Algorithmic foundations of geographic information systems

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Paul Anderson

"Preface The Web is no longer the sole preserve of computer science. Web 2.0 services have imbued the Web as a technical infrastructure with the imprint of human behaviour, and this has consequently attracted attention from many new fields of study including business studies, economics, information science, law, media studies, philosophy, psychology, social informatics and sociology. In fact, to understand the implications of Web 2.0, an interdisciplinary approach is needed, and in writing this book I have been influenced by Web science--a new academic discipline that studies the Web as a large, complex, engineered environment and the impact it has on society. The structure of this book is based on the iceberg model that I initially developed in 2007 as a way of thinking about Web 2.0. I have since elaborated on this and included summaries of important research areas from many different disciplines, which have been brought together as themes. To finish off, I have included a chapter on the future that both draws on the ideas presented earlier in the book and challenges readers to apply them based on what they have learned. Readership The book is aimed at an international audience, interested in forming a deeper understanding of what Web 2.0 might be and how it could develop in the future. Although it is an academic textbook, it has been written in an accessible style and parts of it can be used at an introductory undergraduate level with readers from many different backgrounds who have little knowledge of computing. In addition, parts of the book will push beyond the levels of expertise of such readers to address both computer science undergraduates and post-graduate research students, who ought to find the literature reviews in Section II to be"--

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Alan Gillies

The development of high-quality software is an issue of great and growing importance throughout the software industry. This book introduces software quality in a clear, accessible manner, bridging the gap between software engineering and software management. Software Quality is written in two principle parts. The first part describes the concept of quality and the way in which it can be applied to software, with descriptions of the techniques employed in software quality assurance. The second part shows how these techniques can be used and discusses the standards involved. It also includes a case study of a company's experience in the development of quality issues, from product failure through to the introduction of structured systems, design methods and consideration of standards accreditation. A final section looks forward to the future of the subject. This book is unique in dealing with both the theory of quality management and its application in software development. The latest information on standards has been included. All those professionally involved with developing high-quality software will find this book invaluable.

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Anil Desai

Protect your organization's most valuable asset--its data. Develop and implement a thorough data protection solution for your SQL Server 7 database environment. SQL Server 7 Backup & Recovery is your one-stop resource for planning, developing, implementing, and managing backup and restore procedures. Learn to execute data protection strategies, implement a backup solution, and handle data recovery before potentially disastrous data loss occurs. You'll get details on the latest methods for increasing database uptime and improving performance. The case studies included show you how to apply the techniques described in the book in your own environment. Evaluate business requirements and develop a data protection strategy. Configure Windows NT/2000 for the secure and efficient use of SQL Server 7. Select the best hardware, software, and network technologies for your backup plan. Handle SQL Server 7 backup procedures involving files and filegroups, transaction logs, concurrency, locking, and other database issues. Increase database uptime and optimize performance. Develop and practice restore plans for various scenarios--from minor data loss to complete hardware failures. Increase reliability, availability, and performance through the use of standby servers and clustering. Distribute data throughout your enterprise with SQL Server 7's replication features. Follow case studies to learn about the application of data protection best practices in various environments.

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Nelson Mendonça Mattos

"This book addresses the development of a new generation of systems, Knowledge Base Management Systems (KBMS), specially constructed for effective and efficient management of knowledge bases, with the aim of filling part of the technological gap between artificial intelligence and databases. The book first investigates in detail the design process, the architecture, and the working methods of knowledge based systems (KS) in order to point out the key characteristics of the field as well as its current limitations, which serve then as basis for an exact formulation of KS requirements. An analysis and evaluation of other approaches (e.g., conventional DBS, non-standard DBS, coupling expert systems and DBS) to knowledge management is given. The book shows that in developing KBMS, the experience obtained by the investigation of each of these approaches is extremely important since they provide the basic concepts for building KBMS. The approaches should not be viewed as complete and final but as part of research work towards KBMS. A novel architecture is described for KBMS which integrates the functionality, flexibility and modeling power of DBS and AI. The main part of the book deals with all important architectural problems of KBMS: methods for knowledge representation with special emphasis on abstraction concepts, language proposals, and concepts for performance improvement. The book is based on practical experience accumulated over five years of successful research in coupling existing expert systems and DBS, extending DBS with deductive capabilities, and above all in the design and implementation of a KBMS prototype. Thus the book's proposals are illustrated with detailed descriptions of their realization in existing systems or prototypes."--PUBLISHER'S WEBSITE.