Mapping in the Cloud

by Michael P. Peterson

Overview

This engaging text provides a solid introduction to mapmaking in the era of cloud computing. It takes students through both the concepts and technology of modern cartography, geographic information systems (GIS), and Web-based mapping. Conceptual chapters delve into the meaning of maps and how they are developed, covering such topics as map layers, GIS tools, mobile mapping, and map animation. Methods chapters take a learn-by-doing approach to help students master application programming interfaces and build other technical skills for creating maps and making them available on the Internet. The companion website offers invaluable supplementary materials for instructors and students.

Pedagogical Features
*End-of-chapter summaries, review questions, and exercises.
*Extensive graphics illustrating the concepts and procedures.
*Downloadable PowerPoints for each chapter.
*Downloadable code files (where applicable) for the exercises.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781462514038
Publisher:	Guilford Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	03/27/2014
Pages:	421
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 10.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Michael P. Peterson, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Geography/Geology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where he has been on the faculty since 1982. He has been a visiting scholar or fellow at universities around the world; most recently, he was Fulbright Fellow and Visiting Professor at the Technical University of Vienna, Austria (1999, 2011), Visiting Professor at the University of Applied Technology in Munich, Germany (1999, 2000, 2001), Visiting Research Fellow at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada (2004), and Erskine Fellow at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand (2012). Dr. Peterson is past president of the North American Cartographic Information Society and former editor of Cartographic Perspectives. The author of numerous articles and several books, he chaired the Commission on Maps and the Internet of the International Cartographic Association (ICA) from 1999 to 2011 and is currently chair of the ICA's publication committee.

Table of Contents

1. An Introduction to Maps and the Internet
2. The Internet Map Landscape
3. The Meaning of Mapping
4. A Map Gallery
5. Maps as a Mirror of Civilization
6. The Online Street Map
7. Map Scale and Abstraction
8. Programming the Web with JavaScript
9. Map Digitizing and GPS
10. Map Mashups
11. Points and Point Data
12. Point Maps and Graduated Symbols
13. The Online Map
14. Line and Area Map Mashups
15. Map Layers and GIS
16. Map Layer Mashups
17. Databases, MySQL, and PHP
18. Mapping from a Database
19. Mobile Mapping
20. Local Mapping
21. Maps That Move
22. Animated Mapping
23. The Cartographic Exchange

Interviews

Geography students and instructors; others seeking to make more effective online maps. Serves as a text in advanced undergraduate- and graduate-level courses; assumes only minimal programming background.

Editorial Reviews

"Peterson's book is both a primer on enduring principles of cartography and a hands-on, down-and-dirty guide to the mashups, scripts, tools, and work-arounds that are the new playing field of 21st-century cartography. This text offers the keys to geo-enabled Web maps, database searches, Web design, and cloud computing. Peterson uses such simple and clear explanations of what to do that readers will be surprised by how painlessly they reach the giddy heights of web coding. For those who love maps—and also love coding, scripting, and making cool stuff happen on the Web—this book is your jumping-off point."—Keith Clarke, PhD, Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara

"Peterson successfully covers a mix of theory and practical applications. Each chapter is built on solid cartographic principles, but the text's real distinctiveness is how those principles are connected to today's technologies. A welcome addition to the literature on cartography and GIS Science, this is an excellent text for classes in computer mapping, cartography and GIS visualization, or Web mapping application development."—Jeffrey S. Torguson, PhD, Department of Geography and Planning, St. Cloud State University

"A seminal contribution to the rapidly expanding field of Internet and Web-based mapping. The text is written at a level that can be grasped by beginning students but can also help professionals learn the details of Internet mapping operations. Peterson provides detailed examples of map creation and use and guides the reader to design, develop, and implement Web-based mapping projects."—E. Lynn Usery, PhD, Research Geographer and Director, Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science, U.S. Geological Survey, Rolla, Missouri

"This text provides access to an exciting new world and grounds the reader in important concepts. Alternating chapters cover theoretical and practical aspects of making effective online maps. The book is rich in ideas, illustrations, and examples of codes that will soon have the reader creating accessible, interesting, and useful maps."—Patrick Kennelly, PhD, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, Long Island University


 

From the Publisher