Publications

2017
Benjamin Lewis, Weihe Wendy Guan, and Alenka Poplin. 2017. “Evaluating the Current State of Geospatial Software as a Service Platforms: A Comparison Study.” In Citizen Empowered Mapping, Pp. 53-85. Springer. Publisher's VersionAbstract
The goal of this chapter is to evaluate and compare Geospatial Software as a Service (GSaaS) platforms oriented toward providing basic mapping capabilities to non-GIS experts. These platforms allow users to organize spatial materials in layers, perform overlay and basic visual analysis, and share both final maps and the processes used to create them with remote collaborators. The authors gathered data on the characteristics of 15 platforms through an online survey, then summarized the results and created an Excel tool to enable users to sift through the data to identify platforms based on need. This study presents a snapshot of the current GSaaS landscape, summarizes current capabilities, points out weaknesses, and considers the potential of this class of application.
2016
Placing Names: Enriching and Extending Gazetteers
Merrick Lex Berman, Ruth Mostern, and Humphrey Southall. 8/4/2016. Placing Names: Enriching and Extending Gazetteers, Pp. 280. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Publisher's VersionAbstract

Placing Names discusses the evolution and construction of gazetteers and how they can be used to model our conceptions of historical places,  as well as how those places change over time.

This volume brings together leading and emergent scholars to examine the history of the gazetteer, its important role in geographic information science, and its use to further the reach and impact of spatial reasoning into the digital age.

Wendy Guan, Kang Wu, and Fei Carnes. 6/2016. “Modeling spatiotemporal pattern of agriculture-feasible land in China.” Transactions in GIS. Publisher's VersionAbstract
This study applies a spatial fuzzy multi-criteria evaluation model to determine agricultural feasibility in China based on physical variables (accumulated temperature, sunshine, precipitation, hydrology, elevation and soil properties). The resulting agricultural feasibility index layer is combined with nightlight images (1992-2013) to determine the spatiotemporal variation of urban encroachment on feasible agriculture land. It reveals the severity of agricultural land losses to urbanization.
2009
Wendy Guan and Peter Bol. 10/2009. “Harvard Revisited: Geography’s Return as GIS.” The Geography Teacher, 6, 2, Pp. 1-48. PDFAbstract
CGA at Harvard University, including operational model, achievements, and perspectives.
Weihe (Wendy) Guan and Guoping Huang. 9/2009. “Bringing Operational GIS into University Classroom.” Geomatica, 63, 2, Pp. 375-392. PDFAbstract
This study explores an innovative approach in teaching operational GIS to students who have taken only one introductory GIS course. It brings real world cases into university classrooms and exposes students to practical solutions of multiple scenarios.