Library
Geographical Information
Systems
A guide to finding information
Books
Searching for a specific book: If you are looking for a particular book and know the author or
title, you can search the Library catalogue to see if we have that item. The catalogue will tell
you how many copies are in the library, whether they are on loan and how to reserve them.
Searching for books on a specific topic: Use either keyword search or subject index
search (accessible via Advanced Search).
Some key shelfmarks are listed below. To find more specific topics, including applications of
GIS to other subject areas, use keyword or subject index search on the Library catalogue.
526
526.0285
526.88
526.9
526.982
526.9823
550.28
623.893
910
910.28
910.285
910.3
912
Cartography
Cartography : digital maps
Cartography : map interpretation
Surveying : cartography
Cartography : remote sensing techniques: surveying
Cartography : aerial photography: surveying
Geology : remote sensing techniques
Global positioning system
Geography
Geography : remote sensing techniques
Geographical information systems
Gazetteers
Atlases
All books with a shelfmark beginning with a 5 or 6 are located on the First Floor, and those with
a shelfmark beginning with a 9 are located on the Second Floor, East Library (900s).
Dictionaries and encyclopaedias
Dictionaries and encyclopaedias can be a good starting point for your research, especially for
looking up unfamiliar terms or finding explanations of a subject. Below are listed several useful
titles - these are shelved in the Subject Floor Quick Reference (SQR) sections on the
relevant floor:
Glossary of the mapping sciences. New York: American Society of Civil Engineers, 1994.
SQR 526.03 GLO
Johnston R J (ed). The dictionary of human geography. 4th ed. Oxford: Blackwell, 2000.
SQR 910.13003 DIC
Directorate of Learning Resources
www.brookes.ac.uk/library
Useful shelfmarks
McDonnell, R. International GIS dictionary. Cambridge : GeoInformation International, 1995
SQR 910.285 MAC
McGraw-Hill encyclopedia of science and technology. 8th ed. 20 vols. New York: McGraw-Hill,
1997
SQR 503 MAC
Skinner, M Complete A-Z geography handbook. 3rd ed. London: Hodder & Stoughton
Educational, 2003.
SQR 910 SKI
Thomas, D S G (ed) The dictionary of physical geography 3rd ed. Oxford : Blackwell Publishers,
2000.
SQR 910.0203 DIC
Handbooks
These contain reference information on a particular subject - explanations, articles, tables,
directories etc
Green D et al (eds). The AGI source book for geographic information systems: 2001/2002. [CDROM] London, Taylor and Francis, 2001.
910.285 AGI
Bossler J D (ed). Manual of geospatial science and technology. London : Taylor & Francis, 2002
SQR 910.285 BOS
Rees W G. The remote sensing databook. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
SQR 526.982 REE
Maps and atlases
Map and atlas collection
Located on the Second Floor, in the East Library, the collection contains atlases, gazetteers and
maps. For further details see Library Research Guide 10 Maps and atlases
http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/guides/maps2008.pdf
Digimap
Members of the University have access to the Digimap service which delivers Ordnance Survey
digital map data via the Internet. You need to register to use the service in advance. Further details
can be obtained from the Library Homepage, under Subject help – Geographical Information
Systems – Digimap http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/gis.gisdigi.html
Journals
The Library has a wide range of journals and newspapers. As sources of information, journal
articles are more up-to-date than books so can be extremely useful. All journals are arranged by
subject shelfmarks and can be located by doing a title search on the Library catalogue.
Some journals are available electronically; a direct link from the Library catalogue is provided to the
online version where available.
Journal contents are not included on the Library Catalogue. To find journal articles on a particular
subject, use the indexing services described below.
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Journal indexes and databases
Most indexes to journals are available as databases and can be accessed via the Library home
page (go to Subject Help - Geographical Information Systems - Databases or Electronic Library –
Databases). They can help you to find journal or newspaper articles on a particular subject.
Although they vary in the way the information is presented, you can usually search by author, title,
keyword or subject, and they will give you full bibliographic details (eg author, title, journal name,
volume and page numbers) of any relevant articles.
Some indexes include abstracts (summaries), some also include a link (LS) to the full text of the
journal article, whilst others actually include the full text within that database. If the full text is not
accessible from the database, please return to the Library catalogue to check availability in print
format.

GEOBASE is the key online database for GIS, and provides detailed abstracts. All areas of
Geography, Cartography and GIS are covered.
Other databases for GIS include

Academic Search Complete (multidisciplinary, including some full-text articles)
 ACM Digital Library: large full-text database from the Association for Computing Machinery,
including many aspects of computer cartography and geographical information systems.
 IEEE/IET Electronic Library: A major database for computing and engineering, including
geoscience and remote sensing. Some more recent articles are full-text.

Applied science and technology fulltext: abstracting/indexing database, with some full-text
 Compendex: large indexing/abstracting database for engineering, with good coverage of the
more technical aspects of GIS, GPS, surveying and photogrammetry.
 Web of science: large interdisciplinary indexing/abstracting database, containing the Science
Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index.
Note: Some indexes are still only available in printed form. Specifically for Cartography and GIS is:
Bibliographia Cartographica
J 016.5268 B.
Internet sources
Relevant web sites are listed on the Library web pages (see Subject Help – Geographical
Information Systems – Internet Sites) http://www.brookes.ac.uk/library/gis/gisnet.html
Lindsay Sellar
Subject Librarian for Planning (including GIS), Urban Design and Development Studies
August 2008
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