Geographic Information Systems have ceased to be a specialized tool for engineers and have become the fundamental language of every spatial issue: from selecting a location for a new business and siting tourist infrastructure, to monitoring natural disaster risks and providing services to citizens. ESRI's ArcGIS software dominates the field worldwide — but its complexity remains a barrier to anyone trying to start without guidance.
The book "GIS — Learning through Applied Approach: ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online," by Dr. Georgios Achilleos and Dr. Androniki Tsouchlaraki, continues a well-established Greek series of GIS manuals that was first published in 2010 and reached its 4th edition in 2024. This new first edition is dedicated to ESRI’s new generation of tools: the desktop ArcGIS Pro and the cloud-based ArcGIS Online.
The book is divided into two major parts. Part A thoroughly covers ArcGIS Pro with the 3D Analyst and Spatial Analyst extensions: from the first steps, data import and management, georeferencing, digitization, topology, thematic mapping, and selection/management of entities, to spatial analysis, 3D data management (slopes, aspects, hillshade, viewshed), and raster information. Part B focuses on ArcGIS Online: the cloud logic, sharing data, maps, and 3D scenes, web spatial analyses, auxiliary applications (Survey 123, Dashboards), creating Story Maps and interactive web maps, and service delivery network analysis.
A special section is dedicated to Geo-Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI) — an introduction to the new capabilities offered by ESRI with integrated ML/AI tools. The philosophy of treating space as a unified reference system (Global vs Local) is also presented, allowing the study of the globe as a single spatial entity. The book develops real, extensive applications: estimating road network maintenance costs per municipality, classifying municipalities based on land uses, siting marine and agritourism facilities, siting visual surveillance cameras, wildfire risk modeling, finding the optimal route for a liquid waste pipeline, and service delivery network analysis.
It is addressed to students and professionals in Surveying and Geomatics Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Spatial Planning, Geography, and Geoinformatics.
