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Flora and Vegetation of Nepal (Plant and Vegetation #19)
by Maan Bahadur Rokaya Shalik Ram SigdelThis volume highlights the plant life of Nepal, which accounts for 20% of the Himalayan biodiversity. For the first time, this group of authors compile over 200 years’ worth of local botanical research. Due to the high topographical diversity, Nepal has a very unique flora and vegetation. The chapters focus on cryptogams, phanerogams and alien flora. As an added bonus, historical background for native and invasive species, is explained. Aside from botanical knowledge, the authors also shed a light on Nepali geography, soil, climate and land use. To complete the picture, readers will find data on different plants, maps and photographs of unique species. This book is a valuable resource for Botanists and Ecologists, but also for interested travelers who would like to complement their next trek in Nepal.
Research Handbook on the Green Economy (Elgar Handbooks in Energy, the Environment and Climate Change)
Outlining how the concepts of green economy and green growth have become the forefront of policy and political debates within the last decade, this compelling Research Handbook investigates the policies and plans that utilise these concepts at both the local and global level to achieve a truly green economy.Commencing with a review of green economy’s development from the 1980s onwards, the Research Handbook on the Green Economy examines its progression through the 1990s, illustrating the lack of progress in the early years until sustainable development gathered traction in the early 2000s. Taking a theoretical approach to green economy research, this Research Handbook examines recent trends and developments within global industries and sectors including product circulation and manufacturing, alongside green services, construction, renewable energy and tourism. Chapters also discuss the directions and challenges for future research, in particular the concepts of ‘lean’, waste reduction and greenwashing in the green economy.This timely and fascinating book will be an excellent resource for scholars and researchers in the fields of environmental economics, economic geography, business and management studies, and environmental governance and regulation. The illustrated future strategies highlighted in this Research Handbook will also provide excellent guidance for policymakers at both local and national government levels.
Research Handbook on the Law of the Paris Agreement (Research Handbooks in Climate Law series)
This comprehensive Research Handbook sets out a systematic analysis of the Paris Agreement taking into account developments since it entered into force in 2016. It explores the treaty’s capacity, as an instrument of international law, to compel state action to address the universal threat of climate change.Highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the Paris Agreement in light of state practice, each chapter contains a critical examination of a separate aspect of the treaty in order to aid understanding of its legal force. Eminent scholars with experience in Paris Agreement law explore how the Agreement’s efficacy relies heavily upon the goodwill of states, sui generis domestic initiatives, forceful climate law at the domestic level, and other contextual factors such as international peace and cooperation. Acknowledging the weak legal substance of the Paris Agreement, the expert contributors propose new avenues of scholarly inquiry as well as new directions in the fight against climate change.The Research Handbook on the Law of the Paris Agreement will prove beneficial for scholars, researchers, and students of law, environmental studies, and politics and public policy. Legal practitioners, ministries of foreign affairs, and international NGOs concerned with environmental issues and human rights will also benefit from the book’s practical implications.
Environmentally Responsible Supply Chains in an Era of Digital Transformation: Research Developments and Future Prospects
Currently, available technologies can help make a supply chain resilient in volatile times whilst also keeping it responsible. Environmentally Responsible Supply Chains in an Era of Digital Transformation focuses on the linkages between digital technologies and environmental sustainability research and outlines synergies for more resilient, efficient and transparent supply chain management practices.Covering every aspect of the supply chain, from e-commerce to freight transportation and waste management, this book offers a thorough examination of the transition towards a circular economy. It offers research-based solutions, approaches, and insights into how companies can use digital technologies to tackle the challenges and goals of responsible businesses.This book brings together research and practical perspectives and provides insights into how to use digitalisation to implement a sustainable, resilient transition in supply chains. As such, it will be essential for professionals and academics researching supply chain management, corporate social responsibility, international business, and organisational innovation.
Information, Knowledge, and Technology for Teaching and Research in Africa: Human Machine Interaction and User Interfaces (Synthesis Lectures on Information Concepts, Retrieval, and Services)
by Dennis Ocholla Omwoyo Bosire Onyancha Aderonke Olaitan AdesinaThis book focuses on human machine interaction and user interfaces for teaching and research in Africa. The importance of digital humanities (DH) is recognized by focusing on the theoretical and historical development of DH in the context of LIS education and how infrastructure influences DH programs/initiatives in respective LIS schools. These findings and recommendations provide valuable knowledge for developing the domain and establishing potential areas of collaboration in DH research and curriculum. The book explores and explicates what the Diffusion of Innovations theory is about as well as the characteristics of innovators. The Diffusion of Innovations theory is relevant to the LIS field, which has widely adopted numerous innovations to automate a wide range of administrative and technical processes, build databases and networks, and provide better services to library users. The diffusion and adoption of technology have become imperative for the efficient management ofmodern libraries and LIS as a field in general. Existing literature that is related to the adoption, use, and challenges facing the development of clinical informatics in teaching hospitals in developing countries is reviewed. It is also revealed that hospitals in developing countries should embrace the use of tools for effective healthcare delivery and that nursing informatics is very significant in nursing practice. In addition, the role of academic institutions and the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by librarians for information and knowledge (IKM) in such institutions in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is addressed. The book acknowledges the marginalization of indigenous knowledge and that there is a need for Africa to develop and accelerate strategies for enhancing indigenous knowledge for future generation and ICT is poised to play a crucial role.
The Sustainable Development of Port Group: Evaluation and Management
by Bo LuThis book primarily focuses on the coordinated development of port groups and the environment. It extensively reviews relevant literature and draw on existing theoretical research achievements to analyze the mechanisms and influencing factors behind the formation of green, ecological, or energy-saving ports. It employs attribution decomposition analysis and LMDI decomposition methods to identify driving forces and factors for low-carbon ports. Furthermore, with the goal of minimizing the comprehensive cost of low-carbon port investment and considering constraints such as the upper limit of low-carbon investment in ports, the book utilizes tools such as stochastic processes and optimization decision theory to establish an optimization model for carbon emission reduction investment in low-carbon ports, aiming to find the best investment solution. Throughout the process, the book employs a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis methods and provides corresponding recommendations and suggestions from an industry and port perspective through comparative analysis and case studies.
Information, Knowledge, and Technology for Teaching and Research in Africa: Data and Knowledge Management (Synthesis Lectures on Information Concepts, Retrieval, and Services)
by Dennis Ocholla Omwoyo Bosire Onyancha Aderonke Olaitan AdesinaThis book focuses on data and knowledge management for teaching and research in Africa. The importance of the information and knowledge society in current times is recognized and adopts a meta-analysis to demonstrate that modernization theory could be applied to economic development and rapid transformation of ISWEs in South Africa. The book argues that modernity and the information and knowledge society present the shift and transition from the traditional way of doing things through information and communication technologies (ICTs), which could bring about developing, progressing, and advancing developing communities, particularly Informal Sector Women Entrepreneurs (ISWEs). The book also has further shows how the modernization theory could be applied to the plight of ISWEs to assist them in leapfrogging from their situation and enjoying global business platforms. Various techniques and strategies for collaborative engagements among academics towards strengthening scholarly ties within institutions, and across borders, especially in Africa, are presented. This is a valuable source for understanding the contemporary issues in information and knowledge management/sharing and collaboration among university academics for undergraduates and postgraduate students in the library and information science profession. Tacit knowledge is also presented as an asset that boosts innovation and generates competitive advantage for organizations in all walks of life. Global research data management (RDM) literature is emphasized in higher education institutions (HIEs) and their libraries. The status of RDM services, as well as the competency requirements of employees responsible for providing RDM services and researchers, are addressed in the examined literature.
Linking Climate Change Adaptation, Disaster Risk Reduction, and Loss & Damage (Sustainable Development Goals Ser.)
by Linda Anne Stevenson Amit Ranjan Dennis Mombauer Vositha Wijenayake Akio Takemoto Nafesa IsmailThis book advances knowledge on loss & damage (L&D) and its interlinkages with climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction. The book includes twelve case studies conducted across South and Southeast Asia, covering sectors including agriculture, rural livelihoods, energy, infrastructure and natural resources. These studies provide insights into complex climate-induced L&D, enhancing local, national and regional knowledge and contributing to global agendas.
Geomicrobiology: Natural and Anthropogenic Settings
by Larry L. Barton Lucian C. StaicuThis volume brings together leading international experts to offer a unique and timely perspective on geomicrobiology through their latest research and findings. Chapters address interactions of marine and freshwater microorganisms contributing to geochemical cycles, including biochemical mechanisms for mineralization and transformation of solid minerals and dissolved metals. In addition, the resilience and physiological elasticity of specific bacteria in extreme environments is discussed, such as mechanisms of metal homeostasis and electrochemistry involving extracellular electron flow. Further coverage includes resource recovery (metals, minerals) using microbial-driven processes and technologies, with the aim to contribute to a better understanding of microbial potential within the framework of circular economy. This book is designed for professionals and students, including environmental engineers, microbiologists, and individuals studying the interaction of bacteria with metals and minerals in the environment. It is also a resource for students in academic programs or short courses focused on bacterial diversity in the environment, systems of bacterial energetics, resource recovery, and bacterial activities in extreme or nutrient-stressed environments. .
Storytelling to Accelerate Climate Solutions
by Hua Wang Emily CorenThe climate is changing faster than our cultural practices are adapting to it. This Open Access volume, co-edited by Emily Coren (a science communicator) and Hua Wang (a communication scientist), presents a survey of the latest in agency-focused climate storytelling. Together, practitioners and scholars across different fields shared their knowledge, experience, and insight about how stories can be designed and told to engage, enable, and empower individuals and communities in climate communication and action. You will learn a wide range of narrative strategies and exemplary applications of climate storytelling in terms of professional practices (e.g., education, literature, journalism, popular media), genres and formats (e.g., drama, comedy, fiction), media platforms (e.g., television, radio, mobile), and communication modalities (e.g., text, visual, audio, multisensory). Entertainment-education has been proven over decades to be an effective tool for social and behavior change in the public health sphere and has not yet been applied at scale to the massive ongoing climate–related disasters that we need to solve now, fast. There is an urgent need to rapidly apply and adapt public engagement tools for climate communication to speed up our response times for climate change mitigation and adaptation. This book takes a snapshot of where climate storytelling is currently at, describes where it fits within a climate communication landscape, and supports the next steps of its development. It facilitates the of creation climate storytelling efficiently by sharing and amplifying what is working well, and building collaborations between practitioners and researchers.This is an open access book.
Geo-Environmental Hazards using AI-enabled Geospatial Techniques and Earth Observation Systems (Advances in Geographic Information Science)
by Jung-Sup Um Tanupriya Choudhury Bappaditya Koley Anindita Nath Atul Kumar PatidarThis edited collection provides a comprehensive exploration of cutting-edge ideas, approaches, simulations, evaluations of risk, and systems that enhance the practicality of current geospatial technologies for reducing hazard risks. The various sections within this book delve into subjects such as the foundational principles of Earth Observation Systems (EOS) and geospatial methodologies. Additionally, the text serves as an advisory resource on the collaborative use of satellite-derived data and artificial intelligence to track and alleviate geo-environmental threats. The volume imparts extensive understanding regarding geo-environmental dangers and their analysis via EOS along with geospatial strategies. It encompasses key hazard-related themes including coastal degradation, predisposition to landslides, mapping vegetation coverages, tropical storm patterns, soil depletion due to erosion processes, vulnerability to rapid or extended flooding events, variations in oceansurface temperatures alongside chlorophyll-a levels; it also addresses assessments related to groundwater reserves and quality measures as well as sustainable management practices for watersheds that support community livelihoods—all through leveraging AI-integrated geospatial tools in conjunction with earth observation technologies. Furthermore, this work engages in discourse about systems designed for mitigating these ecological challenges sustainably. Scholars engaged in research activities; educational professionals; those involved in landscape design; engineers working at ground level; individuals responsible for policy-making—all who are concerned with geo-environmental hazards or associated domains—will find valuable insights within these pages.
X Hotine-Marussi Symposium on Mathematical Geodesy: Proceedings of the Symposium in Milan, Italy, June 13-17, 2022 (International Association of Geodesy Symposia #155)
by Jeffrey T. Freymueller Laura SánchezThis open access volume contains the proceedings of the X Hotine-Marussi Symposium on Mathematical Geodesy which was held from 13 to 17 June 2022 at the Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy. Since 2006 the series of the Hotine-Marussi Symposia has been under the responsibility of the Inter-Commission Committee on Theory (ICCT) within the International Association of Geodesy (IAG). The ICCT organized the last five Hotine-Marussi Symposia held in Wuhan (2006), Rome (2009, 2013 and 2018), and Milan (2022). The overall goal of the ICCT and Hotine-Marussi Symposia has always been to advance geodetic theory which is indeed documented by the 22 research articles published in these proceedings. The jubilee X Hotine-Marussi Symposium was organized in 10 topical sessions covering all parts of geodetic theory including reference frames, gravity field modelling, adjustment theory, height systems, time series analysis, or advanced numerical methods. In total, 60 participants attended the Symposium who delivered 62 oral and 18 poster presentations. During a special session, five invited speakers discussed two basic concepts of physical geodesy – geoid and quasigeoid.
Larger Benthic Foraminifera Through Space and Time
by Pratul Kumar SaraswatiForaminifera are single-celled marine organisms, usually less than a millimeter in size, and their fossil records extend back in geological time some 500 million years. Some foraminifera have grown to over 10 centimeters; these are informally called "larger benthic Foraminifera" (LBF). LBF are of outstanding value in field and in laboratory experiments. They can serve as geochemical proxies and can be used to learn about biology, biomineralization process, and more. Their study finds wide-ranging geological applications, including the carbonate platforms' past environmental changes and stratigraphy. There are many books on micropaleontology, fewer on Foraminifera and practically none on LBF. The ones that do exist are generally too specialized for micropaleontology and carbonate sedimentology doctoral students to utilize. This volume aims to fill this gap by providing readers with an understanding of the morphology and distribution of LBF in space (environment) and time (evolution). In addition, the isotope and trace metal proxies in LBF are discussed for paleoclimate reconstruction. This volume will benefit researchers and professionals in micropaleontology, hydrocarbon exploration, carbonate sedimentology, and paleoclimate.
Flood Risk Management: Assessment and Strategy (Springer Natural Hazards)
by Brototi Biswas Bhagwan Balasaheb GhuteThis book examines the nature of flood in different landscapes and the various factors that contribute to flooding in different areas. It identifies flood risk zones in different terrain types and provides valuable insights into the anthropogenic, geographical, hydro-geological, and geomorphological aspects of flood-prone areas to achieve sustainable risk management. The book also explores the impact of avalanches, global warming, and flash floods in different settings where such types of flooding have become more common. In addition, the volume provides case studies to evaluate the impact of flooding in both natural and man-made environments. To better understand and manage floods, the book combines advanced geospatial tools and techniques with indigenous knowledge. Using machine learning and multiple-criteria decision analysis, the book provides an amalgamation of technology and indigenous knowledge to assess flood susceptibility. The book also includes strategies to manage flood risks and case studies that demonstrate best practices in flood risk management. The volume is a valuable resource for researchers, students, and policy makers to understand the causes of floods and their socio-economic impact in different areas.
Wood & Fire Safety 2024: Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Wood & Fire Safety 2024
by Oisik Das Linda Makovická Osvaldová Laura E. HasburghThis proceedings volume presents new scientific works of the research workers and experts in the field of Wood Science & Fire.It looks into the properties of various tree species across the continents affecting the fire-technical properties of wood and wood-based materials, its modifications, fire-retardant methods and other technological processes that have an impact on wood ignition and burning. The results of these findings have a direct impact on Building Construction and Design describing the fire safety of wooden buildings, mainly large and multi-story ones. The results of these experiments and findings may be applied, or are directly implemented into Fire Science, Hazard Control, Building Safety which makes the application of wood and wood materials in buildings possible, while maintaining strict fire regulations.One part of the contributions focuses on the symbiosis of the material and the fire-fighting technologies. Wood burning has its own specific features, therefore, the fire protection technologies need to be updated regularly. It also includes the issue of the intervention of fire-fighting and rescue teams in the fires of wooden buildings. Presentations deal with the issue of forest fires influenced by the climate changes, relief, fuel models based on the type and the age of the forest stand.
Physics of Granular Suspensions: Micro-mechanics of Geophysical Flows (CISM International Centre for Mechanical Sciences #612)
by Marco Mazzuoli Laurent LacazeThis book provides graduate students and scientists with fundamental knowledge on the mechanics of granular suspensions as well as on the mathematical and numerical techniques that can be adopted to investigate geophysical flows. To this end, three formidably complex problems (sediment transport, flow-like landslide inception, and gravity currents) are considered. The reader will find a thorough combination of elements of fluid and solid mechanics, rheology, geotechnics, geomorphology, civil, and coastal engineering. The first part of the book introduces the problem of granular suspensions from the mathematical viewpoint, focusing on issues that characterise geophysical flows such as turbulence, the effects of inter-particle contacts, and strong velocity gradients. In the second part, different models that were successfully used to investigate the mechanics of granular suspensions in environmental flows are presented.
Global Maritime Transport and Ballast Water Management: Issues and Solutions (Invading Nature - Springer Series in Invasion Ecology #16)
by Matej David Stephan GollaschIn 2015 the first edition of this book was published before the Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention entered into force. To our knowledge this was and still is the first comprehensive book on BWM worldwide. It provided an overview of possible solutions to the complex issue of BWM. It further outlined consequences and implications to address the ballast water "problem" in line with provisions of the BWM Convention considering environmental, shipping, legal and policy perspectives. The previously addressed subjects remain essential, but new subjects appeared which more recently have proven to be critical for the effective BWM Convention implementation. After the first book content was already agreed and in preparation, new advances were achieved in BWM-related research around the world. Further, new experience was gained and issues came out during the preparation processes of countries for the BWM Convention implementation. The editors of the first book remained heavily involved in BWM-related research and other processes, hence these new critical BWM issues and subjects are now dealt with in the second edition of this book to complement the first one. In essence, this new book covers main issues that arose recently during the implementation of the BWM Convention. Scientists and experts with extensive experience in these subjects from around the globe from academic and private sectors, as well as national administrations, were involved in the preparation of this book.
Tracing the Sources and Fate of Contaminants in Agroecosystems: Applications of Multi-stable Isotopes
by Lee Heng Joseph Adu-Gyamfi Grzegorz Skrzypek Gwenaël ImfeldThe objective of this open access book is to present protocols, methodologies, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) used for the identification of sources, transport, and fate of agro-contaminants and illustrate them with several case studies of successful applications. The Soil and Water Management & Crop Nutrition (SWMCN) Subprogramme of the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)/International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, through a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) in partnership with national and international research institutes, developed and evaluated a set of analytical techniques (the toolbox). The toolbox integrates multiple isotope tracers that provide information on the origins and pathways of multiple pollutants through agro-ecosystems, thereby providing more accurate guidance on mitigations. However, land management strategies to address and control the transport of pollutants from soil to water bodies remain the shared responsibility of farm and aquaculture operators, agro-chemical manufacturers, and policymakers in food and agriculture as well as the mining sectors. This book is structured into eight chapters covering (i) an overview of the book’s content, (ii) guidelines for designing water sampling programmes, (iii) the use of mixing models applicable to tracers for water pollution studies, (iv) compound-specific isotope analyses to investigate pesticide degradation in agricultural catchments, (v) the use of stable oxygen isotope composition of phosphate to investigate phosphorous in soil-plant continuum, (vi) the use of stable sulphur isotopes to disentangle agro-pollutants from other contaminants, (vii) nuclear tools used in sediment source apportionment, and (viii) the conclusions and perspectives forward. The book offers up-to-date information, and we hope it is a great source of information for students, researchers, and policymakers. The SWMCN subprogramme thanks all the contributors involved in the preparation of this publication.
Sustainability in Higher Education: Strategies, Performance and Future Challenges (Strategies for Sustainability)
by Rodrigo Lozano Federico Rotondo Lucia GiovanelliThis contributed volume addresses the issue of how higher education institutions can systematically reorient themselves to help society become more sustainable. In particular, a strategic management approach is used to overcome the fragmentation of sustainability initiatives increasingly conducted by higher education institutions worldwide. In this book, eminent scholars in the field of sustainability in higher education combine their different backgrounds to propose conceptual frameworks for interpreting and measuring sustainability integration in higher education institutions. The chapters contained herein explore which processes and management tools should be used, as well the challenges to be faced, to make sustainable innovation effective. The cases present in this volume offer a guide for higher education institution management to lead the sustainability transition.
The Anthropocene and its Future: The Challenges of Accelerating Social and Ecological Change
by Karl BruckmeierThis book analyses the complex social and ecological processes of the Great Acceleration, the Great Transformation, and sustainable development that shape the future of the global society in the twenty-first century. The first process takes place for a longer time, the second over the past thirty years, with attempts to build a sustainable economy and society in the global policy of sustainable development. The processes and their interaction will be discussed with knowledge from inter- and transdisciplinary transformation research, social and political ecology, and theories of modern society. The guiding theoretical concepts for the social-ecological transformation will be clarified: the concepts of acceleration, transformation, and sustainable development, and the societal and ecological processes they include. To obtain a more detailed picture of the changes in the global social-ecological system, different parts of the global transformation, the digital transformation, the transformation of food systems, and the transformation of modes of living in the social lifeworld are described to show the complex changes in the epoch of the Anthropocene more concretely. The global change processes in society and nature are caused by human forces but are difficult to control through policy and governance. With the interdisciplinary integration of concepts and knowledge, it becomes possible to provide a more detailed picture, of the difficulties to achieve a sustainable future society.
Geodynamics of the Alps 3: Collisional Processes
by Claudio L. Rosenberg Nicolas BellahsenGeodynamics of the Alps consists of three volumes. This third volume is entirely dedicated to Alpine collision. It describes and interprets elements of the Alpine chain, including Alpine magmatism, the formation of external massifs, the foreland basin, the exhumation of the internal part of the chain and the northern deformation front of the Alps. The aim of this book is to create a space for experts on Alpine research to present the state of the art of specific subjects and provide their own interpretations.
Geodynamics of the Alps 2: Pre-collisional Processes
by Claudio L. Rosenberg Nicolas BellahsenGeodynamics of the Alps consists of three volumes. This second volume presents the pre-collisional history of the Alps. It discusses the Variscan orogeny in the Alpine realm, the inferred paleo-geography, the structure and processes affecting continental margins and the mantle structure in the pre-orogenic Alpine realm. It concludes by describing oceanic and continental subduction processes. The aim of this book is to create a space for experts on Alpine research to present the state of the art of specific subjects and provide their own interpretations.
Environmental Transition and Technological Change Transition
by Smaïl Aït-El-HadjFaced with the scale and intensity of the ecological crisis, environmental transition is underway, consisting of a first phase of technological mutation, aimed at replacing technologies harmful to the environment with those which have no destructive effects on the earth system and its equilibrium. This book examines the roots of the concept of environmental transition, identifying and characterizing the negative effects of technology on the environmental crisis. We will then identify the technological mutations that have the potential to contribute to environmental transition, and demonstrate how these changes are already forming part of a new emerging "technological system". We will conclude by addressing the question of the limits of technological responses to the environmental crisis, demonstrating the importance of the dimensional factors of human activity and weight of growth in this crisis, thus raising the issue of global reconsideration, with reference to the place and articulation of human activity in the Earth system.
Fundamentals of Building Performance Simulation
by Ian Beausoleil-MorrisonFundamentals of Building Performance Simulation pares the theory and practice of a multi-disciplinary field to the essentials for classroom learning and real-world applications. Authored by a veteran educator and researcher, this textbook equips graduate students and emerging and established professionals in engineering and architecture to predict and optimize buildings’ energy use. It employs an innovative pedagogical approach, introducing new concepts and skills through previously mastered ones and deepening understanding of familiar themes by means of new material. Covering topics from indoor airflow to the effects of the weather, the book’s 19 chapters empower learners to: Understand the models and assumptions underlying popular BPS tools Compare models, simulations, and modelling tools and make appropriate selections Recognize the effects of modelling choices and input data on simulation predictions And more. Each subject is introduced without reference to particular modelling tools, while practice problems at the end of each chapter provide hands-on experience with the tools of the reader’s choice. Curated reading lists orient beginners in a vast, cross-disciplinary literature, and the critical thinking skills stressed throughout prepare them to make contributions of their own. Fundamentals of Building Performance Simulation provides a much-needed resource for new and aspiring members of the building science community.
Mapping the Nation: History and Cartography in Nineteenth-Century America
by Susan SchultenIn the nineteenth century, Americans began to use maps in radically new ways. For the first time, medical men mapped diseases to understand and prevent epidemics, natural scientists mapped climate and rainfall to uncover weather patterns, educators mapped the past to foster national loyalty among students, and Northerners mapped slavery to assess the power of the South. After the Civil War, federal agencies embraced statistical and thematic mapping in order to profile the ethnic, racial, economic, moral, and physical attributes of a reunified nation. By the end of the century, Congress had authorized a national archive of maps, an explicit recognition that old maps were not relics to be discarded but unique records of the nation’s past. All of these experiments involved the realization that maps were not just illustrations of data, but visual tools that were uniquely equipped to convey complex ideas and information. In Mapping the Nation, Susan Schulten charts how maps of epidemic disease, slavery, census statistics, the environment, and the past demonstrated the analytical potential of cartography, and in the process transformed the very meaning of a map. Today, statistical and thematic maps are so ubiquitous that we take for granted that data will be arranged cartographically. Whether for urban planning, public health, marketing, or political strategy, maps have become everyday tools of social organization, governance, and economics. The world we inhabit—saturated with maps and graphic information—grew out of this sea change in spatial thought and representation in the nineteenth century, when Americans learned to see themselves and their nation in new dimensions.