ArcGIS 10.1 Tutorial Workbook Released

Just released this week is the "GIS Tutorial 1: Basic Workbook, 10.1 Edition".

As the first book in the Esri Press GIS Tutorial series, this popular workbook has been updated for compatibility with ArcGIS 10.1.

The book combines ArcGIS tutorials with self-study exercises and guides students through a series of step-by-step exercises to gradually increase their skills and confidence. Students also gain critical-thinking skills as they solve the real-world problems presented in the exercises.

Appropriate for self-study or the classroom, the workbook provides a comprehensive range of instruction-from creating maps and collecting data to using geoprocessing tools and data models. The book is generously illustrated throughout with full-color maps and other graphics.

The authors, Wilpen L. Gorr and Kristen S. Kurland, developed the workbook through their many years of teaching GIS to students at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

"GIS Tutorial 1: Basic Workbook, 10.1 edition", (ISBN: 978-1-58948-335-4, 440 pages, US$79.95) includes data on DVD to complete the exercises and online access to a 180-day software trial of ArcGIS 10.1 for Desktop Advanced. Instructor resources, including lecture slides and solutions for the assignments, are available.

Check out the book on Amazon store: GIS Tutorial 1: Basic Workbook, 10.1 Edition

The workbook is also 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. Interested retailers can contact Esri Press book distributor Ingram Publisher Services.

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60% Discount on SPIE Books

Visit the SPIE Publication online and avail of the discounted books. Sale ends 27 July. Sale applies to books currently in stock and only while supplies last; no other discounts apply. Prices shown on the web are sale prices.

Here is the list of books:

Air and Spaceborne Radar Systems: An Introduction
SPIE Member $46 / Nonmember $54 (Reg. $115 / $135)

Biologically Inspired Intelligent Robots
SPIE Member $30 / Nonmember $34 (Reg. $74 / $86)

Computational Color Technology
SPIE Member $34 / Nonmember $40 (Reg. $85 / $99)

Demystifying Electromagnetic Equations: A Complete Explanation of EM Unit Systems and Equation Transformations
SPIE Member $26 / Nonmember $31 (Reg. $66 / $78)

Digital and Analog Fiber Optic Communications for CATV and FTTx Applications
SPIE Member $39 / Nonmember $46 (Reg. $98 / $115)

Digital Shearography: Theory and Application of Digital Speckle Pattern Shearing Interferometry
SPIE Member $26 / Nonmember $31 (Reg. $66 / $78)

Electronic Image Display: Equipment Selection and Operation
SPIE Member $24 / Nonmember $28 (Reg. $61 / $71)

EUV Sources for Lithography
SPIE Member $55 / Nonmember $65 (Reg. $138 / $162)

Field Guide to Adaptive Optics
SPIE Member $14 / Nonmember $16 (Reg. $34 / $39)

Helmet-Mounted Displays: Design Issues for Rotary-Wing Aircraft
SPIE Member $24 / Nonmember $28 (Reg. $61 / $71)

Infrared Techniques and Electro-Optics in Russia: A History 1946-2006
SPIE Member $28 / Nonmember $32 (Reg. $69 / $81)

International Trends in Applied Optics
SPIE Member $32 / Nonmember $38 (Reg. $81 / $95)

Introduction to Complex Mediums for Optics and Electromagnetics
SPIE Member $35 / Nonmember $41 (Reg. $87 / $103)

MOEMS: Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems
SPIE Member $38 / Nonmember $45 (Reg. $96 / $113)

Narrow-Gap Semiconductor Photodiodes
SPIE Member $30 / Nonmember $34 (Reg. $74 / $86)

Optical Imaging and Aberrations, Part II. Wave Diffraction Optics
SPIE Member $39 / Nonmember $39 (Reg. $43 / $43)

Optical Information Processing: A Tribute to Adolf Lohmann
SPIE Member $24 / Nonmember $28 (Reg. $61 / $71)

Optical Systems and Processes
SPIE Member $30 / Nonmember $34 (Reg. $74 / $86)

Optics Made Clear: The Nature of Light and How We Use It
SPIE Member $21 / Nonmember $24 (Reg. $52 / $61)

Organic Electroluminescence
SPIE Member $47 / Nonmember $56 (Reg. $118 / $139)

Photonics Essentials
SPIE Member $26 / Nonmember $30 (Reg. $64 / $76)

Photonics Rules of Thumb, Second Edition
SPIE Member $22 / Nonmember $26 (Reg. $54 / $64)

Polarized Light in Fiber Optics
SPIE Member $38 / Nonmember $45 (Reg. $96 / $113)

Progressive Image Transmission: The Role of Rationality, Cooperation, and Justice
SPIE Member $21 / Nonmember $25 (Reg. $53 / $63)

Random Processes for Image and Signal Processing
SPIE Member $30 / Nonmember $34 (Reg. $74 / $86)

Recent Advances in Breast Imaging, Mammography, and Computer-Aided Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
SPIE Member $44 / Nonmember $52 (Reg. $110 / $129)

Robert Shannon and Roland Shack: Legends in Applied Optics
SPIE Member $34 / Nonmember $40 (Reg. $85 / $99)

The Art and Science of Holography: A Tribute to Emmett Leith and Yuri Denisyuk (includes a CD)
SPIE Member $30 / Nonmember $34 (Reg. $74 / $86)

The Handbook of Nanotechnology. Nanometer Structures: Theory, Modeling, and Simulation
SPIE Member $32 / Nonmember $38 (Reg. $81 / $95)

The Rainbow Bridge -- Rainbows in Art, Myth, and Science
SPIE Member $24 / Nonmember $28 (Reg. $60 / $70)

Tribute to Emil Wolf: Science and Engineering Legacy of Physical Optics
SPIE Member $34 / Nonmember $40 (Reg. $85 / $99)

Tunable Laser Diodes and Related Optical Sources, Second Edition
SPIE Member $27 / Nonmember $32 (Reg. $68 / $80)

Wavefront Optics for Vision Correction
SPIE Member $27 / Nonmember $32 (Reg. $68 / $80)

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eBook: Fundamentals of Remote Sensing

I found this helpful ebook posted online about "Fundamentals of Remote Sensing" from the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing. I am not sure if you can download this for free. Below, I embedded the document for free reading.

If you cannot view the document below, visit the original link where this ebook was posted.

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The Year in Infrastructure 2011 Edition Released by Bentley

Bentley shares the innovation in best practices among the infrastructure professionals who make these projects possible by featuring their outstanding achievements across the globe in The Year in Infrastructure series of publications.

Today, Bentley released The Year in Infrastructure 2011 Edition. It is immediately available at www.bentley.com/YearInInfrastructure.

This 240-page yearbook highlights the extraordinary work of Bentley users improving the world’s infrastructure. It features descriptions and color images of the more than 300 project nominations recognized and 20 winners honored at the 2011 Be Inspired Awards ceremony, held last month at Bentley’s Be Inspired: Thought Leadership in Infrastructure event in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Bentley’s Be Inspired Awards competition acknowledges outstanding achievement and innovation in infrastructure design, construction, and operations. The winners are selected by independent panels of expert jurors representing a broad range of infrastructure disciplines.

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SPIE Books Available as eBooks

SPIE press titles are now available as eBooks on eBooks.com and iBookstore. Check out the titles below.

•3D Video Technologies: An Overview of Research Trends
•Adaptive Beaming and Imaging in the Turbulent Atmosphere
•Advanced Optics Using Aspherical Elements
•Advanced Processes for 193-nm Immersion Lithography
•Advances in Information Optics and Photonics
•Alien Vision: Exploring the Electromagnetic Spectrum with Imaging Technology, 2nd Ed.
•Analysis and Evaluation of Sampled Imaging Systems, 2nd Ed
•Applied Prismatic and Reflective Optics
•Art of Radiometry, The
•Artificial Neural Networks: An Introduction Basic Electro-Optics for Electrical Engineers
•Basics of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)
•Basics of Spectroscopy, The
•Bioluminescence and Fluorescence for In Vivo Imaging
•Chemistry and Lithography
•Coherent Fields and Images in Remote Sensing
•Coherent-Mode Representations in Optics
•Computational Color Technology
•Computed Tomography: Principals, Design, Artifacts, & Recent Advances, 2nd Ed.
•Confocal Microscopy and Multiphoton Excitation Microscopy: The Genesis of Live Cell Imaging
•Contrast Sensitivity of the Human Eye and Its Effects on Image Quality
•Demystifying Electromagnetic Equations: A Complete Explanation of EM unit Systems and Equation Transformations
•Design of Plastic Optical Systems, The
•Diffractive Optics: Design, Fabrication, and Test
•Digital and Analog Fiber Optic Communications for CATV and FTTx Applications
•Digital Image Compression Techniques
•Electroactive Polymer (EAP) Actuators as Artificial Muscles: Reality, Potential, and Challenges, 2nd Ed
•Electromagnetic Wave Propagation in Turbulence: Evaluation and Application of Mellin Transforms, 2nd Ed
•Engineering a High-Tech Business: Entrepreneurial Experiences and Insights
•Engineering Introduction to Biotechnology, An
•EUV Lithography
•EUV Sources for Lithography
•Field Guide to Adaptive Optics
•Field Guide to Atmospheric Optics
•Field Guide to Geometrical Optics
•Field Guide to Illumination Field Guide to Infrared Systems, Detectors, and FPAs, 2nd Ed
•Field Guide to Interferometric Optical Testing
•Field Guide to Laser Pulse Generation
•Field Guide to Lasers
•Field Guide to Microscopy
•Field Guide to Optical Fiber Technology
•Field Guide to Optical Lithography
•Field Guide to Optical Thin Films
•Field Guide to Polarization
•Field Guide to Spectroscopy
•Field Guide to Visual and Ophthalmic Optics
•Field Mathematics for Electromagnetics, Photonics, and Materials Science: A Guide for the Scientist and Engineer - 4th Printing
•Fourier-Transform Spectroscopy Instrumentation Engineering
•Fractal and Wavelet Image Compression Techniques
•Fundamental Optical Design
•Fundamentals of Antennas: Concepts and Applications
•Fundamentals of Contamination Control
•Fundamentals of Electronic Image Processing
•Fundamentals of Infrared Detector Materials
•Fundamentals of Polarimetric Remote Sensing
•Handbook of Medical Imaging, Volume 1. Physics and Psychophysics
•Handbook of Medical Imaging, Volume 2. Medical Image Processing and Analysis
•Handbook of Medical Imaging, Volume 3. Display and PACS
•Handbook of Nanotechnology. Nanometer Structures, The: Theory, Modeling, and Simulation
•Hands-on Morphological Image Processing
•High-Operating-Temperature Infrared Photodetectors
•Infrared Design Examples
•Infrared Fibers and Their Applications
•Infrared Optics and Zoom Lenses, 2nd Ed
•Integral Transforms for Engineers
•Integrated Optomechanical Analysis
•Intermediate Optical Design
•Introduction to Adaptive Optics
•Introduction to Complex Mediums for Optics and Electromagnetics
•Introduction to Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy, 2nd Ed
•Introduction to Image Stabilization
•Introduction to Imaging Spectrometers
•Introduction to Infrared System Design
•Introduction to Optical Testing
•Introduction to Radiometry
•Introduction to Wavefront Sensors
•Laser Beam Propagation through Random Media, 2nd Ed
•Laser Beam Scintillation with Applications
•Lithography Process Control
•Local Approximation Techniques in Signal and Image Processing
•Logic-based Nonlinear Image Processing Materials for Infrared Windows and Domes: Properties and Performance
•Mathematical Techniques for Engineers and Scientists
•Matrix Methods for Optical Layout
•Metrics for High-Quality Specular Surfaces
•Modeling the Imaging Chain of Digital Cameras
•Modulation Transfer Function in Optical and Electro-Optical Systems
•Nanotechnology: A Crash Course
•New Physical Optics Notebook, The: Tutorials in Fourier Optics
•Optical Clearing of Tissues and Blood
•Optical Coating Technology
•Optical Communication Receiver Design
•Optical Correlation Techniques and Applications
•Optical Design for Biomedical Imaging
•Optical Design for Visual Systems
•Optical Design Fundamentals for Infrared Systems, 2nd Ed
•Optical Design of Microscopes
•Optical Design: Applying the Fundamentals
•Optical Engineering Fundamentals, 2nd Ed
•Optical Imaging and Aberrations: Part I. Ray Geometrical Optics
•Optical Imaging in Projection Microlithography
•Optical Lithography: Here Is Why
•Optical Scattering: Measurement and Analysis, 2nd Ed
•Optical Systems and Processes
•Optical Thin Films: User Handbook
•Optics in Photography
•Optoelectronics of Solar Cells
•Photon Transfer
•Physics and Engineering of Solid State Lasers, The
•Polarization of Light with Applications in Optical Fibers
•Polymer Photovoltaics: A Practical Approach
•Practical Applications of Infrared Thermal Sensing and Imaging Equipment, 3rd Ed
•Principles of Lithography, 3rd Ed
•Radiation Thermometry: Fundamentals and Applications in the Petrochemical Industry
•Random Processes for Image and Signal Processing
•Recent Advances in Breast Imaging, Mammography, and Computer- Aided Diagnosis of Breast Cancer
•Remote Sensing from Air and Space
•Resolution Enhancement Techniques in Optical Lithography
•Rotating Mirror Streak and Framing Cameras
•Scientific Charge-Coupled Devices
•Sculptured Thin Films: Nanoengineered Morphology and Optics
•Sensor and Data Fusion: A Tool for Information Assessment and Decision Making
•Soft X-Ray Optics
•Special Functions of Mathematics for Engineers, 2nd Ed
•Thermal Infrared Characterization of Ground Targets and Backgrounds, 2nd Ed
•Thin-Film Design: Modulated Thickness and Other Stopband Design Methods
•Tissue Optics: Light Scattering Methods and Instruments for Medical Diagnosis, 2nd Ed
•Tutorials in Complex Photonic Media
•Uncooled Thermal Imaging Arrays, Systems, and Applications
•Wavefront Optics for Vision Correction

Visit eBooks.com and iBookstore to purchase them.

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Esri New Workbook Released - Making Spatial Decisions Using GIS

Making Spatial Decisions Using GIS: A Workbook, second edition, provides scenario-based lessons that develop GIS skills and critical thinking. Students will use organized workflows, spatial analysis, and visualization to make decisions rooted in real-world issues about crime, hazards, hurricanes, demographics, and urban planning.

Designed for a college curriculum, Making Spatial Decisions Using GIS: A Workbook develops GIS skills using step-by-step instructions, guided activities that reinforce learned concepts, and independent projects that encourage students to find local data and situations. The first edition was part of the Our World GIS Education series published by Esri Press, which won the 2008 Geographic Excellence in Media award from the National Council for Geographic Education.

"One major difference between this workbook and others is the focus on the GIS workflow—documenting and being systematic about the problem-solving process," says coauthor Robert Kolvoord. "Following a consistent GIS workflow is an important part of becoming a GIS professional."

Making Spatial Decisions Using GIS: A Workbook includes data for the exercises. A 180-day trial of ArcGIS Desktop 10 and in-depth instructor resources are also provided.

Get 37% discount from Amazon Store: Making Spatial Decisions Using GIS: A Workbook, Second Edition

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Esri Map Book, Volume 26 Released

Esri Map Book, Volume 26, highlights the wide diversity of GIS applications in use today. From a detailed tourism map of the archaeological sites in Luxor, Egypt, to the scientific analysis of the iron and titanium concentrations on the moon, this year's map book beautifully showcases the power and potential of geospatial analysis.

The full-color maps in this edition reflect how GIS is used to:

- Monitor and manage the environment.
- Enhance the transparency and accountability of government.
- Protect the health and security of communities.
- Improve workflow efficiency for public and private entities.
- Inform and engage citizens.

"Our map book this year represents a variety of contributors, from students and professionals just getting started to veteran ArcGIS users whose maps have appeared frequently in this publication," says Jack Dangermond, Esri president. "The maps included affirm that GIS-based cartography conveys important information as no other medium can."

Containing more than 100 maps, this edition clearly shows how GIS users contribute ever-increasing amounts of data and other resources to promote sustainable development and a more hopeful future. Each map is accompanied by a description of how it was produced, for what purpose, and by whom. Esri Map Book, Volume 26, is an important collection of maps for GIS users, cartographers, collectors, and map libraries.

Esri Map Book, Volume 26 (ISBN: 978-1-58948-284-5, 120 pages, US$24.95), 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.

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GIS Tutorial for Humanitarian Assistance Book

GIS Tutorial for Humanitarian Assistance book uses real-world scenarios as a practical guide for responding to crises, disasters, and relief efforts around the world. New from Esri Press, the tutorial will benefit both professionals and students as they apply geographic information system (GIS) skills and analysis to humanitarian efforts in ways that can help save lives and make the most of limited resources.

GIS is an essential tool for situational awareness to improve the flow of goods and services to populations at risk. This tutorial focuses on the specific skills needed to support emergency relief efforts, with an emphasis on finding, importing, and managing spatial data in regions with poor infrastructures. The tutorial also works well as an academic textbook for intermediate and advanced college coursework or for self-study.

"This book provides the core skills necessary to realize the full potential of GIS in humanitarian assistance," says author Firoz Verjee. "It builds on recent experience of leading GIS practitioners from around the world and establishes some basic doctrines for the analytic applications of ArcGIS software during humanitarian operations."

Verjeeis a senior research associate at the Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He also coordinates Aga Khan Development Network's Seismic Risk Management Initiative based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. For more than 16 years, Verjee has specialized in the application of remote sensing and GIS, primarily within the fields of disaster risk reduction and humanitarian assistance.

The book includes a 180-day trial of ArcGIS Desktop 9.3.1 software on DVD. A CD with data for the exercises is also provided.

GIS Tutorial for Humanitarian Assistance (ISBN: 978-1-58948-213-5, 380 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.

Check out our list of GIS books here.

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GIS Manual published by ASPRS

The Manual of Geographic Information Systems is the latest addition to the rich collection of manuals published by the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS). Until now, there has never been a manual devoted to GIS.

Edited by Marguerite Madden, PhD, with the Foreword by Jack Dangermond, President, Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI), this volume is designed to be a comprehensive resource on GIS for students, researchers and practitioners who are interested in asking spatial questions, assessing landscapes, building geodatabases and envisioning a world of integrated geospatial technologies.

The GIS book has been organized in eight major sections: Background and Overview; Data Models, Metadata and Ontology; GIS Data Quality and Uncertainty; Spatio-Temporal Aspects of GIS; Analysis and Modeling; Blending GIS with Remote Sensing, GPS and Visualisation; GIS and the World Wide Web; and, GIS Applications. Top researchers in GIS from around the world, along with emerging scholars, have told the story of a discipline that originated alongside advances in computer technology and is increasingly incorporated into our daily lives. The Manual of GIS provides a conceptual framework for data connected to location, the language needed for spatial conversation and analysis tools for discovery of geographic place, proximity, dimensions, trends and correlations.

The GIS Manual is available at a pre-publication price of $95.00 plus shipping and handling until June 30, 2009.

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ESRI Map Use, Book on How to Read and Analyze Maps

To unlock the wealth of information in a map, a person must know how to read one. That’s why ESRIS's book Map Use: Reading and Analysis, Sixth Edition, will be a valuable book for people who work with, study, and appreciate maps and want to improve their map reading and analysis skills.

Replete with nearly 500 maps, photographs, tables, and charts to illustrate the text, this informative volume from ESRI Press teaches the basic concepts of geography and the skills of map reading and analysis. The book includes an overview of different types of maps, map scale and projections, grid coordinate systems, relief portrayal, qualitative and quantitative thematic maps, area and volume measures, GPS and maps, and spatial pattern analysis.

Map Use is ideal for people who need to understand the world spatially including anyone who must know how to read and analyze maps for professional, navigational, and recreational purposes such as sailing, mountaineering, and flying. Map Use also serves as a resource for introductory cartography courses and is an invaluable reference for the home, office, and library.

ESRI Press acquired the rights for this latest book from longtime Map Use publisher JP Publications, owned by Phillip C. Muehrcke, professor emeritus of geography at the University of Wisconsin, and Juliana O. Muehrcke, the founding editor of Nonprofit World. The Muehrckes wrote the first edition of Map Use, Reading, Analysis, and Interpretation in 1978, which was followed up with four subsequent editions, the last two co-authored with Kimerling. Aileen R. Buckley, a cartographic researcher at ESRI, joined the three other authors on this new project.

Map Use: Reading and Analysis, Sixth Edition (ISBN: 9781589481909, 528 pages, $99.95), is available at online retailers worldwide, at www.esri.com/esripress, or by calling 1-800-447-9778. Outside the United States, visit www.esri.com/esripressorders for complete ordering options or contact your local ESRI distributor. For a current distributor list, visit www.esri.com/distributors. Interested retailers can contact ESRI Press book distributor Ingram Publisher Services.

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GIS book in Spanish

Dr. Roger Tomlinson's book Thinking About GIS: Geographic Information Systems Planning for Managers, considered a must-read for any organization planning to launch a geographic information system (GIS), is now available in Spanish.

Pensando en el SIG: Planificación del Sistema de Información Geográfica Dirigida a Gerentes, Tercera edición is the first Spanish language book published by ESRI Press.

In this volume, Tomlinson shares his time-tested methodology for planning a GIS that he honed during a long career as a GIS consultant. Widely recognized as the "father of GIS" for his pioneering work developing the Canada Geographic Information System in the early 1960s, Tomlinson also spent more than 30 years consulting on GIS projects for clients including government agencies in Canada, the United States, and Australia; the World Bank; and many private companies.

Tomlinson walks readers through his meticulous planning techniques, from the first step of defining the organization's purpose and what mission GIS can fulfill to the last step of developing a detailed strategy to launch the system. The other eight steps include one Tomlinson considers critical: describing the information products the GIS will need to produce. "What do you need to keep track of? What information do you need on your desk?" Tomlinson asks. "This is what must come out of the GIS."

Besides focusing the project on what the organization's employees truly need to do their job well, clearly defining the information products will help planners make better decisions later when they buy the GIS hardware and software, Tomlinson says.

The book also covers planning the technology system needed for a GIS. Chapter 10 includes the latest computer performance numbers and hardware pricing models as well as a new approach to calculating data handling loads and the network bandwidth and platform sizing required to support them.

ESRI president Jack Dangermond praises Tomlinson's rigorous planning method, saying the book helps clear the way for senior managers and GIS planners—whose areas of expertise often differ—to work together in identifying what's needed to accomplish their goals and develop a successful GIS.

Tomlinson is the principal of Tomlinson Associates Ltd, a firm of consulting geographers he established in 1977. He has advised an impressive list of clients, from the World Bank to the U.S. and Canadian Forest Services. He holds two bachelor's degrees; a master's degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada; and a Ph.D. from University College, London, England. He has also conducted successful GIS planning seminars worldwide.

Pensando en el SIG: Planificación del Sistema de Información Geográfica Dirigida a Gerentes, Tercera edición (ISBN: 9781589482296, 274 pages, $9.95) is available at online retailers worldwide, at www.esri.com/esripress, or by calling 1-800-447-9778. Outside the United States, visit www.esri.com/esripressorders for complete ordering options or contact your local ESRI distributor. For a current distributor list, visit www.esri.com/distributors. Interested retailers can contact ESRI Press book distributor Ingram Publisher Services.

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New GIS Book releases this August

Here are some new GIS Book releases this August 2008. You can buy them at Amazon when available. However, you can always pre-order the books. If not in stock, you can still order them and Amazon will deliver them when as soon as they become available.

New GIS Books:

GIS Tutorial: Workbook for ArcView 9, Third Edition by Wilpen L Gorr and Kristen S Kurland (Paperback - Aug 1, 2008) - Illustrated - Buy new: Amazon discounted price: $50.37.

The Business Benefits of GIS: An ROI Approach by David Maguire, Victoria Kouyoumijan, Ross Smith, and D J Maguire (Paperback - Aug 1, 2008) - Buy new: Amazon Discounted Price $16.47.

Building a GIS: System Architecture Design Strategies for Managers by Dave Peters (Paperback - Aug 1, 2008) - Illustrated - Buy new: Amazon Discounted Price $29.67. Available for Pre-order.

GIS Investigations: Earth Science my world GIS version by Michelle K. Hall (Loose Leaf - Aug 6, 2008). Buy new: Amazon Discounted Price $740.95.

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How to Improve Poverty-Stricken Areas Using Geospatial Technology

Architects and urban designers Rosario Giusti de Pérez and Ramón A. Pérez spent years working on projects to revitalize barrios in their home country of Venezuela. In Analyzing Urban Poverty: GIS for the Developing World, their new book from ESRI Press, they explain how people can use geographic information system (GIS) technology to identify and manage ways of improving the quality of life in poor urban areas.

The Pérezes began using ESRI's GIS software in 1976 to help analyze a proposal to build a town for coal workers in the Guasare-Socuy river valley in Venezuela. Today, they advocate that city planners, urban designers, and others working to improve living conditions in impoverished areas of the world use the technology to manage, analyze, and visualize data related to their projects.

"We have found GIS to be the best tool to help improve the overwhelming problem of urban poverty," the authors wrote.

Squatter settlements are often dilapidated and packed with people and lack enough land to accommodate modern systems for electricity, running water, and sewers. To maximize improvements to the target neighborhood, the Pérezes urge integrating GIS into planning and design when studying the area, then drafting the proposed improvements.

The authors describe their methodology using real scenarios, illustrations, and design ideas to show how GIS can help transform poor neighborhoods into more modern, livable communities. The book explains how users can

# Conduct the site analysis of the land and settlement, taking into account such factors as soil, slope, and drainage patterns.

# Analyze the built environment to understand social subdivisions and inhabitants' referential elements.

# Measure and map levels of poverty to establish priorities and assign resources.

# Study how residents use their space such as how they cope with the lack of sidewalks or streets.

# Build "what if" scenarios, including 3D models of the urban space, that show what the neighborhood would look like after changes take place such as a new location for a public transportation network.

# Decide where to place needed improvements such as roads, sewers, bus stops, sidewalks, and hand railings.

# Manage improvement projects to adhere to regulations set by national and local governments.

# Keep residents informed about the project by producing maps showing the location of proposed upgrades.

To make up for the common lack of official data about squatter settlements, the Pérezes suggest surveying people in the community for the information. They also caution that tearing down settlements and moving residents into high-rise buildings often fails because it devalues what the community has already built.

"In developing countries, the real use of GIS is to identify the absent or scarce social needs and locate them in the best available space," said the authors. "We need to apply the technology not just for estimating what proportion of public space is needed but also for sensing elements that are absent."

Rosario Giusti de Pérez received her master's degree in architecture from Zulia University in Venezuela and her master's degree in urban design at the University of Pennsylvania. She was a professor of architecture at Zulia University for 23 years. All of her urban designs have won national competitions. She is the director of ESRI Venezuela and lives in Maracaibo.

Ramón Pérez received his master's degree in architecture from the University of Los Andes in Mérida, Venezuela, and his master's degree in urban design from the University of Pennsylvania. He was the Director of the Instituto de Investigaciones de Arquitectura y Sistemas Ambientales (ISA) at Zulia University for five years. He has consulted on GIS projects throughout Central and South America. He is the president of ESRI Venezuela and lives in Maracaibo.

Analyzing Urban Poverty: GIS for the Developing World (ISBN 978-1-58948-151-0), 125 pages, $29.95) is available at online retailers worldwide, at www.esri.com/esripress, or by calling 1-800-447-9778. Outside the United States, contact your local ESRI distributor. Visit www.esri.com/distributors for a current distributor list. Interested retailers can contact ESRI Press book distributor Ingram Publisher Services.

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