Remote sensing and GIS are increasingly used as tools for monitoring and managing forests. Remotely sensed and GIS data are now the data sources of choice for capturing, documenting, and understanding forest disturbance and landscape pattern. Sitting astride the fields of ecology, forestry, and remote sensing/GIS, Understanding Forest Disturbanc

This book brings together a collection of invited interdisciplinary persp- tives on the recent topic of Object-based Image Analysis (OBIA). Its c- st tent is based on select papers from the 1 OBIA International Conference held in Salzburg in July 2006, and is enriched by several invited chapters. All submissions have passed through a blind peer-review process resulting in what we believe is a timely volume of the highest scientific, theoretical and technical standards. The concept of OBIA first gained widespread interest within the GIScience (Geographic Information Science) community circa 2000, with the advent of the first commercial software for what was then termed ‘obje- oriented image analysis’. However, it is widely agreed that OBIA builds on older segmentation, edge-detection and classification concepts that have been used in remote sensing image analysis for several decades. Nevert- less, its emergence has provided a new critical bridge to spatial concepts applied in multiscale landscape analysis, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the synergy between image-objects and their radiometric char- teristics and analyses in Earth Observation data (EO).

Computers in Earth and Environmental Sciences: Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Technologies in Hazards and Risk Management addresses the need for a comprehensive book that focuses on multi-hazard assessments, natural and manmade hazards, and risk management using new methods and technologies that employ GIS, artificial intelligence, spatial modeling, machine learning tools and meta-heuristic techniques. The book is clearly organized into four parts that cover natural hazards, environmental hazards, advanced tools and technologies in risk management, and future challenges in computer applications to hazards and risk management. Researchers and professionals in Earth and Environmental Science who require the latest technologies and advances in hazards, remote sensing, geosciences, spatial modeling and machine learning will find this book to be an invaluable source of information on the latest tools and technologies available. Covers advanced tools and technologies in risk management of hazards in both the Earth and Environmental Sciences Details the benefits and applications of various technologies to assist researchers in choosing the most appropriate techniques for purpose Expansively covers specific future challenges in the use of computers in Earth and Environmental Science Includes case studies that detail the applications of the discussed technologies down to individual hazards

What is a natural forest disturbance? How well do we understand natural forest disturbances and how might we emulate them in forest management? What role does emulation play in forest management? Representing a range of geographic perspectives from across Canada and the United States, this book looks at the escalating public debate on the viability of natural disturbance emulation for sustaining forest landscapes from the perspective of policymakers, forestry professionals, academics, and conservationists. This book provides a scientific foundation for justifying the use of and a solid framework for examining the ambiguities inherent in emulating natural forest landscape disturbance. It acknowledges the divergent expectations that practitioners face and offers a balanced view of the promises and challenges associated with applying this emerging forest management paradigm. The first section examines foundational concepts, addressing questions of what emulation involves and what ecological reasoning substantiates it. These include a broad overview, a detailed review of emerging forest management paradigms and their global context, and an examination of the ecological premise for emulating natural disturbance. This section also explores the current understanding of natural disturbance regimes, including the two most prevalent in North America: fire and insects. The second section uses case studies from a wide geographical range to address the characterization of natural disturbances and the development of applied templates for their emulation through forest management. The emphasis on fire regimes in this section reflects the greater focus that has traditionally been placed on understanding and managing fire, compared with other forms of disturbance, and utilizes several viewpoints to address the lessons learned from historical disturbance patterns. Reflecting on current thinking in the field, immediate challenges, and potential directions, the final section moves deeper into the issues of practical applications by exploring the expectations for and feasibility of emulating natural disturbance through forest management.

This book is an intellectuaJ discourse and a concise compendium of current research in Architecture and Urbanism. Primarily, it is a book of readings of 24 chapters. The book brings together theories, manifestos and methodologies on contemporary architecture and urbanism to raise the understanding tor the futu re of architectur and urban planning. Ovcrall, the book aimed to establislı a bıidge between theory and practice in the built environment. Thus. it reports on the lalesi research fındings and innovative approaches. methodologies for creating, assessing. and understanding of contemporary built environment.

This book is dedicated to global perspectives on sustainable forest management. It focuses on a need to move away from purely protective management of forests to innovative approaches for multiple use and management of forest resources. The book is divided into two sections; the first section, with thirteen chapters deals with the forest management aspects while the second section, with five chapters is dedicated to forest utilization. This book will fill the existing gaps in the knowledge about emerging perspectives on sustainable forest management. It will be an interesting and helpful resource to managers, specialists and students in the field of forestry and natural resources management.

Forest conservation has become one of the most important environmental issues currently facing humanity, as a result of widespread deforestation and forest degradation. Pressures on remaining natural forests continue to intensify, leading to high rates of biodiversity loss. Understanding how human activities influence ecological processes within forests is essential for developing effective conservation action. This book describes research methods and techniques relevant to understanding forest ecology, with a particular focus on those that are relevant to practical conservation and sustainable forest management. This information is currently disparate and difficult to locate and, as with other books in this series, the intention is to provide a comprehensive synthesis for use by graduate students, researchers and practising conservationists. Methods are presented for assessing forest extent and condition, structure and composition, and forest dynamics at a variety of scales. Techniques for assessing genetic variation and reproductive ecology, and for evaluating the habitat value of forests are also described. Particular emphasis is given to state-of-the-art techniques such as remote sensing, GIS, computer modelling and molecular markers. However, traditional methods of forest mensuration and ecological survey are also presented. The methods and techniques described are generally applicable to all forest types, including both temperate and tropical forest ecosystems.

This title meets a great demand for training in spatial analysis tools accessible to a wide audience. Landscape ecology continues to grow as an exciting discipline with much to offer for solving pressing and emerging problems in environmental science. Much of the strength of landscape ecology lies in its ability to address challenges over large areas, over spatial and temporal scales at which decision-making often occurs. As the world tackles issues related to sustainability and global change, the need for this broad perspective has only increased. Furthermore, spatial data and spatial analysis (core methods in landscape ecology) are critical for analyzing land-cover changes world-wide. While spatial dynamics have long been fundamental to terrestrial conservation strategies, land management and reserve design, mapping and spatial themes are increasingly recognized as important for ecosystem management in aquatic, coastal and marine systems. This second edition is purposefully more applied and international in its examples, approaches, perspectives and contributors. It includes new advances in quantifying landscape structure and connectivity (such as graph theory), as well as labs that incorporate the latest scientific understanding of ecosystem services, resilience, social-ecological landscapes, and even seascapes. Of course, as before, the exercises emphasize easy-to-use, widely available software. http://sarahgergel.net/lel/learning-landscape-ecology/​

International Journal of Advanced Remote Sensing and GIS (IJARSG, ISSN 2320 – 0243) is an open-access peer-reviewed scholarly journal publishes original research papers, reviews, case study, case reports, and methodology articles in all aspects of Remote Sensing and GIS including associated fields. This Journal commits to working for quality and transparency in its publishing by following standard Publication Ethics and Policies.