ABSTRACT
The first edition of this book concentrated on remote sensing from satellite imagery. This is an important tool, but it is only a small part of the rapidly expanding application of geographical information systems. This chapter describes the growth of GIS and explains the technology of gathering data and of analysing its distributional meanings. This is a hugely innovative technique, driven on by a combination of technological uplift and greater demands for more sophisticated displays of vital data. Arguably, no practising environmental scientist should be without this tool, so the websites and valuable introduction to the methodology that follows will act as a practicable enticement.
