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Environmental data handling
Photogrammetria, 32 (1976) 157--159 ©Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands
Book Reviews
Environmental Data Handling. G.B. Heaslip. Wiley, Chichester, 1975, 203 pp. £ 12.25 Environmental Data Handling is part of the Wiley-Interscience Series of texts and monographs q~ealing with environmental science and technology. The book, as suggested on the flyleaf, provides an introduction to how environmental data are recorded, processed and displayed. The author suggests that the book is oriented to readers who lack a strong background in test or remote sensor data handling, but who require familiarity concerning the basic utilization of test data formats and modern data analysis techniques. The reviewer notes t h a t the book might also serve as a reference text in introductory remote sensing courses, or as a survey tool for planners or environmentalists who desire an introduction to the problems of remote sensing data handling. The book's table of contents reflects the difficulty of addressing so comprehensive and complex a subject in two hundred pages. The book is divided into 15 chapters including an introduction to transducers and remote sensors, and an overview of satellite and aircraft remote sensing, earth resources data handling and techniques of remote sensor data processing. Some chapters address broad background data including computer number systems and a description of magnetic data tape recorders. The book contains a brief, but useful, glossary of environmental and test data handling terminology and an equally abbreviated, but somewhat less effective, index. The list of references is incomplete and totally inadequate for those who, having been given an introduction to the field, wish to explore the subject matter more deeply. The book suffers most from disjointed chapters that appear to result from too brief a treatment of a large and complicated field. There is no mention of important active sensors such as side-looking radar or sonar-type sensors. In several places, remarks e.g., concerning the accuracy of crop species identification, are made w i t h o u t reference. The author uncritically discusses methods and approaches w i t h o u t noting limitations for the unwary reader. The chapter dealing with computer number systems might better have been appendicized. In general, the book contains an introductory, but effective, overview of environmental data handling and includes a discussion of the types of input data available, c o m m o n analog and digital operations which can be applied to that data, and a listing of c o m m o n o u t p u t data formats. It is regrettable the diagram which describes these subjects does n o t appear in an early chapter, and t h a t it was n o t used as a basis for organizing the text.
158
Environmental Data Handling is a survey of a large technical field with useful and general information: however, it lacks critical analysis and references that could have added greatly to its value. The b o o k may serve to introduce non-technical personnel to environmental data handling, b u t the cursory reader should be aware that a large b o d y of substantive technical data and reference material is absent. The author suggests that the reader who masters the fundamentals of the b o o k will acquire sufficient knowledge of those factors that are prerequisite to the effective user of spaceborne, airborne, and ground-acquired survey data. The reviewer doubts that any text could adequately achieve such an ambitious goal. One of the most puzzling aspects of the b o o k is that, despite introductory citations, the audience which the b o o k is intended to serve remains unclear following multiple readings. While the author has made the effort to assemble information from a diverse and complex field, he has barely succeeded in capturing the technical basis for the field. This is not so much the fault of the author, or the editors, b u t rather the nature and complexity of the subject matter which has been examined in t o o general and abbreviated a form. F.J. WOBBER (Gaithersburg, Md.)
Kartographie, II. G. Hake. W. de Gruyter, Berlin, 1976, 2. Aufl., 306 S., 112 Abb., 10 Anlagen, DM 19.80. Nach der Neuauflage von Kartographie I (Phia 31/1975) liegt nun auch Kartographie II -- und damit die Gesamtdarstellung -- in neuer, iiberarbeiteter F o r m vor. V o n der Gliederung her sind in dieser Neuauflage des zweiten Biindchens ausser der Hinzunahme eines Abschnitts " A u t o m a t i o n in der Kartographie" wenige Anderungen gegeniiber der friiheren Ausgabe festzustellen. Inhaltlich ist jedoch bei allen Kapiteln eine intensive i~lberarbeitung erfolgt, so dass auch dieser Teil nunmehr roll dem neuesten Stand entspricht. Durch das grSssere F o r m a t des Buches war auch hiiufig eine textliche Erweiterung mSglich. Als Schwerpunkte des zweiten B~indchens sind schon vom Umfang her die Abschnitte "Thematische Karten" und "Kartentechnik" mit jeweils etwa 100 Seiten zu nennen. Auch dem Thema " A u t o m a t i o n in der Kartographie" ist ein verhiiltnism~issig umfangreicher Abschnitt gewidmet. Erg~inzend dazu sind die Abschnitte "Atlanten", "Kartenverwandte Darstellungen", "Kartenauswertung" und "i~Iberblick zur Geschichte der Kartographie" relativ knapp, aber ausreichend behandelt. A u f Grund des vorgegebenen Umfangs musste sich der Verfasser in allen Kapiteln auf das Wesentliche beschriinken. Dies ist fast durchweg gut gelungen, unterstiitzt durch eine klare Gliederung in Verbindung mit einer p r ~ i s e n
Book Reviews
Environmental Data Handling. G.B. Heaslip. Wiley, Chichester, 1975, 203 pp. £ 12.25 Environmental Data Handling is part of the Wiley-Interscience Series of texts and monographs q~ealing with environmental science and technology. The book, as suggested on the flyleaf, provides an introduction to how environmental data are recorded, processed and displayed. The author suggests that the book is oriented to readers who lack a strong background in test or remote sensor data handling, but who require familiarity concerning the basic utilization of test data formats and modern data analysis techniques. The reviewer notes t h a t the book might also serve as a reference text in introductory remote sensing courses, or as a survey tool for planners or environmentalists who desire an introduction to the problems of remote sensing data handling. The book's table of contents reflects the difficulty of addressing so comprehensive and complex a subject in two hundred pages. The book is divided into 15 chapters including an introduction to transducers and remote sensors, and an overview of satellite and aircraft remote sensing, earth resources data handling and techniques of remote sensor data processing. Some chapters address broad background data including computer number systems and a description of magnetic data tape recorders. The book contains a brief, but useful, glossary of environmental and test data handling terminology and an equally abbreviated, but somewhat less effective, index. The list of references is incomplete and totally inadequate for those who, having been given an introduction to the field, wish to explore the subject matter more deeply. The book suffers most from disjointed chapters that appear to result from too brief a treatment of a large and complicated field. There is no mention of important active sensors such as side-looking radar or sonar-type sensors. In several places, remarks e.g., concerning the accuracy of crop species identification, are made w i t h o u t reference. The author uncritically discusses methods and approaches w i t h o u t noting limitations for the unwary reader. The chapter dealing with computer number systems might better have been appendicized. In general, the book contains an introductory, but effective, overview of environmental data handling and includes a discussion of the types of input data available, c o m m o n analog and digital operations which can be applied to that data, and a listing of c o m m o n o u t p u t data formats. It is regrettable the diagram which describes these subjects does n o t appear in an early chapter, and t h a t it was n o t used as a basis for organizing the text.
158
Environmental Data Handling is a survey of a large technical field with useful and general information: however, it lacks critical analysis and references that could have added greatly to its value. The b o o k may serve to introduce non-technical personnel to environmental data handling, b u t the cursory reader should be aware that a large b o d y of substantive technical data and reference material is absent. The author suggests that the reader who masters the fundamentals of the b o o k will acquire sufficient knowledge of those factors that are prerequisite to the effective user of spaceborne, airborne, and ground-acquired survey data. The reviewer doubts that any text could adequately achieve such an ambitious goal. One of the most puzzling aspects of the b o o k is that, despite introductory citations, the audience which the b o o k is intended to serve remains unclear following multiple readings. While the author has made the effort to assemble information from a diverse and complex field, he has barely succeeded in capturing the technical basis for the field. This is not so much the fault of the author, or the editors, b u t rather the nature and complexity of the subject matter which has been examined in t o o general and abbreviated a form. F.J. WOBBER (Gaithersburg, Md.)
Kartographie, II. G. Hake. W. de Gruyter, Berlin, 1976, 2. Aufl., 306 S., 112 Abb., 10 Anlagen, DM 19.80. Nach der Neuauflage von Kartographie I (Phia 31/1975) liegt nun auch Kartographie II -- und damit die Gesamtdarstellung -- in neuer, iiberarbeiteter F o r m vor. V o n der Gliederung her sind in dieser Neuauflage des zweiten Biindchens ausser der Hinzunahme eines Abschnitts " A u t o m a t i o n in der Kartographie" wenige Anderungen gegeniiber der friiheren Ausgabe festzustellen. Inhaltlich ist jedoch bei allen Kapiteln eine intensive i~lberarbeitung erfolgt, so dass auch dieser Teil nunmehr roll dem neuesten Stand entspricht. Durch das grSssere F o r m a t des Buches war auch hiiufig eine textliche Erweiterung mSglich. Als Schwerpunkte des zweiten B~indchens sind schon vom Umfang her die Abschnitte "Thematische Karten" und "Kartentechnik" mit jeweils etwa 100 Seiten zu nennen. Auch dem Thema " A u t o m a t i o n in der Kartographie" ist ein verhiiltnism~issig umfangreicher Abschnitt gewidmet. Erg~inzend dazu sind die Abschnitte "Atlanten", "Kartenverwandte Darstellungen", "Kartenauswertung" und "i~Iberblick zur Geschichte der Kartographie" relativ knapp, aber ausreichend behandelt. A u f Grund des vorgegebenen Umfangs musste sich der Verfasser in allen Kapiteln auf das Wesentliche beschriinken. Dies ist fast durchweg gut gelungen, unterstiitzt durch eine klare Gliederung in Verbindung mit einer p r ~ i s e n