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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=641204221-30122008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>Thanks to all who have responded so far. Keep it
coming. It is at the very least very breathtaking to here of all the
different ways people are using PostGIS.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=641204221-30122008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=641204221-30122008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>On the educational note, that is actually one of the
reasons we want to write a book. PostGIS seems like an ideal tool to
introduce students to a more or less unbiased view of spatial database analysis
and its rather disappointing that a lot of the education we see out there is
froth with ESRI centric training (not meaning to start an ESRI bashing war but
we feel education or at least grad/undergrad should be non-commercial
oriented). Well hopefully that is changing and it seems to
be.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=641204221-30122008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=641204221-30122008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>A section on Applications would be nice at least to provide
people some sort of breath of the possibilities I think.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=641204221-30122008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=641204221-30122008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>Thanks,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=641204221-30122008><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>Leo and Regina</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left>
<HR tabIndex=-1>
<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B>
postgis-users-bounces@postgis.refractions.net
[mailto:postgis-users-bounces@postgis.refractions.net] <B>On Behalf Of
</B>Chetan Tiwari<BR><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, December 30, 2008 3:06
PM<BR><B>To:</B> PostGIS Users Discussion<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [postgis-users]
The Old Who is using PostGIS survey again?<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>It would be nice to have an introductory book - it can be something I
could use in some of the classes I teach. Are you planning to have a section on
'Applications'? Looking at some of the diverse examples of how people use
PostGIS, maybe people on this list (and others) can contribute towards a chapter
or so.<BR><BR>To answer your questions: <BR><BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(204,204,204) 1px solid">1)
How you use PostGIS?</BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR>We use it extensively in a web-based environmental health surveillance
system. We've embedded kernel density estimation methods and some environmental
models in a PostGIS-based system that allows users, who may not be experts in
GIS and spatial analysis (say public health officials), to create and analyze
spatial patterns of disease outcomes, measure exposures to environmental
contaminants, and visualize some of these data using technologies like Google
Earth. <BR><BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(204,204,204) 1px solid"><BR>2)
What you find useful about it over anything else?</BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR>Ability to efficiently handle large datasets. Ability to create a
user-friendly interface where complex analysis tasks are embedded within
web-based, automated routines. Ties in well with other WebGIS infrastructure.
<BR><BR></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(204,204,204) 1px solid"><BR>3)
Why you think there should be any book written focused on its use and
of<BR>course if such a thing were to exist, would you buy it?<BR></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR>I would buy it, and possibly use it for teaching GIS programming,
WebGIS classes at the undergraduate (possibly graduate) level.
<BR> </DIV></DIV>Chetan<BR><BR clear=all><BR>-- <BR>Chetan Tiwari,
PhD<BR>Assistant Professor<BR>University of North Texas<BR>Department of
Geography<BR>1155 Union Circle #305279<BR>Denton, TX
76203-5017<BR></BODY></HTML>