Geographic information science (GISci) focuses on the collection, modeling, management, display, and interpretation of geographically referenced data that allows new insights and innovative synergies for increased understanding of our world. GIS is the technology that implements this science.

Now, the Encyclopedia of Geographic Information Science, edited by Karen Kemp, Ph.D., has been published by Sage Publications.

The encyclopedia (as differentiated from an atlas) makes understanding the language of GIS simpler. Kemp's work will be of value to professionals in the rapidly emerging GIS professional community and is certain to find a place on academic bookshelves and in university libraries for reference by both students and faculty.

"This encyclopedia is a great tool for anyone in GIS from the beginner to the expert," says Lisa Nahoopii, GIS analyst for County of Hawaii Data Systems.

"GIS practitioners, educators, and researchers come from fields as diverse as geography, cartography, cognitive science, survey engineering, computer science, anthropology, and business," says Kemp. "This diversity can make it difficult for readers, particularly those just embarking on their GIS (systems or science) studies to understand the full context of what they are reading. This Encyclopedia of Geographic Information Science provides details about the key foundations of GISci no matter what their disciplinary origins are."

Kemp continues, "I am proud that I was able to have The Kohala Center [Kamuela, Hawaii] appear as my primary organizational affiliation on the title page of the volume. I strongly believe that The Kohala Center is creating an innovative model for supporting field-based scientific research outside of the constraints and limitations imposed by traditional academic institutions."

Kemp earned a Ph.D. in geography from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She served as the executive director of the Geographic Information Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley. As professor of GISci at the University of Redlands, Redlands, California, Kemp created its International Masters Program in GIS. She currently serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Hong Kong and at the University of Southern California, where she is teaching an online master's course in GISci. She is also a senior scientist for The Kohala Center.

The Encyclopedia of Geographic Information Science is published by Sage Publications, an independent international publisher of journals and books. In hardcover with 592 pages, it can be ordered from Borders.com for the online price of $120.00.