Reference e-books

Open textbooks, manuals and IKI quick-reference sheets for GIS, remote sensing and spatial data science, and the standard textbooks our mentors teach from and recommend.

6 resources

Open Textbooks

The Nature of Geographic Information

David DiBiase, Penn State

An open textbook on the fundamentals of geographic data and cartography.

GIS
Cartography

ExternalOpen link

Quick References

Spectral Indices — Quick Reference

IKI Geospatial

One-page formula sheet for NDVI, EVI, SAVI, NDWI, MNDWI, NDBI, NBR and more, with Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8/9 band numbers.

Remote sensing
Formulas

PDF · 2.4 KB · 2026Download

Open Textbooks

QGIS Training Manual

QGIS Project

The official, comprehensive QGIS training manual — from basics to spatial databases.

QGIS

ExternalOpen link

Open Textbooks

Cloud-Based Remote Sensing with Google Earth Engine

Cardille, Crowley, Saah & Clinton (eds.)

Fundamentals and applications of Earth Engine — an open-access book.

Google Earth Engine

ExternalOpen link

Open Textbooks

Geocomputation with R

Lovelace, Nowosad & Muenchow

Open-source book on geographic data analysis, visualisation and modelling in R.

R
Spatial data science

ExternalOpen link

Open Textbooks

Geocomputation with Python

Dorman, Graser, Nowosad & Lovelace

Spatial data analysis in Python with GeoPandas, Shapely and Rasterio.

Python

ExternalOpen link

Sixteen books for the geospatial shelf

Start with an introductory text in each area, then move to the specialist references as your work demands. Most are available in university libraries.

Remote sensing & GIS
Remote Sensing and GIS
Basudeb Bhatta
Oxford University Press
A complete course text written for Indian universities: the physics of remote sensing, sensors and platforms, visual and digital image interpretation, then GIS data models, analysis and applications.
Remote sensing & GIS
Textbook of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems
M. Anji Reddy
A popular first textbook covering remote sensing principles, image interpretation, GIS fundamentals and GPS, with an emphasis on natural-resource applications.
Remote sensing
Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation
Thomas M. Lillesand, Ralph W. Kiefer, Jonathan W. Chipman
7th edition · Wiley
The classic reference on interpreting imagery: aerial photography and photogrammetry, multispectral, thermal, hyperspectral, radar and lidar sensing, and digital image analysis.
Image processing
Introductory Digital Image Processing: A Remote Sensing Perspective
John R. Jensen
4th edition · Pearson
The standard text on processing satellite images: radiometric and geometric correction, enhancement, classification, change detection and accuracy assessment.
Remote sensing
Remote Sensing of the Environment: An Earth Resource Perspective
John R. Jensen
2nd edition · Pearson
How remote sensing is applied to vegetation, water, urban landscapes, soils, minerals and landforms — the companion to the image-processing volume.
Remote sensing
Satellite Remote Sensing: Principles and Applications
Qihao Weng
CRC Press
Satellite sensors and image analysis applied to land-cover, urban and environmental studies, linking principles to real case studies.
Photogrammetry
Fundamentals of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
C. C. Tseng, Y. H. Tsai
5th edition · CRC Press
The geometry of aerial and satellite images — stereo measurement, orientation, orthophotos and elevation models — alongside remote sensing fundamentals.
GNSS
Global Navigation Satellite Systems: GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo and more
Teunissen, Montenbruck & Hauschild
Satellite positioning in depth: signals, orbits and error sources, and the differential and precise positioning methods used in surveying.
GIS
An Introduction to Geographical Information Systems
Ian Heywood, Sarah Cornelius, Steve Carver
4th edition · Pearson
A clear first course in GIS: spatial data and data models, data input and quality, analysis, output and managing a GIS project.
GIS
GIS Fundamentals: A First Text on Geographic Information Systems
Paul Bolstad
5th edition
A thorough introduction: coordinate systems and map projections, data models, GNSS and digital data sources, raster and vector analysis, and terrain analysis.
GIS
Geographic Information Science and Systems
Michael F. Goodchild, David J. Maguire, Michael Batty
5th edition · Wiley
Connects the principles of geographic information science with the techniques, management and real-world applications of GIS.
GIS
Essentials of Geographic Information Systems
Keith Clarke, Rangana Ford, Timothy A. Smith
5th edition · Open textbook
A concise open textbook on GIS concepts: maps and spatial data, data models, analysis and cartographic design.
GIS practice
Understanding GIS: The ARC/INFO Method
Esri
3rd edition · Esri Press
A project-based workbook that walks through a complete GIS project, from planning and data automation to analysis and final output.
GIS practice
GIS Tutorial 1: Basic Workbook for ArcGIS Pro 3.x
Wilpen L. Gorr
Esri Press
Step-by-step exercises in ArcGIS Pro: making maps, building geodatabases, geoprocessing and spatial analysis, with data to practise on.
Geoinformatics
Geoinformatics and Spatial Infrastructure: Concepts and Applications
Edited by M. F. Goodchild, D. J. Maguire, D. W. Rhind
Springer
An edited volume on the concepts behind spatial data infrastructure — data sharing, standards and institutions — and the applications built on it.
Spatial statistics
Spatial Data Analysis by Example, Volume 1: Point Pattern and Lattice Methods
Xun Li, Peter A. Rogerson
Wiley
Spatial statistics taught through worked examples: point pattern analysis, spatial autocorrelation and methods for area-based (lattice) data.