Topological Data Structures for Surfaces: An Introduction to Geographical Information Science

In Geography and GIS, surfaces can be analysed and visualisedthrough various data structures, and topological data structuresdescribe surfaces in the form of a relationship between certainsurface-specific features. Drawn from many disciplines with astrong applied aspect, this is a research-led, interdisciplinaryapproach to the creation, analysis and visualisation of surfaces, focussing on topological data structures.

Topological Data Structures for Surfaces: an introduction forGeographical Information Science describes the concepts andapplications of these data structures. The book focuses on howthese data structures can be used to analyse and visualise surfacedatasets from a range of disciplines such as human geography, computer graphics, metrology, and physical geography. Divided intotwo Parts, Part I defines the topological surface data structuresand explains the various automated methods used for theirgeneration. Part II demonstrates a number of applications ofsurface networks in diverse fields, ranging from sub-atomicparticle collision visualisation to the study of population densitypatterns. To ensure that the material is accessible, each Part isprefaced by an overview of the techniques and application.

• Provides GI scientists and geographers with an accessibleoverview of current surface topology research.
• Algorithms are presented and explained with practical examplesof their usage.
• Features an accompanying website developed by the Editor -http: //geog.le.ac.uk/sanjayrana/surface-networks/

This book is invaluable for researchers and postgraduatestudents working in departments of GI Science, Geography andComputer Science. It also constitutes key reference material forMasters students working on surface analysis projects as part of aGI Science or Computer Science programme.