How can urbanites, farmers, and endangered plants and animals successfully coexist? At what rate do we pave over open space to build our cities? Where are the best places to preserve prime farmland, designate habitat conservation areas, and construct light-rail lines? How can we reduce air pollution and traffic congestion? Where should we work harder to promote social justice and equality? How can global visions and regional approaches to planning improve the lot of everyone? Physical space is a fundamental dimension of these and other issues facing social scientists and students of public policy, but the spatial aspects of these issues are often neglected. Not so anymore. Think Globally, Act Regionally: GIS and Data Visualization for Social Science and Public Policy Research is an important new book by Richard LeGates that shows how geographic information systems (GIS) technology can be applied in beginning social science and public policy research methods courses. The book works well as a month-long module, and the structured exercises using data on an accompanying CD-ROM can be completed in six hours of computer lab time.

Required software: ArcView, ArcEditor, or ArcInfo 9 and the ArcView Spatial Analyst extension are required to complete the exercises in this book. Earlier software releases are not compatable with the data on the accompanying CD.