The American Surveyor

Ian Masser Explores the Development of Spatial Data Infrastructures in New Book from ESRI Press

Redlands, California-GIS Worlds: Creating Spatial Data Infrastructures, a new book from ESRI Press, provides an overview of the developments in spatial data infrastructures (SDIs) over the last 10 to 15 years. Author Ian Masser examines the development of SDIs for sharing geographic data in local, state, regional, national, and international agencies.

"The importance of SDI has grown as our capacity to handle large quantities of spatial information has increased exponentially over the last 20 years as a result of developments in GIS technology," said Masser. "At the same time, our power to access this information has been transformed by the development of the Internet and the World Wide Web."

Masser first became involved with SDIs as a computer literate urban planner with a human geography background in matters relating to GI policy and SDIs. This was during his time as the national coordinator of the UK Economic and Social Research Council’s Regional Research Laboratory (RRL) initiative in the late 1980s. He also served as founding chairman of the Association of Geographic Information Laboratories in Europe (AGILE) from 1998 to 1999 and was president of the European Umbrella Organization for Geographic Information (EUROGI) from 1999 to 2003. From 2002 to 2004, he served as president of the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association (GSDI).

GIS Worlds is structured around four themes: SDI diffusion, evolution, implementation, and institution building within a hierarchy of SDIs. Within these themes, Masser discusses key issues in SDI development including government policy options and strategies for SDI implementation. The book also explores the contributions SDIs are making in countries throughout the world. "More than half the countries in the world are currently involved in some form of SDI development," said Masser. "SDIs have considerable potential for improving the delivery of basic services such as health care and utilities, facilitating public planning and management activities, and promoting sustainable development."

Government decision makers at all levels, GIS professionals, and all those who want to learn more about the SDIs will find GIS Worlds a valuable resource for understanding the history, goals, and processes of this worldwide phenomenon. "This book is the product of a personal journey that has taken nearly twenty years," said Masser.

GIS Worlds: Creating Spatial Data Infrastructures (ISBN 1-58948-122-4, 336 pages, $49.95) is available at better bookstores and online retailers worldwide or can be purchased at www.esri.com/esripress or by calling 1-800-447-9778. From outside the United States, you may also contact your local ESRI distributor; see www.esri.com/international for a current distributor list. Distributed to the trade by Independent Publishers Group (Phone: 1-800-888-4741, Web: www.ipgbook.com).

About ESRI Press
ESRI Press publishes award-winning books about GIS applications, science, and technology. Books can be purchased directly from ESRI at 1-800-447-9778, online at www.esri.com/esripress, or at better bookstores worldwide. The complete selection of GIS titles from ESRI Press can be found on the Web at www.esri.com/esripress.

About ESRI
Founded in 1969, ESRI is the leading developer of GIS software with more than 300,000 clients worldwide. ESRI software is used in all 200 of the largest cities in the United States and in more than 60 percent of counties and municipalities nationwide. Headquartered in California, ESRI has regional offices throughout the United States, international distributors in more than 90 countries, and more than 1,700 business partners. ESRI’s goal is to develop comprehensive tools that enable users to efficiently manage, use, and serve geographic information to make a difference in the world around them. ESRI also provides consulting, implementation, and technical support services. ESRI can be found on the Web at www.esri.com.

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