GEO 241: Geographic Information System I



Syllabus

GEO 241: Geographic Information Systems I

Section 302

Spring 2007

DePaul University

1. Meeting

▪ Time: Tues. & Thurs. 11:50 AM -1:20 PM

▪ Location: we will meet in GIS Lab (Schmitt Academic Center 224) at all times except for the first day of class to be held in 990 W Fullerton 2402

2. Instructor

Sungsoon (Julie) Hwang, Ph.D.

▪ Contact: shwang9@depaul.edu or call (773) 325-8668

▪ Office: Suite 4513, 990 W Fullerton Pkwy, Lincoln Park Campus

▪ URL:

▪ Office hour: MWF 10a-11p, and by appointment in her office

3. Course Overview

GIS are computerized systems composed of various functionalities designed to work with geographically referenced data sets. GIS is distinct from other information systems (such as Management Information System) in that spatial components play a central role. GIS helps us answer a spatial inquiry (e.g. where is the nearest hospital? how are things geographically distributed), predict the process of natural and urban environments (e.g. climate change, land use change), and solve real-world problems (e.g. emergency management, urban planning). GIS or broadly defined geospatial technology has grown immensely over the past 25 years into an industry estimated at approximately $30 billion per year. This course presents an introduction to geospatial technology that will build a strong and broad base for further work in this area, as well as a well-rounded survey of the field as a whole.

Students’ learning will be evaluated on the basis of exercises, labs, pop quizzes, a test, final project, and participation. Students are expected to do assigned readings before the class to fully participate in class discussion. In the class, students will be occasionally engaged in group activity and exercises, learning GIS through hands-on experience. Lab will provide students with training in GIS software (ArcGIS 9.2). Familiarity with computer and Window-based software will be extremely helpful. Four quizzes will be held throughout the quarter. A comprehensive test will be held at the end of quarter. Finally, students are expected to complete a final project assigned by an instructor.

Prerequisite: ISP 120 (Quantitative Reasoning)

4. Text

▪ Longley et al, 2005, Geographic Information Systems and Science, 2nd Edition, John Wiley & Sons (ISBN: 0-470-87001-X) – Required

▪ Gorr and Kurland, 2005, GIS Tutorial: Workbook for ArcView 9, ESRI Press (ISBN: 1-58948-127-5) – Recommended (180-day trial ArcGIS CD inside)

5. Learning Goals

At the end of the class, students should be able to answer the following questions:

▪ What is GIS, and what can we do with GIS?

▪ How is the world digitally encoded?

▪ How is location on the Earth’s surface specified?

▪ What is a map, and how is a map made & designed?

▪ How are geographic problems analyzed in GIS?

▪ How is geospatial data collected?

6. Grading Components

|Components |How many |Breakdown |

|Pop quiz |4 |12 points |

|Exercise (individual*) |3 |11 points |

|Lab (work of two) |3 |11 points |

|Test (comprehensive) |1 |30 points |

|Final Project (individual) |1 |26 points |

|Participation |n/a |10 points |

Late work will be penalized appropriately at the instructor’s discretion. Makeup quizzes and test can be arranged only when credible dire and documented medical or family situations arise and these circumstances are communicated in a timely fashion.

6.1 Pop quiz

Quizzes will be held during the class time whenever an instructor finds it necessary. The quiz was usually held every two weeks given experience from last quarters. The schedule will be announced in advance. The format of quizzes is the combination of multiple choice, short answer, and short essay. Each quiz is worth 3 points.

6.2 Exercise

Exercise is in-class activity that allows students to learn GIS through hands-on experience. It involves some computer work, but with much less intensity than that of lab which is designed to provide software training. The completed work should be turned in at the end of the class unless noted otherwise.

▪ [Ex1] Write an essay on GIS application that interests you. Students will be asked to choose any area of GIS application among materials on the internet. An essay should address assigned questions given GIS application of their choice; worth 3 points

▪ [Ex2] Read coordinates using GPS receivers. Students will go out and collect coordinates of different locations in Lincoln Park Campus using GPS receivers; worth 3 points – *This will be done in group of two because the number of equipments is limited

▪ [Ex3] Be an analytical thinker with GIS. Students will learn by themselves to apply different methods of spatial analysis to answer simple geographic questions. Real data will be provided in GIS lab. It involves executing different tools available in ArcGIS to analyzing geographic problems in the real world; worth 5 points

6.3 Lab

With Lab, students will learn GIS software ArcGIS 9.2. For more on this software, visit ESRI website at . GIS software is highly complex in size and functionality. Many beginners will find it overwhelming to learn the software. We will focus on exploring data, making maps, and manipulating tabular data in GIS. Students must work in a group of two, and a group work should be turned in together.

▪ [Lab1] Familiarize yourself with the user interface, functionality, and file types used in ArcGIS. Students should have a good understanding of geographic representation (i.e., digital encoding of spatial entities) to complete the assignment; worth 3 points.

▪ [Lab2] Make thematic maps in ArcMap. Students should have a good grasp of cartographic design principles to complete the assignment; worth 5 points.

▪ [Lab3] Create a 3 dimensional surface map interpolated from data at sample locations. Students should have a good understanding of spatial interpolation and thematic mapping; worth 3 points.

6.4 Test

One comprehensive test will be held on June 5th (last day of the class) during the class hour in GIS lab. The test will be drawn from all topics covered by the time unless otherwise noted. The test will be focused on assessing students’ ability to synthesize knowledge, apply concepts and techniques to real-world problems, and critical thinking skills. Study guide will be provided before the test.

6.5 Final project

Students will be investigating the environmental pollution in their hometown using real geospatial data in GIS. Students will create thematic maps that depict the concentration of toxin in student’s home county. The data comes from Toxic Release Inventory Explorer (TRI) website managed by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Instructions for preparing maps required for final project will be given as scheduled. Students should write an essay on the spatial distribution of toxin in the home county given maps they produced, and what are learned about GIS from the final project. The report should be turned in through Digital Dropbox by due date (June 12th 5 PM). Digital dropbox can be found at Tools menu (can be found on the lower left in the course site) on the Blackboard at .

6.6 Participation

Participation consists of attendance and enthusiasm. Attendance will be monitored through quizzes or by other means. Students who actively participate in the class can be rewarded considerably at the discretion of an instructor.

7. Tentative Schedules

I. What is GIS, and what can we do with GIS?

When: April 3, 5, 10

Reading: Longley (required text) section 1.1-1.5, section 2.1-2.2

Topics:

▪ What is GIS?

Three bases for classifying geographic problems

The sequence of data, information, and knowledge

Survey of GIS: history, components, and business

▪ GIS applications

Events:*

▪ April 3 (Tuesday): Group activity on classifying geographic problems

▪ April 5 (Thursday): [Ex1] Write an essay on any area of GIS application that interests you.

▪ April 10 (Tuesday): [Lab0] Orientation to GIS Lab & Introduction to ArcGIS

*The schedule is only estimation, subject to change. Please monitor how class progresses. Some event is graded, not to be missed.

II. How is the world digitally encoded?

When: April 12, 17, 19, 24

Reading: Longley section 3.1-3.7, section 8.1- 8.2.3, section 10.1-10.4

Topics:

Geographic representation (chapter 3 and 8)

▪ What is geographic representation?

▪ Conceptual Data Model (spatial data model): object versus field

▪ Logical Data Model (spatial data structure): vector versus raster

Database management (chapter 10)

▪ Advantage of Database Approach

▪ Evolution of Database Models

▪ Relational Database

▪ Database Normalization

▪ SQL (Structured Query Language)

Events:

▪ April 17 (Tuesday): [Lab1] Explore data in ArcGIS

▪ April 19 (Thursday): Group activity on drawing logical database schema

▪ April 24 (Tuesday): [Project] Data normalization – this contains the first part of lab instructions required to complete your final project

III. How is location on the Earth’s surface specified?

When: April 26, May 1, May 3

Reading: Longley section 5.1-5.4, Kimering chapter 1 (available on the blackboard), Longley section 5.7

Topics:

▪ Defining Georeferencing

▪ Classifying Georeferencing

▪ Earth Coordinates (Kimering chapter 1)

▪ Map Projections

▪ Coordinate Systems

Events:

▪ May 1 (Tuesday): [Ex2] Read coordinates with GPS receivers.

▪ May 3 (Thursday): [Project] Geocoding – this contains the second part of lab instructions required to complete your final project

IV. What is map, and how is map made & designed?

When: May 8, May 10, May 15

Reading: Kimering et al Introduction to map (available on the blackboard), Slocum et al chapter 4 principles of symbolization (available on the blackboard)

Topics:

▪ Introduction to map

▪ Four quantitative thematic mapping techniques

▪ Choosing mapping techniques

▪ Choosing map symbols (or visual variables)

▪ Organizing map elements

Events:

▪ May 10: Group activity on visual variables with CIA maps

▪ May 15: [Lab2] Design thematic maps on your own

V. How are geographic problems analyzed in GIS?

When: May 17, May 22, May 24

Reading: Longley section 14.1 – 14.4.4.2

Topics:

▪ Geographic problems and spatial analysis

▪ Classifying methods of spatial analysis

▪ Spatial Overlay

▪ Buffering

▪ Spatial Interpolation

▪ Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA)

Events:

▪ May 22: [Ex3] Be an analytical thinker with GIS.

▪ May 24: [Lab3] Create a 3-dimensional map

VI. How is geospatial data collected?

When: May 29

Reading: Longley section 9.1 - 9.2

Topics:

▪ Overview of Data Collection Methods

▪ Raster data capture: Remote Sensing

▪ Vector data capture: Ground surveying & Global Positioning System (GPS)

No event is scheduled

Summary of Tentative Schedules by Week

|Wk |Day |Topics |Reading* |

|0 |3/29 |Course overview |Syllabus |

|1 |4/3 |Introduction to GIS & GIS Application |L1, L2 |

| |4/5 |Ex1: Write essay on GIS case study |Handout |

|2 |4/10 |Lab0: Orientation to GIS Lab & Introduction to ArcGIS |Handout |

| |4/12 |Geographic representation |L3, L8 |

|3 |4/17 |Lab1: Explore data in ArcGIS |G1 |

| |4/19 |Database management |L10 |

|4 |4/24 |Project: Overview & Data normalization |Handout |

| |4/26 |Georeferencing |L5, K1 |

|5 |5/1 |Ex2: Read coordinates with GPS receivers |Handout |

| |5/3 |Project: Geocoding |Handout |

|6 |5/8 |Introduction to map |K0 |

| |5/10 |Principles of map symbolization |S4 |

|7 |5/15 |Lab2: Design thematic maps |G2,3 |

| |5/17 |Methods of spatial analysis |L14 |

|8 |5/22 |Ex3: Be an analytical thinker (spatial analysis) |Handout |

| |5/24 |Lab3: Make 3D maps |Handout |

|9 |5/29 |Spatial data collection |L9 |

| |5/31 |Project support | |

|10 |6/5 |Test (meet in GIS lab) | |

|11 |6/12 |Project due: Turn in a final report by 5pm through digital dropbox on the Blackboard | |

*A naming convention of this column: the letter at the first digit refers to a reference (listed below) and the number after the letter refers to the chapter of the reference. If the reading comes from sources other than text, it is available in pdf file on the blackboard – course documents.

References

▪ [L#] The required text or Longley et al., 2005

▪ [G#] The recommended text or Gorr and Kurland 2005

▪ [K1] Chapter 1: Earth coordinates. In: Map Use: Reading, Analysis, Interpretation by Kimerling et al, 2005, JP Publications, p. 20-32

▪ [K0] Introduction to map. In: Map Use: Reading, Analysis, Interpretation by Kimerling et al, 2005, JP Publications, p. 2-16

▪ [S4] Chapter 4: Principles of symbolization, In: Thematic Cartography and Geographic Visualization by Slocum et al, 2005, Pearson Prentice Hall, p. 56-73

8. Miscellanesous

8.1 GIS Lab

▪ Where: Schmitz Academic Center (SAC) 224

▪ Equipments: 28 workstations (including one in the podium), 1 printer, 1 plotter

▪ Printing policy: Students can print out up to 100 pages upon DePaul ID verification

▪ GIS software installed: ArcGIS 9.2 (the version of ArcGIS is ArcView).

▪ Operation hours: 9-9 M-Th, 9-5 F, and 12-4 Sat/Sun

▪ Access policy: Students can use equipments in GIS lab during operation hours. However, GIS lab is occasionally occupied by quantitative reasoning class. Therefore, students are advised to refer to the schedule posted on the door before scheduling the visit for the sake of time. The schedule is enclosed in Section 8.3 of this document also. When GIS lab is locked during operation hours, see a staff at Quantitative Reasoning Center (QRC) located at Schmitt Academic Center 268. The staff will let you in. QRC is operated during the same hours as a GIS lab.

▪ If you have any technical difficulties in GIS lab (for instance, access to G or X drive, errors in printing account), please don’t hesitate to let us know. Most of the time problems will be best addressed by lab manager, Jennifer Galka. Her contact is (773) 325-4663. Her e-mail address is JGALKA1@depaul.edu. Her office is located in QRC (SAC 268).

8.2 ArcGIS (GIS Software)

✓ ArcGIS is installed in GIS lab and Quantitative Reasoning Center (SAC 268) ONLY, meaning that this software is not available elsewhere

✓ If you would like to run ArcGIS 9.2 in your computer, you can order free 60-day evaluation copy at . The CD will be delivered to you at no cost. Expect more than two weeks to receive the CD.

✓ The recommended text “GIS tutorial” comes with a copy of ArcGIS 9.0 which is good for 180 days.

8.3 SAC 224 (GIS Lab) Schedule – Spring07

Monday/Wednesday/Friday

|9:00 – 10:50 |Open |

|10:50 – 11:50 |Professor Connor |

|12:00 – 2:20 |Open |

|2:20 – 3:20 |Professor Amezziane |

|3:30 – 5:00 |GIS class |

|5:00 – 9:00 |Open Mon & Wed |

Tuesday/Thursday

|8:30 – 10:00 |Professor Jacobson |

|10:10 – 1:20 |GIS Classes |

|1:30 – 3:00 |Professor Markunas |

|3:10 – 4:40 |GIS Class |

|4:40 – 5:45 |Open |

|5:45 – 9 |Open Thursday only |

Saturday/Sunday: 12-4pm Open

8.4 Grading Scale

Points earned Letter grade

93-100 points A

90-92.99 points A-

87-89.99 points B+

83-86.99 points B

80-82.99 points B-

70-79.99 points C

60-69.99 points D

9. Academic Integrity

Work done for this course must adhere to the University Academic Integrity Policy, which you can review in the Student Handbook or by visiting .

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