says Mitchell, a senior technical writer at ESRI, “David Allen has produced an excellent volume to complement the ESRI Guide to GIS Analysis series—one that has long been needed. David’s experience as a GIS practitioner, as well as an instructor, has led him to include exercise scenarios based on spatial analysis tasks that GIS analysts working in government and industry perform every day. The data used in the workbook is derived from real-world GIS datasets—with all their complexity—adding yet another level of realism to the exercises. GIS Tutorial II will be invaluable for anyone wanting to expand their knowledge of the extensive spatial analysis capabilities of ArcGIS.”

Exercise data and a 180-day trial of ArcGIS Desktop 9.3 software accompany the book on two separate DVDs. GIS Tutorial II: Spatial Analysis Workbook (ISBN: 9781589482012, 424 pages, $79.95) is available from online retailers, at www.esri.com/esripress, or by calling 1-800-447-9778.