Open source GIS based strategies for firms: a spatial analysis application to the inland terminal of Livorno

The paper explores the use of open source geographic information system (GIS) applied to firms. Most data available in a company have a spatial dimension and even decisions in marketing and management often have a spatial dimension. The paper is focus on illustrating the variegated opportunities for an open source GIS based strategy for firms. We argue that open source GIS are today as good as its proprietary competitors, and under certain circumstances, they are a superior alternative to their proprietary counterparts. A GIS based strategy for firms, as any other new application of geographical knowledge, it is a prospect of a new area for geography studies. This paper can be considered an initial essay on the role that geographers can play in spatial analysis applied to business strategy. The application is an example of applied geography supporting firm strategies and it has the purpose to identify spatial customer potentials for a specific infrastructure, the inland terminal of Guasticce (Italy).spatial analysis, open source, Geographic Information System (GIS), geography, inland port

TECHNIQUES AND METHODS OF GIS FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The paper presents some techniques and methods of geographic informatics systems, adapted and applied to the regional development applications. The characteristics of spatial databases, as they are required for regional applications are presented in the first part of the paper. Methods of displaying spatial data are compared and GIS procedures are described. The main techniques available in the GIS and useful for regional data visualization are exemplified. It is presented a case study that illustrates the use of GIS for analyzing the concentration of economic activities, based on employment datasets, for various branches in Romania’s counties.regional development, GIS, regional data visualization, cartogram, spatial analysis.

GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS USED IN BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

Communities are constantly in competition with one another to attract businesses. New and better ways to market a community constantly go through experimentation. One tool that has come to the forefront is the use of a geographic information system (GIS). Lately, more and more communities are adopting this tool for land use planning and for economic development planning. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are used for inputting, storing, managing, analyzing and mapping spatial data. This article consider the role of each function that a GIS can play in economics: map economic data with a spatial component; generate additional spatial data as inputs to statistical analysis; calculate distances between features of interest;define neighborhoods around objects;introducing new data.Geographical Information Systems map, asset management, suitability analysis

The combination of spatial access methods and computational geometry in geographic database systems

Geographic database systems, known as geographic information systems (GISs) particularly among non-computer scientists, are one of the most important applications of the very active research area named spatial database systems. Consequently following the database approach, a GIS hag to be seamless, i.e. store the complete area of interest (e.g. the whole world) in one database map. For exhibiting acceptable performance a seamless GIS hag to use spatial access methods. Due to the complexity of query and analysis operations on geographic objects, state-of-the-art computational geomeny concepts have to be used in implementing these operations. In this paper, we present GIS operations based on the compuational geomeny technique plane sweep. Specifically, we show how the two ingredients spatial access methods and computational geomeny concepts can be combined für improving the performance of GIS operations. The fruitfulness of this combination is based on the fact that spatial access methods efficiently provide the data at the time when computational geomeny algorithms need it für processing. Additionally, this combination avoids page faults and facilitates the parallelization of the algorithms.

Design, Implementation, and Evaulation of GIS-Based Learning Materials in an Introductory Geoscience Course

Little is known about how well GIS-based learning lives up to its potential for improving students' skills in problem solving, analysis, and spatial visualization. This article describes a study in which researchers determined ways to quantify student learning that occurred with a GIS-based module on plate tectonics and geologic hazards, and to improve the materials design with the use of classroom observations and field testing. The study found that student difficulties in working with GIS-based activities can be overcome by making some features of the GIS transparent to the user, that a lack of basic geography skills can interfere in the progression of a GIS-based activity, and that some conceptual difficulties can be overcome by providing guiding questions that help students interrogate visual data. In addition, it was noted that some misconceptions in interpretation of two-dimensional maps and three-dimensional block diagrams can persist even after direct instruction. In general, a positive correlation was noted between spatial thinking and GIS-based learning. Educational levels: Graduate or professional

A Framework for Research on Spatial Analysis Relevant to Geo-Statistical Informations Systems in Europe

The paper emphasises the importance of a research programme focused on developing and making widely available GIS relevant spatial analysis technology. It outlines generic criteria able to discriminate between GIS-relevant and GIS-irrelevant spatial analysis tools and outlines a list of six researchable spatial analysis themes. It is argued that presently there is an opportunity to develop a EU based spatial analysis research programme and then install the technology in the World's GIS. (authors' abstract)Series: Discussion Papers of the Institute for Economic Geography and GIScienc

Geographic Information Systems, Spatial Data Analysis and Spatial Modelling. - Problems and Possibilities -

This article is the position paper for the ESF-GISDATA Specialist Meeting on GIS & Spatial Analysis, Amsterdam, 1-5December1993. The focus here is on the two major themes of the meeting: Spatial Data Analysis and Spatial Modelling. Special emphasis is laid on specific problems and possibilities for interfacing spatial analysis tools (i.e. spatial data analysis techniques and spatial models) and GIS. Both GIS application fields, the environmental sciences and the social sciences, are taken into consideration. (authors' abstract)Series: Discussion Papers of the Institute for Economic Geography and GIScienc

The mathematical approach for proximity analysis for 3D GIS

Next generation of GIS software would highly depend on 3D analysis in solving geographic problems. 3D analysis is a very important component for GIS as it defines as decision making tools for geographic features. One would like to query about geographic object from numerical calculation or propose optimum solutions for GIS applications. Such desired components in future software or system are to deal with the 3D analytical solutions. This paper presents a portion of the problems, which are 3D solid buffering for 3D GIS. This analytical solution is very important for 3D spatial analysis. The discussion related to the implementation of buffering model for solid object is the main concern in the research, where the primitive objects of point, line, and face will be taken in consideration for the development of 3D solid bufferin

Making maps in Powerpoint and Word : why do regional scientists not map their results?

Cartography has commonly been used in regional science and Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis is regularly applied to visualise the distribution of the variable of interest in space. Articles often contain several maps of administrative areas showing the values of a certain variable. However, and despite the benefits of such maps, they are nothing more than spatial catalogues of data. Their usefulness for regional scientist is beyond questioning, but the communicative value is limited. The rise of GIS has rightly been welcomed by many scientists, however, critical cartographers often pose the question if ‘GIS has killed cartography?’. Moreover, this discussion about maps in regional science can be more than a trivial item since it can reveal the fear of scientists to draw a conclusion. The chorematics approach, as developed by Brunet, considers maps as ‘vitrines’, and not as catalogues. In this paper we show that such an approach can enrich regional science by delivering a methodology to visualise spatial structures and dynamics using geometric figures. Finally, we argue that powerpoint and word are better cartographic tools than common GIS packages