GIS BASICS

This textbook provides undergraduates with an introduction to supporting concepts in computer science, making much of the GIS literature much more accessible. Based upon a series of articles that explained how computer science fundamentals apply to GIS, the text begins by considering the data structures and algorithms used to handle vector data. It then explores the way in which efficiency is addressed in practice, and describes the data structures and algorithms used for raster data. The text continues by discussing how large spatial databases can be indexed so that individual features can be accessed efficiently. The final chapters investigate geographical phenomena which can be modeled using both vector and raster, and compares the algorithms which are used in each case.