Books

New Book, “Python Scripting for ArcGIS,” Now Available

/ Matt Artz / 1 Comment
Python Scripting for ArcGIS is a guide for experienced users of ArcGIS Desktop to get started with Python scripting without needing previous programming experience.

Python Scripting for ArcGIS is a guide for experienced users of ArcGIS Desktop to get started with Python scripting without needing previous programming experience.

Python Scripting for ArcGISis a guide to help experienced users of ArcGIS for Desktop get started with Python scripting. The book teaches users how to write Python code that works with spatial data to automate geoprocessing tasks in ArcGIS. Experience with other scripting or programming languages is helpful but not required.

Key topics in this book include Python language fundamentals, exploring and manipulating spatial data, working with geometries and rasters, map scripting, debugging and error handling, creating functions and classes, and creating and sharing script tools. Python Scripting for ArcGIS contains 14 chapters with corresponding online data and exercises available on the Esri Press book resource page at esripress.esri.com/bookresources.

Author Paul A. Zandbergen is an associate professor of geography at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque where he teaches classes in GIS and spatial analysis. His areas of expertise include GIS applications in criminology, economics, health, and ecology, as well as spatial and statistical analysis techniques using GIS.

Python Scripting for ArcGIS is available at online retailers worldwide, at esri.com/esripress, or by calling 1-800-447-9778. Outside the United States, visit esri.com/esripressorders for complete ordering options, or visit esri.com/distributors to contact your local Esri distributor. (Print ISBN: 978-1-58948-371-2, 358 pages, US$79.99) (E-book ISBN: 978-1-58948-362-0, 358 pages, US$79.99).

A mobile-optimized edition is available from the Esri Books app (ISBN: 978-1-58948-402-3, US$59.99).

Two New Free e-Books about Geodesign

/ Matt Artz / 4 Comments

Geodesign in Practice: Designing a Better World

geodesign-in-practice-cover-sm“Our world faces serious challenges, and it’s clear that we need to work together to collectively create a better future.

“Geodesign offers an iterative design method that uses stakeholder input, geospatial modeling, impact simulations, and real-time feedback to facilitate holistic designs and smart decisions. It gives us a framework for understanding, analyzing, and acting, with the ultimate goal of creating a better future for us all. Geodesign tools and techniques offer what may be our best hope for transforming the way we interact with the world.

“While there is still much more to do in order to transform geodesign into a full-fledged movement, the 12 articles in this e-book are proof positive we have already started to fundamentally transform how we think about making the world a better place. Geodesign is here to stay.”

—Shannon McElvaney

Read the book [PDF]

Geodesign: Past, Present, and Future

geodesign-past-present-cover-sm

“Geodesign thought leaders share how we got here, where we are today, and where the technology might take us.

“Geodesign is an iterative design method that uses stakeholder input, geospatial modeling, impact simulations, and real-time feedback to facilitate holistic designs and smart decisions.
“How did we get here?
“What are the current trends in geodesign?
“Where might geodesign take us in the future?
“The nine articles in this e-book, written by some of the leading thinkers in the emerging field of geodesign, attempt to answer these questions while offering the reader a revealing glimpse into the promise of geodesign: a framework for understanding, analyzing, and acting, with the ultimate goal of creating a better future for us all.”

—Shannon McElvaney

Read the book [PDF]

New Book — Linked Data: A Geographic Perspective

/ Matt Artz

Linked Data: A Geographic Perspective

By Glen Hart and Catherine Dolbear
Published January 28, 2013 by CRC Press; 289 Pages

Features

  • Explains how to model Geographic Information using Semantic Web technologies and publish it as Linked Data
  • Addresses the needs of both geographers and Linked Data practitioners
  • Draws on the expertise of authors with practical industry experience in Geographic Information and the Semantic Web
  • Reviews currently available software tools for publishing and modeling Linked Data—and provides a framework to help you evaluate new tools that come to market
  • Gives an overview of key languages and syntaxes associated with the Semantic Web, including RDF, OWL, and SPARQL
  • Uses simple English to explain technical jargon and code examples
  • Contains numerous examples, including a worked-through example of publishing Linked Data and linking to other data sources using ontology engineering methods

Summary

Geographic Information has an important role to play in linking and combining datasets through shared location, but the potential is still far from fully realized because the data is not well organized and the technology to aid this process has not been available. Developments in the Semantic Web and Linked Data, however, are making it possible to integrate data based on Geographic Information in a way that is more accessible to users. Drawing on the industry experience of a geographer and a computer scientist, Linked Data: A Geographic Perspective is a practical guide to implementing Geographic Information as Linked Data.

Combine Geographic Information from Multiple Sources Using Linked Data

After an introduction to the building blocks of Geographic Information, the Semantic Web, and Linked Data, the book explores how Geographic Information can become part of the Semantic Web as Linked Data. In easy-to-understand terms, the authors explain the complexities of modeling Geographic Information using Semantic Web technologies and publishing it as Linked Data. They review the software tools currently available for publishing and modeling Linked Data and provide a framework to help you evaluate new tools in a rapidly developing market. They also give an overview of the important languages and syntaxes you will need to master. Throughout, extensive examples demonstrate why and how you can use ontologies and Linked Data to manipulate and integrate real-world Geographic Information data from multiple sources.

A Practical, Readable Guide for Geographers, Software Engineers, and Laypersons

A coherent, readable introduction to a complex subject, this book supplies the durable knowledge and insight you need to think about Geographic Information through the lens of the Semantic Web. It provides a window to Linked Data for geographers, as well as a geographic perspective for software engineers who need to understand how to work with Geographic Information. Highlighting best practices, this book helps you organize and publish Geographic Information on the Semantic Web with more confidence.

Get Your Free Copy of the New Book “Agent Analyst: Agent-Based Modeling in ArcGIS”

/ Matt Artz / 4 Comments

AgentAnalyst-frontcover-300dpiAgent Analyst: Agent-Based Modeling in ArcGIS [PDF]

Contributors: Kevin M. Johnston (Editor), Daniel G. Brown, Nicholson Collier, Hamid R. Ekbia, Mary Jo Fraley, Elizabeth R. Groff, Michelle A. Gudorf, Naicong Li, Arika Ligmann-Zielinska, Michael J. North, Derek T. Robinson, and Nathan Strout

Agent Analyst: Agent-Based Modeling in ArcGIS is an introduction to agent-based modeling using an open-source software called Agent Analyst, which is compatible with ArcGIS software. This workbook’s step-by-step exercises, written by agent-based modeling experts, demonstrate how to create agent-based models using points, polygons, rasters, and representative networks. Key topics include creating, manipulating, and scheduling actions and fields. The book shows how to implement basic-to-complex decision making by agents, and demonstrates the code to capture these decisions. Agent Analyst: Agent-Based Modeling in ArcGIS includes exercises, case studies, and code necessary to begin building agent-based models in ArcGIS Desktop 10. You can download Agent Analyst: Agent-Based Modeling in ArcGIS by clicking the link below.

Free Book from URISA: Foundations of Urban and Regional Information Systems and Geographic Information Systems and Science

/ Matt Artz / 1 Comment

Foundations of Urban and Regional Information Systems and Geographic Information Systems and ScienceURISA is pleased to announce the publication of Foundations of Urban and Regional Information Systems and Geographic Information Systems and Science, a 300-page book assembled to celebrate URISA’s 50th anniversary conference. Sponsored by URISA past presidents, the commemorative book discusses some of the research, education, training, and applications foundations that URISA and its members have contributed to urban and regional information systems and geographic information systems and science during the past five decades. The dozens of contributors to this publication, bring their experiences from governments at all levels, private sector firms, research institutes, and universities, represent the ‘Who’s Who’ of influencers in the field.

Dr. Barry Wellar, GISP (President, Wellar Consulting Inc., retired Professor, University of Ottawa, URISA President 1977-1978 and member of URISA’s GIS Hall of Fame) served as publication Editor and coordinated the effort. “The sum of the matter as I see it, is that URISA has an amazingly rich history, and the right people were in the right place at the right time to prepare a book which delves into that record of achievement, and does considerable justice to the many individuals, agencies, ideas, initiatives, etc., that have made URISA the leading international organization in the field of urban and regional information systems and geographic information systems and science. URISA has a long and rich history of producing substantive documents, and I am optimistic that Foundations will be recognized as an important legacy of URISA’s 50th anniversary conference.”

Each of the 23 chapters in Foundations of Urban and Regional Information Systems and Geographic Information Systems and Science contains insights, ideas, suggestions, lessons learned, lessons to be learned, and recommendations regarding information system education, research, training, and application.

The book is currently available, for free, as a downloadable file on URISA’s website, www.urisa.org/foundations, and printed copies, supported with funding from Esri, will be available for purchase at GIS-Pro 2012: URISA’s 50th Annual Conference for GIS Professionals (September 30-October 4, 2012 in Portland, Oregon). Many of the contributing authors will be in attendance and it is anticipated that a book signing event will take place during the conference. Further, the publication will be celebrated in a conference plenary session on Thursday morning, October 4. Visit www.urisa.org/gispro2012 for details about GIS-Pro 2012.

[Source: URISA press release]

Online Submissions Now Being Accepted for the Esri Map Book, Volume 28

/ Matt Artz

Online submissions are now being accepted for the Esri Map Book, Volume 28. If you have an ArcGIS map you would like to be considered for publication, please visit the Map Book online submission site at http://www.esri.com/apps/mapbook. There you will find contact and permission forms plus details about how to submit image files.

The submission deadline is Friday, November 16, 2012,at 5:00 p.m. (PST).  If your map is chosen, you will receive a notification by e-mail. The Esri Map Book, Volume 28 will be released in July 2013 at the Esri International User Conference.

“GIS Tutorial for Health”: Essential Book for Health Care Analysts

/ Matt Artz
GIS Tutorial for Health, Fourth Edition

GIS Tutorial for Health, Fourth Edition

From explaining map basics to the spatial analysis of health issues, GIS Tutorial for Health, Fourth Edition, published by Esri Press, helps health professionals and students learn how to analyze and manage health data using geographic information systems (GIS).

In this fourth edition, GIS Tutorial for Health is fully revised and updated for ArcGIS Desktop 10 software. To better support skill building and GIS analysis, this workbook features extended introductions to eleven tutorials addressing significant issues of health care and policy planning. Step-by-step exercises cover health map basics, data preparation for maps, and the spatial analysis of health issues using GIS.

Authors Kristen S. Kurland and Wilpen L. Gorr are well-known and have co-written several GIS tutorials and reference books. Both are professors at Carnegie Mellon University’s H. John Heinz III College.

In the preface to the book, the authors write, “GIS Tutorial for Health is a unique textbook for teaching GIS to health professionals and students interested in health IT and informatics, health care administration, and health policy. After teaching GIS for over 20 years, we know that you, like our own students, will enjoy this subject and software.”

Complete with a 180-day trial of ArcGIS Desktop 10 software and exercise datasets, this book is a valuable resource for the classroom, as well as the individual user.

GIS Tutorial for Health, Fourth Edition (ISBN: 978-1-58948-313-2, 466 pages, $79.95) is available at online retailers worldwide, at esri.com/esripress, or by calling 1-800-447-9778. Outside the United States, visit esri.com/esripressorders for complete ordering options, or visit esri.com/distributors to contact your local Esri distributor. Interested retailers can contact Esri Press book distributor Ingram Publisher Services.

[Source: Esri press release]

New Book Makes the Case for Using GIS in Government

/ Matt Artz

Measuring Up: The Business Case for GIS, Volume 2Measuring Up: The Business Case for GIS, Volume 2, provides a collection of real-world stories from local government agencies that have used GIS technology to achieve success. Chapters focus on how implementing automated GIS workflow and resource management solutions helps organizations save time and money, increase accuracy and efficiency, and maximize productivity and revenue. Lead author Christopher Thomas is director of government marketing for Esri.

The articles in this collection illustrate how GIS is used to implement new, more efficient business processes and how these emerging practices have improved communities and organizations. The case studies show how investing in GIS provides a common language for discussion that brings stakeholders together in the decision-making process. Many of the included organizations are realizing a quantifiable return on investment by integrating GIS into their information systems.

In the book’s foreword, Esri president Jack Dangermond writes, “Measuring Up provides insight into the innovation that comes from looking at problems spatially and the value GIS brings to improving efficiencies, decision making, planning, communication, and collaboration while creating transparency. In essence, the book shows the role GIS plays in supporting a government that is more accountable to the world we impact and the citizens we serve.”

Measuring Up: The Business Case for GIS, Volume 2 (ISBN: 978-1-58948-310-1, 128 pages, US$19.95) is available at online retailers worldwide, at esri.com/esripress, or by calling 1-800-447-9778. Outside the United States, visit esri.com/esripressorders for complete ordering options, or visit esri.com/distributors to contact your local Esri distributor. Interested retailers can contact Esri Press book distributor Ingram Publisher Services.

[Source: Esri press release]

Third Book in “Esri Guide to GIS Analysis” Series Details Modeling

/ Matt Artz

Applications in Spatial Interaction, Site Selection, Routing, and Scheduling Highlighted

The Esri Guide to GIS Analysis, Volume 3: Modeling Suitability, Movement, and InteractionThe Esri Guide to GIS Analysis, Volume 3: Modeling Suitability, Movement, and Interaction, explains the best methods to apply modeling techniques to GIS analyses. With full-color maps and illustrations and sample applications, this new book by Andy Mitchell will help GIS professionals and students make better use of modeling to evaluate locations and analyze movement.

Michael F. Goodchild, professor emeritus of geography and former director of the Center for Spatial Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, wrote the foreword. “This third book in Andy Mitchell’s series follows the pattern of its siblings in presenting a very complex topic in a very simple and intuitive way,” Goodchild writes. “Unlike approaches that focus on navigating the user interface or on detailing functionality, the series begins with the basic questions GIS users need to answer and on the concepts that underlie those questions. I find this approach very attractive, as it strikes to the heart of what GIS is all about: using a powerful technology to address inherently simple questions about the geographic world.”

The first book in The Esri Guide to GIS Analysis series, Geographic Patterns and Relationships, explains how GIS is used to identify relationships and trends for better decision making. Spatial Measurements and Statistics, the second in the series, further details the use of GIS to identify patterns and clusters to analyze geographic relationships.

Mitchell, author of the entire The Esri Guide to GIS Analysis series and other Esri Press books, has more than 20 years of experience in analyzing and explaining the use of GIS technology.

The Esri Guide to GIS Analysis, Volume 3: Modeling Suitability, Movement, and Interaction, (ISBN: 978-1-58948-305-7, 432 pages, US$44.95) is available at online retailers worldwide, at esri.com/esripress, or by calling 1-800-447-9778. Outside the United States, visit esri.com/esripressorders for complete ordering options, or visit esri.com/distributors to contact your local Esri distributor. Interested retailers can contact Esri Press book distributor Ingram Publisher Services.

[Source: Esri press release]

Mapping Census 2010 Illustrates Major Changes in US Population

/ Matt Artz / 1 Comment

Mapping Census 2010: The Geography of American Change New Esri Atlas Compares Maps from 2000 and 2010 Censuses

Mapping Census 2010: The Geography of American Change from Esri Press depicts the extraordinary changes in the American population over the past decade. Extracted from the data collected by the US Census Bureau in 2010, the new maps are displayed side by side with maps created after the 2000 census.

Using choropleth maps that are shaded in proportion to the change in statistical variable, the atlas is divided into four sections and compares variances in population shifts, household occupants, housing ownership, and ethnic diversity between 2000 and 2010.

Section 1 includes snapshots of the total US population in 2000 and 2010 without reference to race or ethnicity. Section 2 is a series of maps showing the state of housing and households in America over that decade. Section 3 maps minority populations and diversity using data from Census 2000 and Census 2010. Section 4 presents different views of the basic race and ethnicity data collected by the US Census.

“The 10 years since the previous census was a decade fraught with unease in global security, natural disasters, and economic turmoil,” says Jack Dangermond, Esri president. “How has America changed demographically and geographically in these difficult times? Mapping Census 2010: The Geography of American Change sheds light on this and other questions about our population.”

Mapping Census 2010: The Geography of American Change (ISBN: 978-1-58948-319-4, 108 pages, US$18.95) is available at online retailers worldwide, at esri.com/esripress, or by calling 1-800-447-9778. Outside the United States, visit esri.com/esripressorders for complete ordering options, or visit esri.com/distributors to contact your local Esri distributor. Interested retailers can contact Esri Press book distributor Ingram Publisher Services.

[Source: Esri press release]