[R-sig-Geo] Quick poll -- favorite GIS textbook?

[Rich Shepard]

On Tue, 11 Oct 2011, Jonathan Greenberg wrote:

> I agree -- my primary software will be ArcGIS but I was wondering if any
> of the texts are better with general GIS principles, particularly if
> someone wants to transition from Arc to open source approaches.

Jon,

   FWIW, I suggest that you select your textbook to fit what you expect
students to take away from your course. If you intend to turn out
ESRI-capable technicians who can point-and-click, then select a book that
teaches that. However, if you want to produce spatial analysts then select a
book that describes GIS, computational geometry, or terrain/hydrological
modeling.

   In my years of consulting I've seen too many folks who know how to operate
a piece of software (particularly in a GUI) without knowing why or how to
apply it to a new situation. I've seen this with GIS and statistical
software and, with a couple of current projects, using spreadsheets because
they were never taught how to design, build, and use a database.

   The analogy I've been know to use in these situations is that while you
might teach someone how to use a word processor, it does not make her a
writer.

   My $2 worth ... inflation, you know.

Rich