Mapping Human and Natural Systems


Book Description

Mapping Human and Natural Systems covers our increasingly digital world - internet communications, cloud computing, etc., and how our ability to quickly and visually communicate is becoming increasingly important. The book provides the reader with a ready reference to learn about map creation and interpretation and to help them better interact with, and construct, maps. There are several software systems available that focus on maps and mapping, but no single resource that covers the fundamentals of mapping. This book fills that need. - Presents unique reflections, diversions, inspections and translations to encourage critical thinking skills - Includes a companion site to enhance the reflections, diversions, inspections and translations with additional resources - Provides examples and discussions from seasoned natural resource professionals with over 80 years of combined professional experience




Mapping Ecosystem Services


Book Description

"The new book Mapping Ecosystem Services provides a comprehensive collection of theories, methods and practical applications of ecosystem services (ES) mapping, for the first time bringing together valuable knowledge and techniques from leading international experts in the field." (www.eurekalert.org).




Mapping and Sequencing the Human Genome


Book Description

There is growing enthusiasm in the scientific community about the prospect of mapping and sequencing the human genome, a monumental project that will have far-reaching consequences for medicine, biology, technology, and other fields. But how will such an effort be organized and funded? How will we develop the new technologies that are needed? What new legal, social, and ethical questions will be raised? Mapping and Sequencing the Human Genome is a blueprint for this proposed project. The authors offer a highly readable explanation of the technical aspects of genetic mapping and sequencing, and they recommend specific interim and long-range research goals, organizational strategies, and funding levels. They also outline some of the legal and social questions that might arise and urge their early consideration by policymakers.




Geographic Information System Skills for Foresters and Natural Resource Managers


Book Description

Geographic Information System Skills for Foresters and Natural Resource Managers provides a resource for developing knowledge and skills concerning GIS as it applies to forestry and natural resource management. This book helps readers understand how GIS can effectively be used by professional foresters and land managers to conduct spatial analyses or address management decisions. Through topics presented, readers will improve their ability to understand GIS data sources, identify GIS data types and quality, perform common spatial analysis processes, create GIS data, produce maps, and ultimately develop the skills necessary to use GIS analysis to answer real-world questions. This book will be of great benefit to GIS users looking to directly apply techniques to real-world data or foresters and natural resource scientists who use GIS in their research. - Presents unique reflections, diversions, inspections and translations within the text to encourage readers' critical thinking skills - Includes a companion website to enhance the reflections, diversions, inspections and translations with additional resources - Designed with examples, discussions and case studies from seasoned natural resource professionals with decades of combined professional experience




Coastal Management Revisited


Book Description

The book presents an overview and historic perspectives of a novel scientific field coming of age today: coastal and ocean management. It covers diverse and changing issues, ranging from conflict resolution to governance and ethical-political imperatives, natural disasters and climate change, culminating in coastal and ocean typologies, the basis for a future theory of coasts and oceans. Eighteen chapters, written by two main authors in cooperation with international experts, review 25 years of research. The authors address challenges to society related to global change issues that have been generated by human activity in both temperate (Sweden, Germany and the United States) and tropical regions (Brazil, Indonesia). Ultimately, the book documents the maturation of a field and responds to changing societal needs and scientific outlooks. It gathers recent analyses along with important earlier research, with a foreword by Biliana Cicin-Sain and Richard Delaney, globally renowned as coastal and ocean experts in theory and practice. Its broad approach makes the book a must-read for graduate and postgraduate students, as well as coastal management and marine spatial planning practitioners, and for researchers in the fields of geography, anthropology, history of science, human and social ecology, and environmental and development studies.




Mapping Nature across the Americas


Book Description

Maps are inherently unnatural. Projecting three-dimensional realities onto two-dimensional surfaces, they are abstractions that capture someone’s idea of what matters within a particular place; they require selections and omissions. These very characteristics, however, give maps their importance for understanding how humans have interacted with the natural world, and give historical maps, especially, the power to provide rich insights into the relationship between humans and nature over time. That is just what is achieved in Mapping Nature across the Americas. Illustrated throughout, the essays in this book argue for greater analysis of historical maps in the field of environmental history, and for greater attention within the field of the history of cartography to the cultural constructions of nature contained within maps. This volume thus provides the first in-depth and interdisciplinary investigation of the relationship between maps and environmental knowledge in the Americas—including, for example, stories of indigenous cartography in Mexico, the allegorical presence of palm trees in maps of Argentina, the systemic mapping of US forests, and the scientific platting of Canada’s remote lands.




Advances in Natural, Human-Made, and Coupled Human-Natural Systems Research


Book Description

This book is a unique collection of advanced research on natural, human-made, and coupled human–natural systems. The contributors analyze the current state of knowledge, address methodological challenges, and explore engaging cases. The chapters demonstrate the balanced disciplinary strength and discuss interdisciplinary perspectives. The authors undertake a holistic and spatially integrative analysis to understand the sustainability of environmental, economic, and social systems, emphasizing the coupled nature of such systems. In particular, the chapters explore biodiversity conservation and natural resources, the sustainability of natural and human-altered ecosystems, sustainability–vulnerability issues in coupled human–natural systems, mechanisms to foster sustainable environmental practices, eventually accumulating sustainability research and practice in various fields. More than that, the challenges of educational and economic systems are studied closely. The authors rely on unique data, develop regional and local knowledge, and explore global trends at local scales. A separate focus is devoted to human health and well-being. The book has seven sections: (1) Advances in Natural and Coupled Human–Natural Systems Research; (2) Economic Systems in the Age of Digital Changes and Unstable Environments; (3) Sustainable Social Systems, Migration Flows, and Social Cohesion; (4) Taking Action for Greater Security and Effective Partnerships for Sustainable Development; (5) Systemic Challenges and Changes in Education Systems in Russia and Around the Globe; (6) Advances in Cultural Traditions and Innovation, Development Barriers, and Social Stability; (7) Human Health and Well-being: Taking Action for Sustainable Development. Written by scholars and practitioners from multiple fields of knowledge, the book is designed for a broader audience interested in the following research areas: systems research and thinking, sustainability research and thinking, system dynamics, management of complexity, decision analysis, organization theory, governance, natural resources, environmental studies, economic development, social policies, cleaner production, innovation, cultural studies, and sustainable practices.




Mapping Environmental Sustainability


Book Description

Environmental sustainability involves the interaction of a number of complex adaptive systems that rely on an understanding of human relationships and perspectives that are widely contested. Mapping Environmental Sustainability explains how visual mapping techniques, based on systems concepts and theories, can be used to facilitate, explore, and capture the different understandings of the relationships, perspectives, and boundaries involved in environmental sustainability to obtain a more complete comprehension of the concept and develop plans for action. Built on practical case studies that are used in conjunction with clear explanations of visual mapping techniques and theories, the book offers a practical guide for people working in or studying the field.




Building Resilience of Human-Natural Systems of Pastoralism in the Developing World


Book Description

This edited volume summarizes information about the situational context, threats, problems, challenges and solutions for sustainable pastoralism at a global scale. The book has four goals. The first goal is to summarize the information about the history, distribution and patterns of pastoralism and to identify the importance of pastoralism from social, economic and environmental perspectives. The results of an empirical investigation of the environmental and socio-economic implications of pastoralism in representative pastoral regions in the world are also incorporated. The second goal is to argue that breaking coupled human-natural systems of pastoralism leads to degradation of pastoral ecosystems and to create an analysis framework to assess the vulnerability of worldwide pastoralism. Our analysis framework provides approaches to help comprehensively understand the transitions and the impacts of human-natural systems in the pastoral regions in the world. The third goal is to identify the successful models in promoting coupled human-natural systems of pastoralism, and to learn lessons of breaking coupled human-cultural pastoralism systems through examining the representative cases in regions including Central Asia, Southern and Eastern Asia, Northern and Eastern Africa, the European Alps and South America. The fourth goal is to identify the strategies to build the resilience of the coupled human-natural systems of pastoralism worldwide. We hope that our book can facilitate the further examination of sustainable development of coupled human-natural systems of pastoralism by providing the summaries of existing data and information related to the pastoralism development, and by offering a framework for better understanding and analysis of their social, economic and environmental implications.




Drones as Cyber-Physical Systems


Book Description

This book introduces the concept of using drones as a teaching tool to explore the fundamental principles, technology and applications of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). A short introduction sets CPS in the context of the 4th industrial revolution, and describes various CPS technologies including self-driving cars, commercial intelligent drones and mobile robots, in which artificial intelligence routinely supports smarter decision-making. The core of the book then focuses on commercially available drones, the only available system offering the advantage of cyber-physical bridging through 3D autonomous dynamic flying in classroom conditions. Chapters describe drone technology, including location sensors and imaging systems. CPS theory is explained through typical drone flying procedures and do-it-yourself (DIY) aerial photography in which communication between sensors, actuators and controllers occurs through cyber-physical bi-directional bridging. This book opens new possibilities in fostering 4th industrial revolution literacy, introducing relevant examples from readily available equipment, making core elements of cyber-physical bridging accessible. It is aimed primarily at those students who have an interest in CPS, drones and those from disciplines that are concerned with spatial information.