Geospatial Technologies and Homeland Security The GeoJournal Library Volume 94 Managing Editor: Daniel Z. Sui, College Station, USA Founding Series Editor: Wolf Tietze, Helmstedt, Germany Editorial Board: Paul Claval, France Yehuda Gradus, Israel Sam Ock Park, South Korea Herman van der Wusten, The Netherlands The titles published in this series are listed at the end of this volume. Daniel Z. Sui Editor Geospatial Technologies and Homeland Security Research Frontiers and Future Challenges Editor Daniel Z. Sui Texas A&M University Department of Geography 810 O&M Building College Station TX 77843-3147, USA
[email protected] ISBN: 978-1-4020-8339-6 e-ISBN: 978-1-4020-8507-9 DOI: 10:1007/978-1-4020-8507-9 Library of Congress Control Number: 2008924193 © 2008 Springer Science + Business Media B.V. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Printed on acid-free paper 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 springer.com This book is dedicated to the loving memory of Dr. Chor-Pang (C.P.) Lo, 1939–2007, whose devotion to research and education provides an endless source of inspiration for generations to come; Dr. Richard E. Ewing, 1946–2007, whose unwavering support for geospatial research at Texas A&M University has made this book possible. v Foreword Homeland security and context In the Geographical Dimensions of Terrorism (GDOT) (Cutter et al. 2003), the first book after 9/11 to address homeland security and geography, we developed several thematic research agendas and explored intersections between geographic research and the importance of context, both geographical and political, in relationship to the concepts of terrorism and security. It is good to see that a great deal of new thought and research continues to flow from that initial research agenda, as illustrated by many of the papers of this new book, entitled Geospatial Technologies and Homeland Security: Research Frontiers and Future Challenges. Context is relevant not only to understanding homeland security issues broadly, but also to the conduct of research on geospatial technologies. It is impossible to understand the implications of a homeland security strategy, let alone hope to make predictions, conduct meaningful modeling and research, or assess the value and dangers of geospatial technologies, without consideration of overarching political, social, economic, and geographic contexts within which these questions are posed. Witness, as an example, the re