Book Description

The Lewis and Clark expedition was the greatest camping trip in history. It was one of those irresistible American adventures that many people dream of living. This book shares the delightful details of the journey that historians have gleaned from the group’s journals and maps, and also discusses what’s known of the Indian perspective of the expedition.

Throughout the book, you find out about Jefferson’s western exploration from his earliest efforts to see the Corps assembled through the aftermath for the explorers, the tribes, and the United States. But the focus of Lewis & Clark For Dummies is on the period between Jefferson’s confidential letter to Congress requesting dollars to mount a western exploration (January 18,1803) and the expedition’s triumphant (and improbable) return to St. Louis (September 23, 1806): forty-two months that changed the world.

Join Lewis and Clark as they recruit the Corps of Discovery, meet Sacagawea and various Indian tribes, and set off along the Missouri River on a thrilling, perilous journey. Lewis & Clark For Dummies also covers the following topics and more:

• The expedition’s people and places
• Jefferson’s fascination with the West
• Final preparations of Meriwether Lewis
• Weathering storms to launch the expedition
• The discomforts and dangers of the journey
• Making maps and writing reports
• A first look at the Pacific Ocean

The story of Lewis and Clark doesn’t end with their return to St. Louis. This book will also lead you on an exploration of the fates and lessons of the Corps of Discovery. Find out what happened to Lewis, Clark, and many other key players after their famous journey. And examine the aftermath for the American Indians and the political and cultural ramifications for the United States. You’ll even find the resources you need to plan your own recreation of the expedition as you take the Trail yourself! ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A great read about a great expedition
I'm a big fan of the Lewis & Clark expedition, and I loved every page of this book. Not just a dry recitation of facts or a repetition of the journals, which anyone can read, this book provides context and takes the events of 200 years ago into the present day. Why does the Lewis & Clark expedition matter? You'll find out here, and enjoy following the Lewis & Clark trail all the more.

A refreshing perspective on history.
Lewis and Clark for Dummies succeeds in providing a sense of reality to the romanticized version of the Lewis and Clark story.This book demands that we understand that there is an essential perspective that has been missing from the historical record and the truth is not complete without it.The perspective of the American Indian and the role that their cultures and civilizations played are only known through the limited interpretation of Lewis and Clark and their own language and culture.This recognition is remarkable because it makes everyone human and highlights the limitations that come from one point of view.Unfortunately, Sakakawea and York were not able to provide their own personal reflections.200 years is not a long time.There are still many stories remembered by tribal elders that could add volumes and provide a new understanding of the world that Lewis and Clark visited.This book reminds us that there is still much to be known and that there is more than one side to a version of history.It is refreshing to read an objective overview of the Lewis and Clark story rather than another reinterpretation of the Lewis and Clark perspective.

Finally, some perspective on Lewis and Clark
It may have taken 200 years, but finally comes some perspective on Lewis and Clark.

What a welcome and accessible contribution to the body of scholarship on Lewis and Clark, perhaps (after Thomas Jefferson himself) the most enigmatic men of their age. And from such an unexpected quarter. This volume raises the "Dummies" series to a new level of sophistication.

The authors present Lewis and Clark as what they must have been -extraordinary men of some considerable genius who in many ways were handicapped --even crippled-- by the prejudices of their age, but who time and again rose so far above and beyond those same intellectual cages that we moderns can do nothing more than gape in wonder.

If you're uncomfortable with history that isn't sanitized and stylized, there are several Lewis and Clark books for children you should consider. Frankly, I've always been bored silly with the heavily-varnished image of Lewis and Clark, the infallible, all-knowing demigods in three-cornered hats striding across a Hollywood landscape dispensing civilization to beknighted savages. Such trifle may make for good statues, I suppose, but lousy history.

How much more inspiring to get to know them asthem as human beings filled with fear and doubt --as we all are-- who nonetheless overcome incredible odds to accomplish Great Works.

What distinguishes "Lewis and Clark for Dummies" is that it makes the point nicely that, as formidable as they were, Lewis and Clark were just two of a whole landscape filled with extraordinary people whose contributions made the Voyage of Discovery the most unlikely of successes. Time and again this expedition was rescued from disaster by the quick thinking, wisdom or the lucky stars of a sergeant, an enlisted man, a simple frontier guide or even the Black slave York or the Indian girl, Sacagawea. Time and again the Corps stumbled into the arms of Native peoples who could have ended their expedition and their lives but who chose instead to listen, to learn and in most cases, to teach.

It is also refreshing to see the myth of Sacagawea "guiding" the expedition scaled back to something more true to life and find that from the greater perspective emerges the true story of her own unlikely heroism. (I was scratching my head about the choice of cover illustration, which shows an Italian-looking Sacagawea in the cliché role of "guide." Was this supposed to be the cover for different book?)

One of the slogans of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial is "Many Voices, Many Stories." Whether you've read a little or a lot about the subject, "Lewis and Clark for Dummies," will introduce you to many of those voices and stories --some for the first time-- and serve as an excellent companion and guide for your own "Voyage of Discovery."

Lewis and Clark for Dummies
This was an interesting read. The authors were obviously not fans of the Corps of Discovery. The Corps seemed to bumble their way to the pacific, wreaking havoc to the environment and the Native population. They were even criticized for NOT having sex with the wife of a tribal leader.Jeez! This book is the far,far,left view of the event.

American Indians Can Do No Wrong
This book is written with an obvious anti Lewis & Clark bias. These men are consistantly criticised for being arrogrant, guilty of making snap judgements, and for being incompetent. However, the Native Americanscan do no wrong. Any questionable activity is either ignored or justified because it is a native cultural practice and apparently then something beyond question.This same consideration is not bestowed upon the men of the expedition. ... Read more

Book Description

Discover what a geographic information system (GIS) is, how it applies to a variety of professions, and the benefits of using GIS for a variety of applications. Praised through four highly successful editions, The GIS Book, 5th Edition now features hands-on exercises enabling readers to use free GIS software and data downloaded over the Internet to gain a first-hand understanding of the power of GIS technology today. New chapters on GIS data sources, data quality, plus managing and maintaining a GIS database have also been added to educate those new to GIS about one of the most important aspects of implementing any GIS project. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Best overall book on getting started with this techology
This book covers just about everything you need to consider/understand/learn before getting started with GIS technology. And it's not biased towards any particular vendor, which is good. The book is up-to-date and has been a proven guide over time for many, many people. I know one person who teaches using just this book. When consulting with our local city government about getting started using GIS, the last thing I did was give them a copy of this book. They immediately bought one for every person on the team. This book is good for both management and for the technical staff to really understand what decisions need to be made right from the start. This book will save you a lot of time and money by helping you do it right the first time.

The GIS Book Review
I've read an earlier edition of this book and it's pretty good.. ... Read more

Book Description

Since it was first published in 1962, The Theory and Practice of Seamanship has been continuously revised. This latest, 11th Edition includes an updated section on `Regulations for Prevention of Collision at Sea' as well as a new introduction. ... Read more

Book Description

Sir Ranulph Fiennes is the world’s most celebrated contemporary adventurer and explorer; in this handsomely illustrated volume, he talks about the lessons learned from his successes and failures. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Well-done, but keep a grain of salt handy.
A fantastic book with lots of otherwise unavailable information. A lot of the same ground(at least initially) was covered by B-S in THE LAST HABSBURG. What one needs to remember is that in the course of his research, Brook-Shepherd seems to have become very close to the Habsburg family and his objectivity suffers visibly. Much of this book (as well as B-S's THE LAST HABSBURG and also in THE AUSTRIANS)details the events behind Zita's husband Charles' attempts to recover his lost throne in Budapest in 1921, as well as her son Otto's attempts to recover the Austrian throne in the 1930's. Read these with a critical eye. In both cases a separate reading of Admiral Horthy and Kurt von Schuschnigg's memoirs might be needed to rebut his one-sided and somewhat unfair (to these gentlemen) coverage of these events. Similarly I felt that the topic of restoration of the monarchy, the primary one for that period of the book, and a natural major concern of Zita and her son, is so abruptly dropped after World War II that it seems the author is trying to hide something.

This is a fabulous book on Empress Zita.
This is a magnificently researched book on the Empress Zita of Austria-Hungary. It follows her life from childhood through her marriage to Archduke Karl to their succession as Kaiser and Kaiserin in 1916. The story continues through their all too brief reign which ended with the defeat of Austria in World War 1 and their subsequent deposition and initial exile first in Austria itself and then later in Switzerland and Madeira. It deals with their two thwarted attempts to regain the throne of Hungary which was being 'protected' by Regent Admiral Horthy. The book deals with the tragic early death of Zita's husband, the long widowhood of Zita and the struggles she faced bringing up her large family all by herself. Zita was a complex woman who spent her life trying to uphold the Hapsburg family legacy. Under different historical circumstances she would have been dearly loved by the people of Austria first as an Empress and then a respected Empress Mother. History dealt a difficult hand to Zita and she only received the respect she truly dearly deserved once she had died and was granted an Imperial funeral in St.Stephen's Cathedral. Even the republican government of Austria reluctantly realised that Zita deserved this honour. This book shows the many different faces of this most interesting woman. The author has paid the Empress the most glowing tribute he could ever have imagined as he has depicted not some imaginary idolised royal figure but a real individual who made a difference to this century. I would strongly recommend this book to others. It is a great read. The illustrations are also most interesting with many never having been publicly reproduced before. ... Read more

Book Description

The author introduces the reader to the creation and implementation of space-related models by applying a learning-by-doing and problem-oriented approach. The required procedural skills are rarely taught at universities and many scientists and engineers struggle to transfer a model into a computer program. The purpose of this book is to fill this gap. It moves from simple to more complex applications, covering various important topics in the sequence: dynamic matrix processing, 2D and 3D graphics, databases, Java applets and parallel computing. A file (SMOP.zip) with all examples can be downloaded free of charge from the Internet at http://de.geocities.com/bsttc2/book. ... Read more

Book Description

Who Killed The Dead Sea? Where was the Garden of Eden? What's So Bad About the Badlands?

Get on board as Kenneth C. Davis, author of the acclaimed national bestseller Don't Know Much About® History, takes us on a fascinating, breathtaking, and hilarious grand tour of the planet Earth -- opening our eyes and imaginations to a wide, wild, and wonderful world we never knew.

Reviews (21)

fun and informative book on geography, geology, and history
A pretty good introduction to a variety of topics in geography, geology, astronomy (generally as it relates to the earth), and history as well. In part, the book is fairly basic, addressing some basic topics such as what are continents, addressing if Columbus "discovered" America or not, what is a light year, and listing the world's largest seas for instance. Some commentators called the book remedial I see, and at times, yes, it can be. Many of the questions that are answered (the information in the book is generally presented as a particular question followed by several paragraphs to several pages of answers for each) can be high school or even middle school level (though not written at middle school level).

By and large though, I found the book a really neat read, covering a lot of topics. While it might have been nice if some questions were gone into in more depth, all in all the author, Kenneth C. Davis, is to be commended by his well-written answers to a variety of questions in world geography. To me, many topics that were addressed were not remedial at all. What do tides and tidal waves have to do with one another? Isn't Europe just part of Asia? Why is Australia a continent? Where was the Garden of Eden, or was there one? Why are there no deserts on the Equator? Why is the Black Sea called that? How did Africa come to be called the Dark Continent? Are there Canaries in the Canary Islands? What the heck is a Hoosier? I don't know about you, but I wasn't able to answer all those questions, and I was intrigued to read the interesting and well-written answers to these questions. If want some fun light reading in geography and history, bone up on your trivia for the next time you watch Jeopardy! or play Trivial Pursuit, or just want to impress your familiy and friends, this book is one to get.

Don't Know Much ABout(TM) Kenneth Davis
It's been said that the difference between a mediocre author and a good one is a good editor, and the same goes for the difference between good and great and great and outstanding. In all cases, the editor has to be the better of the two. In Kenneth C. Davis' case, a mediocre author had a mediocre editor. He's good at collecting facts, but not so good at verifying them. One that really bugged me was on page 314: "Invisible to the naked eye, Uranus was not discovered until 1781, the first planet to be observed by telescope." Yet, in the period 1609-1613, Galileo observed the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn (though he could not recognize the rings for what they were). Davis' editor should have had him say that Uranus was the first planet to be DISCOVERED (not OBSERVED) by telescope. This is but one of many similar annoyances. The author seems to be better at copyrighting a title and carving a niche than carefully choosing his words and checking his facts.

The joke's on you, Kenneth Davis
This book was written in 1992, so one can forgive Kenneth Davis a few inaccuracies - geography just doesn't stay the same and scientists learn new things about the Earth all the time.

What I can't forgive, however, is when an author who is supposedly trying to teach you something injects his partisan politics into the book. Davis did this in Don't Know Much About History by taking an undeserved shot at Reagan. And he takes a shot at Bush (Daddy-O, not Jr, obviously) in Don't Know Much About Geography.

Davis is trying to pretend that Bush made the world situation worse by liberating Kuwait during the Gulf War. I wonder if he feels like a fool having those words in print, given what we know now about Saddam Hussein? He practically screams "No blood for oil!" on pg. 240. It's embarrassing.

So, considering Davis is prone to injecting his own political interpretations in his writing, I wonder how much credence I can give anything he writes?

That said, if you truly don't know much about geography, this is a decent start. But read with a grain of salt and know where Davis is coming from when he writes about geopolitical "history".

Great Idea...
If you pick this book up thinking you are going to get great details about Geography you are mistaken, but if you do what I did and just expect a fun book with some great facts then this is the book for you. I own all of his books and this was my first. Davis makes reading the book enjoyable, as he does his others. BUY THIS BOOK, and have some fun with it. I completely annoyed my wife with "Hey, did you know that..."

GREAT BUY!!!

You don't? Well, you can....
Think geography is just where things go on a map? Read this book and let Kenneth C. Davis disabuse you of such ideas. Napoleon, volcanoes, Vikings, and killer meteorites are only a few of the topics Davis gives a solid going over.

One minor complaint: the amount of finger-wagging at the United States and Europe, as compard to that directed at everyone else in the world, is a bit excessive. But, overall, Davis is reasonably fair. ... Read more

Book Description

Established in 1519 as a harbor city to service the fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru, Havana became the busy portal to the vast Spanish colonial empire. Largely unharmed by war or weather, many great examples of Spanish colonial architecture survive today. Dozens of archival photographs from Havana's mid-20th-century heyday as a posh vacation spot are featured here opposite contemporary photographs, portraying a beautiful city undergoing restoration and struggling to regain its glory days. ... Read more

Book Description

"A culinary gem for everyone who wants to bring the true flavor of Italy into their home."–Paula Wolfert, author of Mediterranean Cooking

Anna Teresa Callen grew up in Abruzzo, one of Italy’s most striking regions. In this wonderful, evocative book, she unveils the secrets of Abruzzo’s robust culinary traditions. Here is simple cooking at its best, with flavors kept fresh and clean. The 350 recipes range from elaborate festival dishes–including the region’s signature dish, Maccheroni alla Chitarra–to uncomplicated rustic fare.

Anna Teresa Callen (New York, NY) is an accomplished food writer, teacher, food consultant, and television personality. Two of her shows, Let Them Eat Pasta! and Nature’s Masterpiece, The Egg, have aired nationwide on CBS and PBS, and her articles have appeared in Bon Appétit, Gourmet, the New York Times, and other publications. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (2)

Solid book, full of insight
This is an exceptionally thorough guide to map representation both in design and function. If you love maps or use them a lot in your work, this is a truly great book to own. It covers both functional and lexical mapping techniques from both visual perception/cognition and semiotic design perspectives. Pose any question about mapping and this book can probably help you find the answer to it. This book will especially please information designers/architects.

so you think you know cognitive-semiotic approaches to maps?
My copy of this book is now chock full of scribbles in the margin - not doodles, mind you, but ideas and questions for research in cartographic design.There are a few doodles, too, but they're doodles of maps.Thebook asks as many questions as it answers, and as such makes a great textfor researchers, students, and folks who want to look at what the future ofcartography could be... ... Read more

Book Description

The apparel and textile industries have always been at the mercy of rapidly changing styles and fickle customers who want the latest designs while they are still in fashion.The result for these businesses, often forced to forecast sales and order from suppliers with scant information about volatile demand, is a history of stock shortages, high inventories, and costly markdowns.But, as the authors explain in A Stitch in Time, technological advances in the 1980s paved the way for a new concept in retailing--lean retailing.

Pioneered by companies like WAL-MART, lean retailing has reshaped the way that products are ordered, virtually eliminating delays from distribution center to sales rack by drawing on sales data captured electronically at the checkout counter. Armed with up-to-the-minute data about colors, sizes, styles, and geographic sales, apparel and textile companies now must be able to respond rapidly to real-time orders efficiently based on new approaches to distribution; forecasting, planning and organizing production; managing supplier relations.A Stitch in Time shows that even in the face of burgeoning product proliferation, companies that successfully adapt to the world of lean retailing can reduce inventory risk, reduce costs, and increase profitability while improving their responsiveness to the ever-changing tastes of customers.Based on the success of these practices in the apparel industry, lean retailing practices are propagating through a growing number of consumer product industries.

A richly detailed and resonant account, A Stitch in Time brilliantly captures both the history and future of the retail-apparel-textile channel and offers bold insights on the changes and challenges facing retailers and manufacturers in all segments of our rapidly changing economy. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Very Informative
A Stitch In Time is a very good read.

While some academics tend to write books that are beyond the comprehension of mere mortals, this book is very readable, even to a layman like me who has no previous experience in the fashion/apparel/textiles business. The authors have explained techniques in manufacturing and theoretical concepts very clearly. Although it is obvious that much research has been done, the authors did not bore the reader with useless facts and figures just to prove the amount of research that has been done. Rather, significant findings were highlighted whenever appropriate, which made the book more interesting and comprehensible.

The authors believe that a new form of retailing, defined as lean retailing by the authors, will soon make its impact in the retail industry. Major retailers, like Wal-Mart, already practise this form of retailing. The theory of lean retailing propose that as there is an increase in product proliferation, and as customers demand quicker response times, retailers will "force" suppliers to replenish supplies at shorter intervals with smaller quantities. This will reduce inventory, cost and risk. While suppliers may choose to hold more inventories to satisfy lean retailers like Wal-Mart, it is a short-term solution. It is merely pushing the ineffectiveness of the system from retailers to apparel manufacturers. A better way is to re-look the industry from a channel angle, i.e. the whole chain of retailer-supplier-textile manufacturer. How can the channel be more effective as a whole? The authors believe information integration and co-operation is the key.

While the focus of the book has been on the fashion/apparel/textiles industry, I believe the concepts can also be applied to other industries. In fact, I believe the concepts were "borrowed" from more advanced industries like automobile manufacturing. Some of the concepts are similar to concepts in operations management like JIT, sales forecasting, etc.

I recommend this book to anyone in the retail business. This book will change your mindset of traditional retailing, whether you are in the fashion retail or not. I also recommend this book to people who are interested in exploiting IT for the exchanging of information between suppliers and retailers. I have learnt a lot from the book and I am sure many readers will agree with me.

Review of A Stitch in Time
This is an extremely lively and readable account of changes in the U.S. apparel industry. It challenges the prevailing assumption that the industry is doomed to move offshore in its entirety. The authors argue persuasively that there will be a continuing need for apparel production in the U.S. by firms that cooperate more closely with retailers, and meet the demand for timely production. In addition, the authors present a fascinating history of the industry and a wonderfully detailed discussion of its changing technology. This book is useful to those interested specifically in the apparel industry, but also as a case study of how new information technologies are reshaping U.S. industries more generally.

A welcome in-depth look at the effects of the IT revolution
The book goes beyond the hyped-up jargon of e-commerce and information technology and instead provides a nuts and bolts understanding of the actual impact of these trends on businesses, workers and the American economy. While it focuses on just one industry (one with which we can all identify, as consumers of clothing and customers of the Walmarts, J. Crews and Dillard's of the world), it gives a much broader understanding of the trends and forces that will eventually shape most industres, and affect who wins and loses in this emerging "IT" economy.

The book is eminently readable, packed with real world examples and crisp analysis of trends that we hear about frequently in the popular press, but rarely see investigated in any real detail. ... Read more

Book Description

Interest among public health practitioners and academics is growing rapidly in the opportunities afforded by GIS, particularly in Europe and the US.Written by a varied group of authors,the primary focus of this book is on real practice in the use of GIS in public health. GIS in Public Health Practice covers disease mapping and spatial analysis, then moves on to GIS applications in communicable disease control and environmental health protection, and applications in health care planning and policy. It also explores issues surrounding the use of GIS in public health, particularly data availability, data protection and e-governance. This book is for practitioners, with its detail of the methods used in the different applications and its identification of opportunities and potential limitations. Researchers and graduate students studying public health and epidemiology should also find it useful. ... Read more

Book Description

Recognized as the classic resource in cartography, this text continues to integrate the latest modern technology with traditional cartographic principles. The balanced author team provides a solid conceptual foundation in the basic principles of cartography while introducing the newest technological advances which have greatly altered modern cartographic techniques. New features include a complete updating of topical data and a shift in emphasis from ``small-scale to all-scale maps.'' Systematic coverage is given to both theory and applications with all basic mapmaking tools presented including formulas, tables and constants. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Still recognized as an important text
The sixth edition of "Elements" was published in 1995, and reviewers familiar with the advances in cartographic technology would be familiar with the great upheaval the field was going through at that time. Work on a seventh edition of this seminal text is currently underway, which should bring the content of the book up to par with recent changes. The book remains an important source of information for both the novice and seasoned cartographer.

This book is pricey and uneven.
This title is billed as the Sixth Edition, and reflects the coming and going of co-authors. It is too bad that the editor had so little influence. Sections of this book that stick to their cartographic knitting are excellent. Historical information is very intersting. Basic explanations, such as the evolution of ellipsoids is very well done. Some of the writing is so bad it could have been extracted from a sophmore term paper, sprinkled with such inept phrases as "such as", "similarly", "however" and "in fact". The most glaring deficiency is in the area of computer technology. Either this material has not been updated since some earlier edition, or the author(s) are very uncomfortable with the subject matter. As examples: "Most common procedures used by cartographers have been translated into software programs written in special computer languages such as FORTRAN and C." "Today's well-rounded cartographer is routinely involved with these 'canned' (prewritten) mapping programs..." "The professionsal cartographer should, therefor, have a working knowledge of at least one computer language." We are regaled with three pages of detailed obselescent material on computer structure, but only 23 lines of overview on current instrument technology. There is a whole chapter on fonts and lettering, but no algorithm for conversion from Lat-Long to UTM. The central meridians for the UTM zones are not provided, nor is the DoD lettering scheme. One of the responsibilities of a text book is to arrange the subject matter in a structure where it can be easily referenced. This book reads like a series of articles of varying quality published under one cover, with overlap resolution left as an exercise for the reader. ... Read more

Book Description

From recent developments in digital image processing to the next generation of satellite systems, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to the field of remote sensing and image interpretation. This book is discipline neutral, so readers in any field of study can gain a clear understanding of these systems and their virtually unlimited applications.
* The authors underscore close interactions among the related areas of remote sensing, GIS, GPS, digital image processing, and environmental modeling.
* Appendices include material on sources of remote sensing data and information, remote sensing periodicals, online glossaries, and online tutorials. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Absolutly One of the BEST!!
This book is one of the best on the market on Image Interpretation. After taking a class and the instructor had a different book (which was poorly written book) I bought this book. I found it interesting and easy to use, any math was explained step by step! I cant wait to get the 5th edition! This is a must for any person who is interested in this topic or is working in the field.

One of the best books in RS
One of the best text books in Remote Sensing: comprehensive, complete. I have the 1st, 2nd and 3rd editions. Will wait to the 4th edition in paperback.

A good technical overview of RS
The text is a comprehensive introduction to RS that covers the science from physical basis to sensors and applications. It is not a HOW-TO-DO-IT book as opposed to a complete textbooks for students in this area who need good background of the science and its application. We use it as a good textbook for solid foundation prior to more practical texts on HOW-TO-DO-IT.

Drawn out, very difficult to follow
Imagine a textbook without a glossary of terms. A book thatseems to use fancy nomenclature only as a tool to boostthe authors egos. Having strained through this text only by shear interest in Remote, I would advise any academic to look towards the piles of other more appropriatly constructed textbooks concerned with remote. As to the publishers claim that it also concerns itself with GIS applications, yes, but in an obscure and unfriendly manner. Do not consider this book as a textbook choice. It only serves to discredit the noble and forthright advances of a vital technology. ... Read more

Book Description

Over the last two decades there has been increasing recognition that problems in Oceanography and Fisheries Sciences and related marine areas are nearly all manifest in the spatio-temporal domain. Geographical Information Systems (GIS), the natural framework for spatial data handling, are being recognised as a powerful tool with useful applications in marine sciences. This book provides a thorough examination of marine GIS applications that include a high variety of methods and sophisticated approaches in coastal, continental shelf, and deep ocean studies. It presents new innovative approaches of using GIS in the examination of the dynamic relations that characterize the marine world, including marine GIS macro routines for the development of Oceanography and Fisheries GIS tools and applications.
Some application examples include: the mapping of fish production data (catch and landings); the identification of essential fish habitats; and the mapping of species migration corridors. ... Read more

Book Description

Dating back to the beginning of the first millennium, some of Rome's most famous architectural sites are among the most ancient in the world. They survive in an enchanting urban tableau of classicism and modern Italian culture. Here are all of Rome's most famous tourist attractions - the Coliseum, St. Peter's Square, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps - represented in dozens of photographs, old and new, that bring the great city to life. ... Read more

Book Description

With a personal computer using technology known as geographic information systems (GIS), anyone can easily access information about which highways to travel to get to work, school, or vacation spots; how close a home is to stores, parks, and schools; and which areas are at risk from floods, fires, earthquakes, or pollution. Using the GIS software that comes with this book, readers will be able to use this information to do everything from creating customized maps and choosing vacation destinations to monitoring environmental hazards and tracking crime trends in their neighborhoods. Included are illustrated exercises using real data to teach readers how to begin using geographic information. A companion web site keeps the provided geographic data updated. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Should change the title
to ArcExplorer for everyone.
The book is a great introduction for those who want to have a more or less thorough tour of what a GIS is capable of. Being an ESRI press book, it was more or less obvious that its only approach was goin to be through ESRI products (ie. ArcExplorer)
Anyway, the book only shows what can be done with the already processed, already "ArcMade" datafiles. It fails to explain anything else of the GIS creation process.
If you're looking for a technical book, forget it.

wonderful stocking stuffer
I recommend buying several copies of this book and sending them out to friends & family you might want to offer more of a glimpse into GIS than just sending them to an online atlas. It comes with ESRI's free GIS viewer ArcExplorer and a decent set of data to get started with, and AE itself is a handy tool for letting folks explore work you've done, or sending them work you've done for them (road trip!). Has an appendix for Import71, which is handy.

Exploring Smart Maps
We live at a time when more and more information is being converted into digital form. For example, music went from analog (records) to digital (CDs). Movies are going from videotape to DVD. Cameras are transitioning from taking photographs to generating digital images.

Books and maps are also going digital. While the advantages of a digital book are not clearly established, the advantages of digital maps are nothing short of breath-taking. That's because when transformed from paper to digital form, maps become enriched with information that simply cannot be included on a paper map. Davis calls these information rich products "smart" maps.

A whole new industry has emerged that deals with smart maps; it's called the Geographical Information System (GIS) industry. A GIS is computer hardware and software for spatial data handling and map making.

The variety of smart maps is so broad that the ambitious title of the book, GIS for Everyone, is not stretching it too far. Davis shows how students, business people, homemakers, and community leaders can use smart maps for school, work, home, and community action with just a Windows-based personal computer.

A computer program is needed to generate, view, and manipulate smart maps and the data they contain. One such program, ArcExplorer, is provided on the CD that is included with the book.

To generate digital maps requires data files that the computer uses to draw streets, county outlines, country boundaries, volcano locations, hurricane tracks, or any other feature or phenomenon that's mappable. The CD includes some 500 megabytes of such spatial data.

Davis guides the reader (and budding smart map user) through a series of thirteen "explorations" of places and spatial situations around the world from San Diego to Prague to Sydney, with stops at New York, Austin, and Rio de Janeiro. (Additional data, for the reader to explore on their own, are provided for other places such as Yellowstone National Park and Bucharest, Romania.)

The reader is encouraged not only to try his or her hand at exploring a variety of mappable environmental and cultural data and display the resulting smart map(s) on a computer screen but also to print, e-mail, or present the smart map on a web page.

Davis helps the reader/world explorer into the new world of smart maps by focussing on specific themes. In chapter 2, the theme is understanding digital maps. Chapter 3 focuses on finding answers with digital maps. In chapter 4 Davis shows the reader how to tell stories with digital maps. Chapter 5 helps the "reader" build digital maps and the final chapter, 6, helps the reader find additional data sources available on increasing numbers of web sites.

So, if you're interested in exploring your world and beyond (there's a satellite image of Mars on the CD), buy this book and start working with smart maps ASAP!

My mistake
Well I didn't like it. I was hopping a deep introduction to GIS but what i got was an introduction to ArcView Explorer. With this book you see the final result of a work but you don't know HOW they did it nor the basis that support it. You can find this information on the net without paying for it.

Very, very good starting book for GIS
This book is great fun! The CD has lots of stuff on it to explore, and the 'explorations' are all interesting. One or two parts of the explorations do not function off the 'read only' CD-ROM but will work if you copy the appropriate folders to your hard disk. (The author solved that one for me with a very timely e-mail response.) The ESRI site also has lots of free data files you can use with the included software. Really hard to go wrong here. ... Read more

Book Description

Sir Ernest Shackleton's South is one of the great books of exploration. It is a harrowing account of what he called "the last great journey on earth"--the Antarctic expedition in which his ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice, forcing Shackleton and his men to make a 600-mile trek across the ice to land, a 700-mile journey in an open boat to South Georgia, followed by an epic crossing of the uncharted mountains and glaciers of the island. His story is superbly written, and from its first publication in 1919, it has never ceased to enthrall readers. Since that time, however, Shackleton's life--and his account of the expedition--have been dramatically re-evaluated by scholars and biographers. In this edition, journalist Peter King presents highly revealing annotations to Shackleton's text, offering a more detailed picture of what actually occurred and shedding new light on what still remains a magnificent drama of leadership. South is complete with 120 compelling photographs by Frank Hurley, the expedition's official photographer. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Literally Chilling!
My good friend Antonia Martin just gave me this book for my birthday. Antonia, you are an absolute Treasure!

I have become fascinated with the Shackleton story, not only for the awesome testament to dogged determination to succeed in the face of seemingly daunting odds that it is, but because apparently my Grandfather knew him quite well and worked on the planning of the journey back in London. Somewhere we have a signed original of the book from 1919 amongst Mother's belongings, back in England.

This is a bone chilling visual and literary step by aching step trudge through the most inhospitable place on Earth. As the Endurance, their ship, died so their own endurance was born. And what an endurance that was!

As my eyes wander the pages in the warm comfort of bed my mind is wind-whipped by the Antarctic blasts Shackleton and his team ultimately survived! It is quite simply one of the most amazing stories it has ever been my pleasure to absorb. I am in awe of the achievement described and pictured in this book.

Everybody should read it! ... Read more

Book Description

Increasingly landscape planning requires an understanding of how the landscape functions. Marsh's book provides a unique integration of landscape architecture, forestry, ecology, and geography.

This Fourth Edition incorporates the rapid expansions taking place in the field. It addresses several topics of concern in both public and private sectors such as flooding wetlands, species conservation, and groundwater. Readers will also discover how physical geography, planning, and landscape architecture relate to environmental problems and issues.
* An overview of environmental topics as applied to development, land use, and environmental problems of the landscape
* Focuses on landscape processes, systems, forms, and analysis
* Places greater emphasis on urban environments and site-scale problems
* Arms the reader with a collection of best management practices, which can be applied in the field
* Presents updated case studies that examine planning and design problems ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Very good book by a very brave man
The story of "Father's Day" is one of persistence, survival and stubborness. Vihlen is a very brave man--Korean fighter jock, airline pilot, and TWO-time, record-setting trans-atlantic sailor in a "miniboat." Very interesting to get into this guy's head during his long ordeal. A good read...not just a trip's diary.

Hold your breath and come for a ride.
This book was the best read I have had in quite a while. One does not need to be a sailor at all to enjoy this TRUE tale of adventure on the North Atlantic. The "rollercoaster of emotions" was well documented; tosuch an extent that I would recommend it to anyone! Good Luck in 2002Hugo!

Amazing!
I am by no means the sailing type, as I wont go into any water unless it is crystal clear and I can see what is swimming around me. So, this book is not just for the ocean savvy!This is a true story of a man who sails the smallest sail boat EVER accross the North Atlantic Ocean.His boat is under 6 feet long.After spending over 2 months at sea, he finally docks in England.This book is the sailors actual journal logs from his long trip.. The emotions go from excited to depressed, to almost hallucianite.This is one of the best books I have ever read, and would highly suggest it to anyone who likes REAL LIFE stories. If anyone knows the author, please have him email me at my address!WOW! What a book! ... Read more

Book Description

GIS is essentially a computer-based information system, designed to handle data spatially references to geographic locations on the Earth. This fully updated new edition of Michael Worboys' highly successful book addresses GIS from a computing perspective as opposed to a cartographic, geographic or management perspective. In this way GIS can be viewed as a software system mounted on a hardware platform, supplied with appropriate data. GIS: A Computing Perspective highlights the fundamental role played by computing science, information systems and IT in the field of GIS.The book brings the topic in line with the latest thinking and technologies underpinning GIS. It reflects new developments such as the impact the internet has had in terms of distribution and visualization. The ever-increasing roles of AI, uncertainty-handling and agent-based computing are also covered. The book is aimed at a wide range of students, including those studying computer science, information systems and information technology as well as GIS. ... Read more