Overview

This unique text shows students and professionals how geographic information systems (GIS) can guide decision making about complex community and environmental problems. The authors’ step-by-step introduction to GIS-based decision analysis methods and techniques covers important urban and regional issues (land, transportation, and water resource management) and decision processes (planning, improvement programming, and implementation). Real-world case studies demonstrate how GIS-based decision support works in a variety of contexts, with a special focus on community and regional sustainability management. Ideal for course use, the book reinforces key concepts with end-of-chapter review questions; illustrations include 18 color plates.

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9781606233368

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Reviews

This is not another 'how to use GIS' book. It goes far beyond traditional descriptions of GIS concepts and techniques to demonstrate clearly and concretely the role that GIS can--and should--play in informing and improving public decision making. It provides case studies and fully worked-out examples illustrating the use of GIS in supporting sustainability planning, capital improvements programming, and project implementation in a wide range of policy areas. I recommend this book highly for anyone interested in using GIS as a decision support tool, and for use as a text in advanced GIS courses. - Richard E. Klosterman, President, What if?, Inc.; Department of Geography and Planning (Emeritus Professor), University of Akron, USA This book fills a void. It weaves theory and practice together, presenting an integrated view of the concepts, tools, and techniques involved in using GIS for public decision support within an urban-regional context. Including strong pedagogical features, the value of the content is very high for students, academics, and practitioners. The text takes complex subject areas and puts them into a form that students can understand, grasp, and master. No course in applied GIS and participatory planning should be without this book. - Jacek Malczewski, Department of Geography, University of Western Ontario, Canada The book is remarkably thorough and systematic in its coverage of GIS-based techniques as decision support tools in spatial planning and management. Some of the material is quite advanced, but it is presented in an accessible manner and written with an emphasis on applications. This makes it suitable for both upper-division undergraduates and for graduate students and researchers in related areas. Well-chosen review questions at the end of each chapter address the key points and encourage critical thinking. - Helen Couclelis, Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA This book embodies a fundamental change in thinking about decision support and planning. Rather than focusing solely on the instruments, or means, of decision support, the book moves toward a more mature emphasis on the support function of the instruments. The whole trajectory of planning, programming, and project implementation is considered from an integrative perspective. The level of detail is valuable in showing how GIS can assist in this process. - Stan Geertman, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

Author Information

Timothy L. Nyerges, Department of Geography, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA, and Piotr Jankowski, Department of Geography, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA

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