ESRI Guide to GIS Analysis, Volume 1: Geographic Patterns and Relationships / Edition 1

by Andy Mitchell

Overview

Backed by the collective knowledge and experience of the world's leading Geographic Information Systems (GIS) company, this book presents the concepts and methods that will allow users to unleash the full analytic power of their GIS. Volume I of this two-part guide shows how to map and analyze patterns and relationships. It present the most common methods for finding where things are located, what is at a particular point and what is nearby, and how far apart they are. GIS users will learn how to find the most and the least of any quantity-such as chemicals in the soil or traffic on a highway-and how to monitor things that change, such as erosion or toxic spills. The pros and cons of each method of analysis are presented, as well as how to choose between different methods and how to effectively communicate the results. Topics also include how to map categories and quantities, how to classify data, and how to summarize data by geography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2901879102063
Publication date:	08/01/1999
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	250
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Andy Mitchell is a technical writer with more than 30 years’ experience in GIS. He is the author or co-author of several books, including The Esri Guide to GIS Analysis series and Zeroing In: Geographic Information Systems at Work in the Community.

Read an Excerpt

Spatial analysis is where the GIS rubber hits the road, where all the hard work of digitizing, building a database, checking for errors, and dealing with the details of projections and coordinate systems finally pays off in results and better decisions. But spatial analysis has often seemed inaccessible to many users—too mathematical to understand, too difficult to implement, and lacking in good textbooks and guides. Here at last is the ideal book, written by Andy Mitchell and based on ESRI’s vast experience with applications of spatial analysis to a host of real problems. The book covers every area of GIS application, so readers will find examples that relate directly to their own concerns, whether they be in hydrology, transportation, or regional planning. The organization is intuitive, with sections on all of the major forms of simple spatial analysis.

This book will appeal to GIS users in all areas of GIS application. It will be invaluable reading for people encountering GIS for the first time, and wanting to see where its real power lies. It will make an excellent textbook for courses in GIS in high schools, community colleges, and undergraduate programs, and as a supplement for practical work. Although, the best way to learn what GIS Analysis can do for your projects is to use it. So buy this book and begin getting results and making better decisions.

In the next decade, the use of GIS analysis will grow. A new type of user will emerge—the spatial scientist. A significant number of GIS users will emerge as advanced modelers. Our goal is to help you expand your analytical GIS skills and sophistication. To do that, ESRI plans to add another book to this series covering more advanced analysis concepts and methods.

Table of Contents

Introducing GIS analysis
What is GIS analysis?
Understanding geographic features
Understanding geographic attributes
Mapping where things are
Why map where things are?
Deciding what to map
Preparing your data
Making your map
Analyzing geographic patterns
Mapping the most and least
Why map the most and least?
What do you need to map?
Understanding quantities
Creating classes
Making a map
Looking for patterns
Mapping density
Why map density?
Deciding what to map
Two ways of mapping density
Mapping density for defined areas
Creating a density surface
Finding what's inside
Why map what's inside?
Defining your analysis
Three ways of finding what's inside
Drawing areas and features
Selecting features inside an area
Overlaying areas and features
Finding what's nearby
Why map what's nearby?
Defining your analysis
Three ways of finding what's nearby
Using straight-line distance
Measuring distance or cost over a network
Calculating cost over a geographic surface
Mapping change
Why map change?
Defining your analysis
Three ways of mapping change
Creating a time series
Creating a tracking map
Measuring and mapping change
Where to get more information
Index