View source for Spatial Mathematics: Theory and Practice through Mapping

{{italic title}}
[[File:Spatial Mathematics.jpg|thumb|First edition]]
'''''Spatial Mathematics: Theory and Practice through Mapping''''' is a book on the mathematics that underlies [[geographic information system]]s and [[spatial analysis]]. It was written by [[Sandra Arlinghaus]] and [[Joseph Kerski]], and published in 2013 by the [[CRC Press]].
==Topics==
The book has 10 chapters, divided into two sections on [[geodesy]] and on techniques for [[information visualization|visualization]] of spatial data; each chapter has separate sections on theory and practice.{{r|mousavi}} For practical aspects of geographic information systems it uses [[ArcGIS]] as its example system.{{r|stein}}
In the first part of the book, Chapters 1 and 2 covers the [[geoid]], the [[geographic coordinate system]] of [[latitude]]s and [[longitude]]s, and the measurement of distance and location. Chapter 3 concerns [[data structure]]s for geographic information systems, data formatting based on [[raster graphics]] and [[vector graphics]], methods for [[buffer analysis]],{{r|lee}} and its uses in turning point and line data into area data. Later in the book, but fitting thematically into this part,{{r|mousavi|harris}} chapter 9 covers [[map projection]]s.{{r|lee}}
Moving from geodesy to visualization,{{r|mousavi}} chapters 4 and 5 concern the use of color and scale on maps. Chapter 6 concerns the types of data to be visualized, and the types of visualizations that can be made for them. Chapter 7 concerns spatial hierarchies and [[central place theory]], while chapter 8 covers the analysis of spatial distributions in terms of their [[covariance]]. Finally, chapter 10 covers network and non-Euclidean data.{{r|mousavi|lee}}
Additional material on the theoretical concepts behind the topics of the book is provided on a web site, accessed through [[QR code]]s included in the book.{{r|mousavi}}
==Audience and reception==
Reviewer reactions to the book were mixed. Several reviewers noted that, for a book with "mathematics" in its title, the book was surprisingly non-mathematical, with both Azadeh Mousavi and Paul Harris calling the title "misleading".{{r|mousavi|harris}} Harris complains that "the maths is treated quite lightly and superficially".{{r|harris}} Alfred Stein notes the almost total absence of mathematical equations,{{r|stein}} and Daniel Griffith similarly notes the lack of proof of its mathematical claims.{{r|griffith}}
Mousavi also writes that, although the book covers a broad selection of topics, it "suffers from lack of necessary depth" and that it is confusingly structured.{{r|mousavi}} Sang-Il Lee points to a lack of depth as the book's principal weakness.{{r|lee}} Stein notes that its reliance on a specific version of ArcGIS makes it difficult to reproduce its examples, especially for international users with different versions or for users of versions updated after its publication.{{r|stein}} Another weakness highlighted by Griffith is "its limited connection to the existing literature, with its citations far too often being only those works by its authors".{{r|griffith}} Harris sees a missed opportunity in the omission of spatial statistics, movement data, and spatio-temporal data, the design of spatial data structures, and advanced techniques for visualizing geospatial data.{{r|harris}}
Nevertheless, Mousavi recommends this book as an "introductory text on spatial information science" aimed at practitioners, and commends its use of QR codes and [[word cloud]]s.{{r|mousavi}} Stein praises the book's attempt to bridge mathematics and geography, and its potential use as a first step towards that bridge for practitioners.{{r|stein}} Harris suggests it "in an introductory and applied context", and in combination with a more conventional textbook on geographic information systems. Lee argues that the overview of fundamental concepts and cross-disciplinary connections forged by the book make it "worth reading by anyone interested in the geospatial sciences".{{r|lee}} And Griffith concludes that the book is successful in motivating its readers to "explore formal mathematical subject matter that
interfaces with geography".{{r|griffith}}
==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=griffith>{{citation
| last = Griffith | first = Daniel A.
| date = April 2014
| doi = 10.1080/2325548x.2014.901863 | doi-access = free
| issue = 2
| journal = The AAG Review of Books
| pages = 65–67
| title = Review of ''Spatial Mathematics''
| volume = 2}}</ref>
<ref name=harris>{{citation
| last = Harris | first = Paul
| date = July 2016
| doi = 10.1177/0265813515621423
| issue = 5
| journal = Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design
| pages = 963–964
| s2cid = 63886416
| title = Review of ''Spatial Mathematics''
| volume = 43}}</ref>
<ref name=lee>{{citation
| last = Lee | first = Sang-Il
| date = September 2014
| doi = 10.1111/gean.12066
| issue = 4
| journal = Geographical Analysis
| pages = 456–458
| title = Review of ''Spatial Mathematics''
| volume = 46}}</ref>
<ref name=stein>{{citation
| last = Stein | first = Alfred
| bibcode = 2014IJAEO..33..342S
| date = December 2014
| doi = 10.1016/j.jag.2014.06.014
| journal = International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation
| page = 342
| title = Review of ''Spatial Mathematics''
| volume = 33}}</ref>
<ref name=mousavi>{{citation
| last = Mousavi | first = Azadeh
| date = December 2014
| doi = 10.5311/josis.2014.9.210 | doi-access = free
| issue = 9
| journal = Journal of Spatial Information Science
| title = Review of ''Spatial Mathematics''
| volume = 2014
| pages = 125–127
| url = https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/josis/vol2014/iss9/5/}}</ref>
}}
[[Category:Mathematics books]]
[[Category:Geography textbooks]]
[[Category:Spatial analysis]]
[[Category:2013 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:CRC Press books]]