Collaborative Geographic Information Systems

Many advances in the integration of group spatial modeling, geographic information systems (GIS), and the Internet have occurred in recent years, however there is a lack of materials to highlight the transdisciplinary characteristics and impacts of this convergence while providing a uniform and consistent treatment of this expanding field of research. Collaborative Geographic Information Systems identifies unifying concepts in the field and presents them in a single volume, providing a comprehensive treatment of collaborative GIS focusing on system design, group spatial planning and mapping, Internet and wireless applications, and more. This book also details the theories, processes, and tools for designing and implementing collaborative GIS, and explores collaborative GIS methodologies currently being used or developed. Collaborative Geographic Information Systems is of immense value to academic researchers, planners and policy makers, graduate students, and individuals working in GIS, geography, environmental science, urban planning, computer supported cooperative work, and information technology.

Shivanand Balram is a Post-Doctoral Researcher in the Spatial Analysis and Modelling Research Laboratory, Simon Fraser University, Canada. He has a PhD degree from McGill University, Department of Geography with a focus on collaborative approaches to spatial analysis and decision making. His Masters degree was completed at the University of Cambridge, England with a focus on GIS and the spatial diffusion of contagious diseases in urban communities. His Undergraduate degree was done at the University of Guyana, Department of Physics where he worked on the design of photovoltaic power systems for sustainable urban and rural electrification. Shivanand has accumulated more than 12 years of academic, industry, and consulting experience in the areas of geographic information systems and science, collaborative decision-making, and environmental modeling. He has published in these areas and developed the “collaborative spatial Delphi methodology” for spatial environmental! planning. His research has been published in the Journal of Geographical Systems, Biodiversity and Conservation, and Landscape and Urban Planning journals. His other research interests include spatial statistics and problem-based learning. Suzana Dragiæeviæ is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University, Canada. She obtained her PhD degree from the University of Montreal, Department of Geography focusing on fuzzy sets and temporal GIS. Her Masters and Undergraduate degrees were obtained at the University of Belgrade and focused on geodetic engineering. She has 18 years of academic, governmental, and industry experience in the areas of geographic information science and geomatics engineering. Her research interests include GIS, spatial data analysis, fuzzy sets and logic, modeling geographic complexity, cellular automata, collaborative spatial decision-making, web-based GIS, and multimedia cartography. These research activities are implemented through her Spatial Analysis and Modeling Research Laboratory and with funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada. Her research has been published in internationally reputable journals such as the International Journal of GIScience, Cartography and GIScience, Journal of Geographical Systems, International Journal of Remote Sensing, and Ecological Modelling among others. Moreover, she has organized a special journal issue and many conference sessions to bring experts together to synthesize research and expand knowledge.