GIS, ENVIRONMENTAL MODELLING AND ENGINEERING

the long version

"Environmental modelling, in many ways, is an inherently spatial activity well suited to taking advantage of the functionality of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), whether this be modelling aspects of the environment within GIS or linked to external simulation models. In doing so, a number of issues become important: environmental models need to consider space-time processes in one, two or three dimensions, whereas GIS is largely two-dimensional and static; environmental models are often computational simulations, as distinct from cartographic modelling and map algebra in GIS. What level of integration between GIS and environmental models is desirable on any project, how does uncertainly in spatial data from GIS and the choices of parameterisation in environmental models combine and propagate through analyses to affect outputs; by what means can decisions be made with uncertain information. These issues inevitably arise in any scientific or engineering project that seeks to model and manage our environment." "Students need to be made aware of these issues. Practitioners should enrich their knowledge and skills in these areas. This book focuses on modelling, rather than on data collection or visualisation - other books adequately cover these areas - and aims to develop critical users of GIS and environmental modelling."--Jacket.