Innovative Software Development in GIS

Chapter 1

Introduction

Research in geomatics must face major challenges to improve the management of the interaction of humankind with the planet at various levels. These challenges cover types of problems such as risk management (monitoring a volcano), sustainable development (the prevention of coastal erosion or the control of increasing urbanization in a given area), or even societal issues, such as the accompaniment and improvement of the integration of positioning techniques and their mobile applications in our everyday lives. To process these issues, we often need to turn to computers and develop software that can meet the requirements of the data handled. The goal of this book is to study the innovative software development activities carried out by geomatics research teams, and more specifically to analyze which of these development activities can be pooled, and whether it is relevant to do so, in the sense that it promotes research activities. We have chosen to focus on one aspect of geomatics research: the design of models and analysis methods to utilize geographical data.

The rest of Chapter 1 clarifies the contextual elements that are essential to the study of geomatics, and more specifically the definitions of the terms used. We successively clarify the notions of geomatics software and pooling in our context before presenting the goals and structure of the book.

1.1. Geomatics software

Geomatics is a technical and scientific field derived from geography and computer ...