Read more
Trustonlymovement. Life happens at the level of events not of words. Trust movement. A. Adler As its title suggests,the main goal of this book is the development of advanced fu- tions for field-based Temporal Geographical Information Systems (TGIS).These fields may describe a variety of natural, epidemiological, economical, and social phen- ena distributed across space and time.Within such a framework,the book makes an attempt to establish links between, (a) the currently conceived TGIS techniques, and (b) the Bayesian maximum entropy (BME) techniques of Modern Spatiotemporal G- statistics.This link could be vital for offering significant improvements in the advanced functions of TGIS analysis and modelling, as well as generating useful information in a variety of real-world decision making and planning situations. To achieve the above goals, the eight Chapters of the book are organized around four main themes: Concepts, mathematical tools, computer programs, and applications. In fact, the focus is mainly on the step-by-step implementation of the compu- tional BME approach and the extensive use of illustrative examples and real-world applications.Indeed,because of the applied character of the present book,no detailed theoretical explanations or mathematical derivations are included.Instead,the reader is referred to the earlier book by Christakos (Modern Spatiotemporal Geostatistics, Oxford Univ.Press,New York, N.Y., 2000) for a comprehensive presentation of these BME aspects.With this in mind, the chapter-by-chapter organization of the book is described next.
List of contents
1 A BME View to the New Realities of TGIS.- 1.1 Introducing a Temporal Geographical Information System (TGIS).- 1.2 Field-Based TGIS.- 1.3 TGIS Functions.- 1.4 Novel Contribution to TGIS.- 1.5 Concluding Remarks.- 2 Spatiotemporal Modelling.- 2.1 Spatiotemporal Continuum.- 2.2 The Random Field Model.- 2.3 The Role of Metaphors in TGIS.- 2.4 The Importance of Physical Geometry.- 2.5 Synopsis.- 3 Knowledge Bases Integration.- 3.1 Integrating Knowledge Bases (KB) into TGIS.- 3.2 General KB and the Associated Physical Constraints.- 3.3 Specificatory KB.- 3.4 Accommodating Knowledge Needs.- 4 Spatiotemporal Mapping.- 4.1 A Formulation of the Spatiotemporal Mapping Problem.- 4.2 Formal BME Analysis and Mapping.- 4.3 Other Mapping Techniques.- 4.4 Concluding Remarks.- 5 Interpretive BME.- 5.1 Interpretive Issues.- 5.2 An Epistemic Analysis of the BME Approach.- 5.3 Non-Bayesian Conditionalization.- 5.4 By Way of a Summary.- 6 The BME Toolbox In Action.- 6.1 The Fundamental KB Operators.- 6.2 Step-by-Step BME.- 6.3 Analytic and Synthetic Case-Studies.- 6.4 Quantifying the Mapping Efficiency of Soft Data.- 6.5 Numerical Investigations of Popular Techniques.- 6.6 Merging Maps with BME.- 6.7 Synopsis.- 7 The BME Computer Library.- 7.1 Computational BME Analysis and the BMEIib.- 7.2 Getting Started.- 7.3 The iolib Directory.- 7.4 The graphlib Directory.- 7.5 The modelslib Directory.- 7.6 The statlib Directory.- 7.7 The bmeprobalib Directory.- 7.8 The bmeintlib Directory.- 7.9 The bmehrlib Directory.- 7.10 Simulations.- 7.11 The genlib Directory.- 7.12 The mvnlib Directory.- 7.13 BMEIib Tutorials, Examples, and Tests.- 8 Scientific Hypothesis Testing, Explanation, and Decision Making.- 8.1 On Scientific Methodology.- 8.2 Hypothesis Testing.- 8.3 Scientific Explanation.- 8.4 Geographotemporal Decision Making.- 8.5 Prelude.- References.
Report
From the reviews:
"I did enjoy reading this book. The authors presented information in an easily readable style and a generally logical format. ... this book would provide a workable basis and valuable doorway to the world of advanced TGIS." (Kerryn Robinson, The Australian Geologist, Issue 126, 2003)
"This is an attractive production from Springer ... . there is a useful section of references and an index. Concepts are clearly and cleverly interwoven with practical examples. The diagrams support the text and are clear on their own account. The text seems clearly written and carefully prepared. An instructor looking for a fresh approach to teaching statistical modelling to students in a variety of disciplines might find this book a delightful choice!" (Sandra L. Arlinghaus, Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2002 k)
