CP 4510: Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems
Introduction
Many disciplines require information about the location of people, places, activities, and various resources, both natural and man made. City and regional planning, environmental disciplines, real estate, transportation, geography, logistics, political and international analysis all make use of this 'spatial' or location based information. Effective management and analysis of this information requires a robust computer-based system.
A Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a system of hardware and software used for storage, retrieval, management and, most importantly, analysis of spatial data. GIS systems are used in numerous disciplines and can be helpful for a variety of applications.
Course description
The goals of this course are:
1. To provide students with a firm understanding of the basic principles of GIS and spatial analysis
2. To give students a solid working knowledge of one GIS software package, ArcGIS 8.3
GIS software packages change continually. Therefore, it is extremely important for students to understand the basics principles of spatial analysis and how geography is represented and manipulated in a computer-based environment. The readings and lectures are designed to serve this purpose. The lab sessions will provide students with hands-on experience using ArcGIS 8.3, arguably the most widely available GIS desktop software in the world. The skills learned in this class can be applied by students while still in school (maps for papers, spatial analysis, etc) or in a professional setting. By the end of the course, students are expected to understand the basic components of a geographic information system and to be proficient using ArcGIS 8.3.
Required reading and materials
Mark Monmonier. 1996 How to Lie with Maps. Chicago: University press
2-3 Zip disks (100mb capacity)
Also recommended:
John C. Antenucci et al. 1991. Geographic Information Systems: A Guide to the Technology. New York: Van Nostrand-Reinhold.
William Huxhold 1991. An Introduction to Urban Geographic Information Systems. New York: Oxford Press
Michael N. Demers. 2000 Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems. New York: John Wiley and sons, Inc.
Grading
Students are expected to attend all classes and labs, participate in class discussions, complete the required readings and homework assignments, and take the mid-term and final exams. Unless otherwise specified, all exercises are to be completed individually, not collaboratively. Students may discuss general concepts related to their homework, but the assignments must be completed individually. Violators will be referred to the Dean of Student Affairs! Not a pretty picture.
Course grades will be assigned as follows:
Homework assignments (40%) 4 assignments at 10 % each - The homework constitutes the bulk of your grade. Take the homework assignments seriously. They are time consuming and require a good deal of effort on your part. They also get progressively more difficult so start early. Doing the lab exercises more than once will help with the homework.
Mid-term (20%) - short answer, definitions, etc
Final Exam (20%) - short answer, definitions, etc
In Class Project (10%) - Students will download and compile GIS data from the Internet, prepare 1 map document, print 2 hardcopy maps, and create 2 "published map files" using ArcPublisher. All GIS data and PMF files will be delivered to the instructor on Zip disk.
Class Participation (10%) - Attendance, participation in class discussions, and motivation!
A = 90-100%
B = 80-90%
C = 70-80%
D = 60-70%
F = <60%
Roll will be called at the beginning of each class. Students are allowed 3 unexcused absences. However, students who miss more than the 3 unexcused absences will lose 3.33% of the class participation percentage per class missed, after the three unexcused absences (e.g., 6 missed classes 0% class participation grade.) No exceptions! Every class builds on the last, so if a class is missed it will be very difficult to catch up.
Late homework submissions will also result in a penalty.
Extra credit is also available on no more than one of the homework assignments.