Teaching and researching geospatial analysis

Principles, techniques and software tools

Paul Longley

University College, London

Mike Goodchild

University of California, Santa Barbara

Wednesday 11th April 2007; 10am-1pm
Workshop Fee: €50

The €50 fee includes free book Geospatial Analysis: a comprehensive guide to principles,techniques and software tools

Workshop Abstract

Search engines are a boon for finding out what different GIS techniques do, and how they can help in problem solving. Software vendors are understandably keen to harness engines to suggest particular software, as do researchers keen to disseminate the results of their own research. But a search engine is not like the index of a book: wide adoption of a software solution may not mean that it is the most appropriate, the most reliable or the most cost effective -- especially given the preponderance of sponsored links. The spatial analysis community needs to find a way through the software maze, and the ever wider use of search engines rarely seems to suggest a clearer route - and arguably it inserts more twists and turns into the decision process.

This workshop introduces our attempt at a comprehensive, authoritative and independent response to this challenge. Allied to the UK Spatial Literacy in Teaching programme (www.spatial-literacy.org) and the US Center for Spatially Integrated Social Sciences (CSISS: www.csiss.org), we have developed a free-of-charge web service (www.spatialanalysisonline.com/) and printed book that sets out to be accessible to the widest possible range of users. The result seeks to be more than a cookbook of algorithms and techniques, or an evaluation of competing software products. Rather we hope that it provides educators and researchers with linkage from key concepts and techniques of spatial analysis to examples created using appropriate and widely available software packages.

The workshop will review the range of formats, channels and releases that are being used to supplement our 414 page printed book - a copy of which will be supplied to each workshop participant. Our aim is not to tack a Website onto another printed book project but, rather, to use the on-line resource to drive the creation of content that serves clearly defined user needs. In short, we hope that we are creating an independent, reliable and authoritative source of practical advice and information, that avoids the pitfalls of generic Google-searching and the hype of software vendor promotional materials.

For more details, including the Contents and extracts from the printed document please see: www.spatialanalysisonline.com/. For details of the Spatial Literacy in Teaching initiative, please see www.spatial-literacy.org.