This book provides practitioners with structured methods for transforming geospatial data into the useful information they need to solve some of the world's most pressing problems. It spotlights the importance of location for human experience in the everyday world and introduces spatial thinking as a foundation and the location mindset as a foundational perspective. The book starts by showing how geospatial analysis is part of a more general data-to-information refinement process that requires the right mindset, toolset, and skillset to achieve. The book then presents structured principles and practices to help geospatial analysts--whether in government or industry--improve their observational, analytical, and communication techniques. These techniques are part of an original framework for interpreting geospatial data and information: the Observe, Analyze, Communicate (OAC) Framework. The OAC framework helps practitioners at all levels break down the basic steps of their day-to-day practice and learn valuable tradecraft that they can employ during each step. You'll learn how to center location as a foundational perspective in everyday life; use unique geospatial observation, analysis, and communication techniques; and know how to account for the role of uncertainty in assessment and production processes -- including utilizing special techniques to effectively communicate levels of certainty and uncertainty to your audience.
You'll also understand how pairing visual information with precise locational information serves to anchor human attention and provides an antidote to the common problem of disorientation. The book reveals specific techniques and tradecraft that will greatly benefit all practitioners working with visual and locational information. One such tradecraft called Structured Geospatial Observation Techniques (SGOT) includes a technique called the Four Cornerstones that will allow you to structure your approach to visual data and extract more attribute and contextual data from your object of focus. Another technique reveals industry and government-gleaned tips and tricks to creating finished geospatial communications in paragraphs, products, and presentations.
Locations are widely available to laypeople and practitioners alike. Practitioners can collect locations from people who provide them during conversations and debriefings. People can extract locations from sensors that recently collected them during field research. One can collect geospatial locations in tabular datasets that can then be visualized in a GIS. This data can be improved through the application of additional attributes, which are the fields of data attributed to locations that provide context. Practitioners can also download locations from open data websites that offer the public municipal, legal, and public safety information. Employees can access locations by querying their organization’s systems for detailed reports of recent incidents. Photographs and videos from security cameras, cell phones, and digital cameras are widely available in various media. Indeed, everyone with computer or smartphone access can view and interact with publicly available mapping and imagery interfaces that allow users to hover over a location and click to access the corresponding geographic coordinates. These geo-enabled interfaces are universally available on the internet and even allow users to conduct rudimentary geospatial analysis.
Bringing together the authors' combined 30 years of experience with geospatial intelligence (GEOINT), this book is a must-have practical resource for students, faculty, and practitioners of geospatial endeavors at any level of experience, especially fields that use imagery and spatial analysis. It serves as a textbook for classroom beginners and as a go-to desktop reference for professionals in their day-to-day geospatial efforts.
Author(s): Aaron Jabbour, Renny Babiarz
Publisher: Artech House
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 251
Geospatial Data, Information, and Intelligence
Contents
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
1
Introduction to the Geospatial Mindset, Toolset, and Skill Set
1.1 The Case for Geospatial
1.1.1 Defining Geospatial and Related Terms
1.1.2 Delineating Geospatial Analysis: Spatial and Imagery
1.2 The Information Age
1.3 The Locational Data-to-Information Refinement Process
1.4 The Location Mindset
1.5 The Geospatial Toolset
1.6 The Geospatial Skill Set
1.7 Flourishing in the Information Age
References
2
The Location Mindset
2.1 Introduction to the Location Mindset
2.1.1 Prioritization
2.1.2 Collection
2.1.3 Transformation
2.1.4 Visualization
2.1.5 Locations Are Widely Available
2.1.6 Geospatial Locations Are Universal
2.1.7 Locations Can Be Highly Accurate
2.1.8 The Electronic Grid
2.1.9 Location Initiates Geospatial Observations and Analysis
2.2 Using Spatial and Geospatial Thinking
2.2.1 Spatial Thinking: Definition
2.2.2 Spatial and Geospatial Thinking in History
2.2.3 Spatial Thinking: Purpose and Practice
2.2.4 Geospatial Thinking: Definition
2.2.5 Geospatial Thinking: Purpose and Practice
2.2.6 Improving Spatial and Geospatial Thinking Through Reasoning
2.3 Conclusion
References
3
The Geospatial Toolset
3.1 Introduction to the Geospatial Toolset
3.2 Geospatial Data
3.2.1 Geospatial Data Background
3.2.2 Global Emphasis on Geospatial Data
3.2.3 Geospatial Data Categories
3.2.4 Geospatial Data: Embedded in Our Everyday
3.2.5 The Geospatial Data Setup
3.3 Geospatial Sensors
3.3.1 Machines: Remote Sensors
3.3.2 Machines: Direct Sensors
3.3.3 Human Collection of Location Data
3.4 Geospatial Systems
3.4.1 Geospatial Systems: A Recipe for Success
3.5 Geospatial Hardware
3.6 Geospatial Software
3.7 The Importance of People in the Geospatial Toolset
3.8 Conclusion
References
4
The Geospatial Skill Set: Observation Principles
4.1 Introduction to Geospatial Observations
4.2 Defining Geospatial Observations
4.3 Geospatial Observations: Purpose and
General Practice
4.4 Geospatial Observation Principles
4.4.1 Directed Observations: Collection Driven by Target Understanding
4.4.2 The Importance of Visualization
4.4.3 Optimizing Conditions: Focused Attention Improves Refinement
4.4.4 The Importance of Pairing Locations and Visualizations
4.4.5 Observational Uncertainty as a Default Position
4.4.6 Reference to Resolve
4.5 The Pitfalls of Visualization
4.5.1 Pitfalls of Geospatial Data: Imagery
4.5.2 Pitfalls of Geospatial Data on Maps
4.6 Conclusion
References
5
The Geospatial Skill Set: Observation Practices
5.1 Introduction to Geospatial Observation
Practices
5.2 SGOT
5.2.1 The Four Cornerstones for Observations
5.2.2 Slow Observations
5.2.3 Observational Perspective
5.2.4 Focal Point Control
5.2.5 Observational Reasoning
5.2.6 Observational Notations and Communications
5.2.7 Observation of Process Flows
5.2.8 Observable Keys
5.3 External Versus Internal Observations
5.4 Tradecraft Examples for Observation
5.4.1 Imagery-Based BAS
5.4.2 Geospatial Change Observation
5.5 Conclusion
References
6 The Geospatial Skill Set: Analysis Principles
6.1 Introduction to Geospatial Analysis Principles
6.2 Defining Geospatial Analysis
6.3 The Purpose of Geospatial Analysis
6.4 Foundational Principles of Geospatial Analysis
6.4.1 Identification
6.4.2 Relation
6.4.3 Context
6.4.4 Uncertainty
6.5 Geospatial Analytic Methodologies
6.5.1 Imagery Analysis
6.5.2 Spatial Analysis
6.6 Conclusion
References
7 The Skill Set: Geospatial Analysis Practices
7.1 Introduction to Geospatial Analysis Practices
7.2 Geospatial Analysis as a Profession: Imagery and Spatial Analysis Tradecraft
7.2.1 Imagery Analysis Tradecraft
7.2.2 Spatial Analysis Tradecraft
7.2.3 Merging Imagery and Spatial Analysis Tradecraft
7.3 SGATs
7.3.1 Find, Link, and Layer Locations
7.3.2 Analyzing Entities Using the Four Cornerstones
7.3.3 Analyzing for Relationships
7.3.4 Geospatial Analytic Reasoning
7.3.5 Analysis: Creating Observable Keys
7.3.6 Analysis for Geospatial Collection
7.3.7 Analytic Communications and Review
7.4 Conclusion
References
8 The Geospatial Skill Set: Communication Principles
8.1 Introduction to Geospatial Communications Principles
8.2 Defining Geospatial Communication
8.3 Purpose of a Geospatial Communication
8.4 Geospatial Communication Principles
8.4.1 Knowing One’s Audience and Purpose
8.4.2 Unfinished Versus Finished Geospatial Communications
8.4.3 Distillation of Communications
8.4.4 Communication Through Visualizations
8.4.5 Presentation
8.5 Foundations of a Finished Geospatial Communication
8.5.1 Location
8.5.2 Time
8.5.3 Entity
8.5.4 Sourcing
8.6 Conclusion
9 The Geospatial Skill Set: Communication Practices
9.1 Introduction to Geospatial Communications Practices
9.2 Structured Geospatial Communication Techniques
9.2.1 Distilling the Geospatial Communiction
9.2.2 Assessing the Audience
9.2.3 Writing
9.2.4 The Four Cornerstones for Geospatial Text
9.2.5 Graphics
9.2.6 Presentations
9.2.7 Communicating Uncertainty
9.2.8 Geospatial Confidence Communication
9.2.9 Building the Product
9.2.10 Multilayered Peer Review for Communication
9.3 Conclusion
References
10
Outlook
10.1 Geospatial Advancement
10.2 Visualizing the Next Geospatial Horizon
10.3 Location: A Central Feature of Our Future
About the Authors
Index
