The exercises in this book require that you have ArcView GIS 3.1 software. To complete each of the three sections, you'll also need the appropriate extension software - ArcView Network Analyst 1.0b for the Network Analyst section, ArcView Spatial Analyst 1.1 for the ArcView Spatial Analyst section, and ArcView 3D Analyst 1 for the 3D Analyst section. Each section is self-contained and uses only the extension software it describes. The accompanying CD contains 90 megabytes of spatial data used in the exercises.

Extending ArcView GIS includes comprehensive descriptions of the dozens of other extensions that work with ArcView GIS, as well as a preview of ModelBuilder, the automated spatial modeling system that's part of ArcView GIS 3.2. Every exercise in the book provides detailed instructions, but you'll be on firmer ground if you're already familiar with basic GIS concepts and ArcView GIS operations. If you're new to GIS, you'll benefit by reading Getting to Know ArcView GIS first.

Some of the exercises use modified or fictional GIS data. And while most of the problems you'll solve are less intricate than those you might face in the real world, the approaches and methods you'll employ are the same. Of course, it can't be said that Extending ArcView GIS will teach you everything there is to know about ArcView Network Analyst, ArcView Spatial Analyst, or ArcView 3D Analyst. The curvature of the earth limits the distance you can see on even the clearest day, and this book, too, is a kind of curved surface. By the time you finish it, however, you'll have seen a good deal. And you'll be ready to climb higher, and see farther, on your own.