Geospatial Thinking

This book provides practitioners with structured methods for transforming geospatial data into the useful information they need to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. It spotlights the importance of location for human experience in the everyday world and introduces spatial thinking as a foundation and the location mindset as a foundational perspective. The book starts by showing how geospatial analysis is part of a more general data-to-information refinement process that requires the right mindset, toolset, and skillset to achieve. The book then presents structured principles and practices to help geospatial analysts—whether in government or industry—improve their observational, analytical, and communication techniques. These techniques are part of an original framework for interpreting geospatial data and information: the Observe, Analyze, Communicate (OAC) Framework. The OAC framework helps practitioners at all levels break down the basic steps of their day-to-day practice and learn valuable tradecraft that they can employ during each step. You’ll learn how to center location as a foundational perspective in everyday life; use unique geospatial observation, analysis, and communication techniques; and know how to account for the role of uncertainty in assessment and production processes -- including utilizing special techniques to effectively communicate levels of certainty and uncertainty to your audience. You’ll also understand how pairing visual information with precise locational information serves to anchor human attention and provides an antidote to the common problem of disorientation. The book reveals specific techniques and tradecraft that will greatly benefit all practitioners working with visual and locational information. One such tradecraft called Structured Geospatial Observation Techniques (SGOT) includes a technique called the Four Cornerstones that will allow you to structure your approach to visual data and extract more attribute and contextual data from your object of focus. Another technique reveals industry and government-gleaned tips and tricks to creating finished geospatial communications in paragraphs, products, and presentations. Bringing together the authors’ combined 30 years of experience with geospatial intelligence (GEOINT), this book is a must-have practical resource for students, faculty, and practitioners of geospatial endeavors at any level of experience, especially fields that use imagery and spatial analysis. It serves as a textbook for classroom beginners and as a go-to desktop reference for professionals in their day-to-day geospatial efforts.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Association of Geographic Infor- tion Laboratories for Europe (AGILE) promoted the edition of a book with the collection of the scientific papers that were submitted as full-papers to the AGILE annual international conference. Those papers went through a th competitive review process. The 13 AGILE conference call for fu- papers of original and unpublished fundamental scientific research resulted in 54 submissions, of which 21 were accepted for publication in this - lume (acceptance rate of 39%). Published in the Springer Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Car- th graphy, this book is associated to the 13 AGILE Conference on G- graphic Information Science, held in 2010 in Guimarães, Portugal, under the title “Geospatial Thinking”. The efficient use of geospatial information and related technologies assumes the knowledge of concepts that are fundamental components of Geospatial Thinking, which is built on reasoning processes, spatial conc- tualizations, and representation methods. Geospatial Thinking is associated with a set of cognitive skills consisting of several forms of knowledge and cognitive operators used to transform, combine or, in any other way, act on that same knowledge. The scientific papers published in this volume cover an important set of topics within Geoinformation Science, including: Representation and Visualisation of Geographic Phenomena; Spatiotemporal Data Analysis; Geo-Collaboration, Participation, and Decision Support; Semantics of Geoinformation and Knowledge Discovery; Spatiotemporal Modelling and Reasoning; and Web Services, Geospatial Systems and Real-time Appli- tions.

This book is an initiative presented by the Commission on Geographical Education of the International Geographical Union. It focuses particularly on what has been learned from geospatial projects and research from the past decades of implementing geospatial technologies (GST) in formal and informal education. The objective of this publication is to inform an international audience of teachers, professionals, scholars, and policymakers about the state of the art and prospects of geospatial practices (GPs) as organized activities that use GST and lessons learned in relation to geographical education. GST make up an advanced body of knowledge developed by practitioners of geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing (RS), global positioning systems, (GPS), and digital cartography (DC). GST have long been applied in many different sectors; however, their first use in higher education began in the early 1980s and then diffused to secondary schools during the 1990s. Starting with GIS and RS, it evolved into a much broader context, as GST expanded to include GPS and DC with new communication technologies and Internet applications. GST have been used around the world as a combination of tools and special techniques to make research, teaching, and learning more effective.

In this book geography educators from around the globe discuss their research into the power of geographical thinking and consider successful strategies to implement, improve and advance geography education in research and practice. It addresses key topics in geography education, such as multicultural competence, the role of teachers, the geography curriculum, spatial thinking, geographic information systems, geocapabilities, and climate change. At a global level the contributors and editors bring together the most advanced collection of research and discussion surrounding issues in geography education. The book will be of interest to geography education researchers worldwide, including academics at university and teachers in schools, as well as professional geographers with an interest in education.

This book addresses new pedagogies focusing on the use of geospatial technologies and geomedia in the classroom. Today, geospatial technologies are substantially influencing geography teaching and learning, particularly in secondary education. Web-GIS, virtual globes, storytelling, maps and apps for mobile devices are transforming the nature and design of geography curricula, instructional processes, didactics, resources and assessments. Undoubtedly, geography is among those school subjects that have benefited most from the implementation of new technologies in the classroom. Geospatial technologies can be used to develop inquiry-based learning or project-based learning pedagogies and help students to acquire spatial reasoning and spatial citizenship skills in the context of education for sustainable development. This book highlights a range of initiatives, projects and educational practices – from several European countries and settings – related to geospatial challenges in geography education. Given its scope, it will be equally appealing to scientists, students and teachers of geography and other fields using geospatial technologies and geomedia.

Learning to Think Spatially examines how spatial thinking might be incorporated into existing standards-based instruction across the school curriculum. Spatial thinking must be recognized as a fundamental part of Kâ€"12 education and as an integrator and a facilitator for problem solving across the curriculum. With advances in computing technologies and the increasing availability of geospatial data, spatial thinking will play a significant role in the information-based economy of the twenty-first century. Using appropriately designed support systems tailored to the Kâ€"12 context, spatial thinking can be taught formally to all students. A geographic information system (GIS) offers one example of a high-technology support system that can enable students and teachers to practice and apply spatial thinking in many areas of the curriculum.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Association of Geographic Infor- tion Laboratories for Europe (AGILE) promoted the edition of a book with the collection of the scientific papers that were submitted as full-papers to the AGILE annual international conference. Those papers went through a th competitive review process. The 13 AGILE conference call for fu- papers of original and unpublished fundamental scientific research resulted in 54 submissions, of which 21 were accepted for publication in this - lume (acceptance rate of 39%). Published in the Springer Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Car- th graphy, this book is associated to the 13 AGILE Conference on G- graphic Information Science, held in 2010 in Guimarães, Portugal, under the title “Geospatial Thinking”. The efficient use of geospatial information and related technologies assumes the knowledge of concepts that are fundamental components of Geospatial Thinking, which is built on reasoning processes, spatial conc- tualizations, and representation methods. Geospatial Thinking is associated with a set of cognitive skills consisting of several forms of knowledge and cognitive operators used to transform, combine or, in any other way, act on that same knowledge. The scientific papers published in this volume cover an important set of topics within Geoinformation Science, including: Representation and Visualisation of Geographic Phenomena; Spatiotemporal Data Analysis; Geo-Collaboration, Participation, and Decision Support; Semantics of Geoinformation and Knowledge Discovery; Spatiotemporal Modelling and Reasoning; and Web Services, Geospatial Systems and Real-time Appli- tions.