Network Analysis in Geography

Network data structures were one of the earliest representations in geographic information systems, and network analysis remains one of the most significant and persistent research areas in geographic information science. This book will describe the theoretical basis for network data structures and review several major types of network data structures as they have historically been implemented in GIS. This is followed by a concise but comprehensive review of the current capabilities for network analysis in GIS, and the consequent deficiencies in GIS implementations of networks. A set of challenges is suggested for network analysis in GIS, through increased implementation of existing network theory, through expansion of existing theory and practice in the areas of network design and location, and through interactions with a wide variety of other disciplines. Network analysis in GIS rests firmly on the theoretical foundation of the mathematical subdisciplines of graph theory and topology. Any graph or network consists of a set of vertices and the edges that connect them. Some elements of graph theory are not concerned with the cartographic characteristics of the features that comprise a network but, rather, with the topological attributes of those features. This book contains plenty of substance for scholars, but the writing has the verve and clarity to seize and entertain the general reader as well.