GIS: A Computing Perspective
ISBN 0-7484-0064-8 (cased)ISBN 0-7484-0065-6 (paper)
A GIS is at its heart a special kind of computer-based information system which is designed to handle data spatially referenced to geographic locations on the Earth. From a computing perspective, a GIS may be viewed as a software system mounted on a hardware platform, supplied with appropriate data, for use by people. The software and hardware should match each other, and together support a range of user requirements. In this comprehensive book, the author sets out the principles of GIS in the general context of computing, setting and answering the fundamental question, `What is special about spatial information?'
The book follows a pattern which begins with high-level conceptualisations of spatial information and then progresses downwards through computer-based spatial models and structures to the architectures and interfaces of the machines which support the GIS. It covers, inter alia, topics of current research interest, including three-dimensional GIS. The book concludes with a comprehensive bibliography and references.
The book has been deliberately written for readers from any background who wish to learn about the issues which GIS engender for computing technology. The reader is not required to have deep technical knowledge: the necessary backgrounds are developed thoroughly as the reader progresses to achieve a complete understanding.
