"Geographic Information Systems are essential technologies for natural resource management. Geographic Information Systems: Applications in Natural Resource Management is a comprehensive guide and introduces the GIS tools, techniques, and principles necessary for GIS professionals throughout the world." "Part one provides an overview of the field, from its historical development and basic principles to some common pitfalls and how to avoid them. Part two explains in detail the essential GIS operations (querying, buffering, clipping, overlay analysis, etc.). Finally, part three discusses current trends and future challenges. Every chapter includes extensive application questions, and throughout the book 'In Depth' feature boxes encourage readers to delve deeper into key issues and advanced techniques. A companion website provides sets of GIS data that readers can use to practice the techniques they have learned."--BOOK JACKET.