This book is for anyone who has logged onto the Internet and wondered at the ease of gathering so much information about any topic in so little time. For GIS professionals, Spatial Portals outlines the opportunities, developments, challenges, and issues that are impacting the geospatial industry and altering system design, development, and management strategies.

In a world filled with ever-increasing amounts of information, spatial portals are revolutionizing the way we manage, find, share, and use geographic knowledge, from the local level to the world stage. Responding to natural disasters, choosing new store locations, identifying dangerous intersections, and developing new power stations are all increasingly the realm of this powerful technology that links information providers with information users. Spatial portals help us search for and access networks of relevant information held by local, state, and federal governments, and other organizations spanning the globe. In doing so, portals help us quickly evaluate options and make better decisions that can save time, money, and even lives. Filled with reader-friendly case studies, examples, and visual displays, Spatial Portals: Gateways to Geographic Information offers students, public officials, business leaders, and other decision-makers an overview of this rapidly evolving field in the context of geographic information systems (GIS).