This is the midterm exam for GTECH 201 and here are the ...



This is the midterm exam for GTECH 201 and here are the rules for sitting the exam:

1. Write your full name right here:

2. Make sure that you save regularly. “Lost files” are not an accepted excuse

3. In the following multiple choice questions, mark what you believe is the correct answer by replacing the checkbox ‘□’ with a capital ‘X’

4. You submit this document as an email attachment to Jochen. Use your preferred email provider (Hunter, AOL, Yahoo, whatever) and send a copy to jochen@hunter.cuny.edu as well as to yourself. The latter is your only insurance in case I do not receive your submission! Make sure that your email inbox is not full because if you don’t have the copy of the original email then there is no way for you to resubmit.

5. Again: save regularly

6. Good luck!

|Typical false color images show the color red assigned to what portion of the electromagnetic spectrum? |

|□ |Ultraviolet |

|□ |Green |

|□ |Red |

|□ |Infrared |

|□ |Thermal Infrared |

|Which of the following image characteristics determine the smallest object that can be recognized? |

|□ |Scale |

|□ |Shape |

|□ |Spatial resolution |

|□ |Spectral resolution |

|□ |Location |

|What color is vegetation on a typical false color image? |

|□ |Red |

|□ |Orange |

|□ |Yellow |

|□ |Green |

|□ |Blue |

|Which of the following statements is wrong? |

|□ |Data and programs are structurally the same; they are bits and bytes stored on a computer |

|□ |Data are a special kind of program that other programs work with |

|□ |We tell Unix to interpret data as programs by setting the ‘executable’ file permission |

|□ |Data are what programs work with, what they act on or are applied to |

|□ |All programs are data but not all data are programs |

|The file permission 645 says |

|□ |Owner can read, write, and execute, group can write, world can read and execute |

|□ |Owner can write and execute, group can read, world can read and write |

|□ |Owner can read, write and execute, group can just read, and world can read and execute |

|□ |Owner can read and write, group can read and execute, and world can write and execute |

|□ |Owner can read and write, group can just read, and world can read and execute |

|All of the following statements about programs are true except one. Which is the incorrect statement? |

|□ |Programs are instructions that tell the computer what to do |

|□ |Programs can be written in plain English |

|□ |Regardless of the programming language, programs are processed as a series of binary values (0’s and 1’s) |

|□ |Programs can be interactive or run just by themselves |

|□ |Ms Windows recognizes programs by the file extension (.exe, .com, .bat) |

|All of the following are operating systems, except one. Which one does not fit here? |

|□ |Linux |

|□ |OS X |

|□ |MS DOS |

|□ |MS Excel |

|□ |MS Windows |

|Windows XP is a multi-user operating system |

|□ |True |

|□ |False |

|Programs can be started from all of the following except |

|□ |Start menu |

|□ |Quick launch bar |

|□ |Task bar |

|□ |Desktop |

|□ |Windows Explorer |

|A lot of things can be found in a file folder or directory. What does not fit? |

|□ |Files |

|□ |Folders |

|□ |Programs |

|□ |Drives |

|□ |Data |

|Which of the following statements about files is incorrect? |

|□ |Files have a name and an extension |

|□ |The file extension tells us and Windows the purpose or use of the file |

|□ |File extensions typically have 3 characters but can have more |

|□ |Files of the same name and extension cannot exist in the same directory |

|□ |The file extension tells Unix the purpose or use of the file |

|Which of the following statements about directories is incorrect? |

|□ |Directory names have to be unique |

|□ |Directories can have directories, which can have directories |

|□ |Directory paths describe how to access a file relative to one’s current location or to the root directory |

|□ |Directories in a Windows path description are separated by a ‘\’ or backslash |

|□ |Directory names can have special characters such as ‘.’ or ‘&’ |

|Pick the correct phrase to complete the sentence “A megabyte is…” |

|□ |One million bytes |

|□ |One thousand kilobytes |

|□ |Enough to store 1,000 average-length plain email messages |

|□ |1,024 bytes |

|□ |The size of a typical remotely-sensed image |

|Which of the following statements is incorrect? |

|□ |The Internet is a network of computer networks |

|□ |The Internet supports different protocols such as http, ftp, email |

|□ |Internet addresses are hierarchically organized using backslashes just like directory paths |

|□ |Domain names tell us about the purpose the same way that file extensions tell us about a file’s purpose |

|□ |Domain names can be replaced by IP addresses |

|To secure our geography website, you cannot set links to web pages outside the geography department from within your public_html directory |

|□ |True |

|□ |False |

|A measurement … |

|□ |Is number-based (measuring means being able to count units) |

|□ |Is the recording of a score for an element or instance of a variable |

|□ |Requires the use of raw variables |

|□ |Always has a location and a timestamp |

|□ |If well-conducted, describes the element completely |

|A derived variable … |

|□ |Is not a measurement but a calculation |

|□ |Is, by definition, secondary data |

|□ |Is a measurement in relation to another |

|□ |Can, or better, should not be used in conjunction with another derived variable |

|□ |Is inferior to a raw variable because it is a measurement that has already been manipulated |

|A tally of age groups among GTECH 201 students is … |

|□ |Nominal |

|□ |Ordinal |

|□ |Balance |

|□ |Interval |

|□ |Ratio |

|Measurements of tidal gauges are … |

|□ |Nominal |

|□ |Ordinal |

|□ |Balance |

|□ |Interval |

|□ |Ratio |

|A geographic data structure in its most elementary form consists of |

|□ |Points, lines, and polygons |

|□ |Either raster or vector data |

|□ |Geometries and a reference system that links these geometries to points on the Earth’s surface |

|□ |Coordinates |

|□ |Matrix (spreadsheet) of rows of records with spatial, temporal, and other attributes |

|In MS Excel, the intersection between a row and a column is called |

|□ |Data |

|□ |A field |

|□ |A cell |

|□ |An equation |

|□ |A pixel |

|All of the following statements are true, except one. Pick the wrong answer. |

|□ |A spatial reference is another word for a x,y or x,y,z coordinate |

|□ |A spatial reference can be explicit or implicit (direct or indirect) |

|□ |A spatial reference can be absolute or relative |

|□ |A spatial reference tells us where on the Earth’s surface a particular geometry is referring to |

|□ |A spatial reference links map coordinates with geographic coordinates |

|There are three types of data found in a spreadsheet. |

|□ |Data, words, and numbers |

|□ |Equations, data and numbers |

|□ |Words, numbers and labels |

|□ |Numbers, formulas and labels |

|□ |Numbers, dates, and text |

|All of the following statements are true, except one. Pick the wrong answer. |

|□ |Geostatistical data is based on a continuous model of space |

|□ |Geostatistical data consists of samples taken at fixed locations |

|□ |Geostatistical data is the results of statistical analysis and hence not truly measured data |

|□ |Geostatistical data is point data, where the points are supposed to be representative for their neighbors |

|□ |Geostatistical data assumes the applicability of Tobler’s First Law of Geography |

|Pick the correct completion of the sentence starting with “A lattice …” |

|□ |Is a regular dissection of space |

|□ |Can only be applied to polygon data |

|□ |Consists of non-overlapping areas |

|□ |Is a special kind of vector adapt for 3-dimensional objects |

|□ |Describes the fill pattern of polygons on a map |

|On a GIS map, how can geographic objects be represented? By |

|□ |Points |

|□ |Lines |

|□ |Polygons |

|□ |All of the above |

|□ |Pixels |

|Raster data … |

|□ |Consists of many individual regularly spaced points that each are representative for their neighborhood |

|□ |Is the result of interactive digitizing, either on-screen or using a digitizer |

|□ |Is the preferred option to store geographic features with well-defined boundaries |

|□ |Is good for minimal disk space usage because we don’t need to store each individual coordinate |

|□ |Is the preferred option for GIS applications that deal with man-made rather than natural features |

|In geography (as opposed to geographic information science), we are mainly concerned with |

|□ |Spatial modeling |

|□ |Conceptual modeling |

|□ |Logical data modeling |

|□ |Physical data modeling |

|□ |Implementation |

|The geo-relational principle … |

|□ |Describes the link between geographic and map data |

|□ |Underlies all spatial relationships (e.g., adjacency, containment, intersection, etc.) |

|□ |Forms the basis of most commercial database management systems |

|□ |Links geographic locations with attributes describing what can be found at these locations |

|□ |Says that ”everything is related to everything else, but things closer to each other in geographic space are also more closely related with |

| |respect to their attributes” |

|Pick the one correct completion among the following. “Geographic features … |

|□ |And map features are the same |

|□ |Can be represented by different map features, which however must all be of the same geometry type |

|□ |Can be represented by different map features of different geometry types |

|□ |Have Cartesian coordinates |

|□ |Must have a name |

|Pick the wrong statement |

|□ |Metadata is data about data |

|□ |Metadata is automatically created and maintained in ArcGIS |

|□ |Metadata helps us to identify/understand data in old projects or data compiled by others |

|□ |Metadata has many aspects and covers the whole range of spatial, temporal, and attribute components of geographic data |

| |Metadata is that part of a dataset that cannot be trusted; e.g. the noise in GPS data is metadata |

|□ | |

|A datum that is accurate for North America is likely to be accurate for Europe |

|□ |True |

|□ |False |

|All of the following statements are true about a datum, except one. Which one? |

|□ |A datum defines the origin of a geographic coordinate system |

|□ |A datum specifies the location where the spheroid touches the earth's surface |

|□ |A datum specifies which spheroid is being used |

|□ |A datum specifies the origin of a Cartesian coordinate system |

|Examine the map below. What type of surface is the map |[pic] |

|projection based on? | |

|□ |Cone | |

|□ |Cylinder | |

|□ |Plane | |

|□ |Sphere | |

|Suppose you wrap a cylinder around the earth so that it touches along the equator. Then, you project a light source through the globe onto the |

|cylinder. Which of the following statements best describes the resulting map? |

|□ |The map will be accurate in the equatorial zone |

|□ |The map will be accurate in the mid-latitude zone |

|□ |The map will be accurate in the polar region |

|□ |The map will not be accurate in any zone |

|When you want to use a dataset that has an unknown spatial reference, you should try to track down the source of the data to find out what the |

|coordinate system is |

|□ |True |

|□ |False |

|All the following statements are correct, except one. Pick the wrong sentence completion. “In surveying, … |

|□ |The goal is to determine locations near the surface of the earth |

|□ |Positional accuracy is usually of higher importance than it is in geography |

|□ |We use a combination of distance and angle from a known point to determine unknown locations |

|□ |The common use of GPS has rendered the profession of surveyors obsolete |

|□ |We face the challenge of linking local with regional and national surveys |

|The use of instruments called digitizers has diminished because |

|□ |They proved to be hazardous with all the electrical currents constantly running through them |

|□ |They are bulky and similarly unwieldy as globes |

|□ |On-screen digitizing is far more comfortable |

|□ |Scanners to their job now automatically |

|□ |The manufacturers Calcomp and Summagraphics started a ruinous competition that killed the competition |

|In georeferencing |

|□ |We locate coordinates for street addresses |

|□ |We need at least four well-known points |

|□ |We tell the computer which table coordinate is supposed to represent which real world coordinate |

|□ |We use GPS to find our locations |

|□ |Move reference points around until we have a somewhat decent fit with other data already loaded |

|Point-mode digitizing |

|□ |Creates many redundant points |

|□ |Is mainly used for capturing man-made phenomena |

|□ |Is rarely used because every point has to be explicitly digitized, which is very tedious |

|□ |Is more accurate because the person entering the data can immediately correct cartographic errors |

|□ |Is inferior to stream-mode digitizing, where the computer generates most points intelligently |

|Identify the wrong statement |

|□ |Scanning creates large amounts of “dumb data” |

|□ |Scanned data has contains no geographic features |

|□ |Scanned data can be useful as contextual background information |

|□ |Scanner resolutions these days are good enough for most geographic applications |

|□ |Scanning has all but replaced manual or interactive digitizing |

|For proper 4-dimensional GPS reception, we need at least |

|□ |1 satellite and high GDOP |

|□ |2 satellites |

|□ |3 satellites |

|□ |4 satellites |

|□ |5 satellites |

|All but one of the following statements are correct. Pick the wrong one. “GPS receivers… |

|□ |Need either a good internal clock or the ability to read the current time from an Internet server |

|□ |That cost less than $200 are hardly better than a compass |

|□ |Have problems in mountains, tunnels and caves |

|□ |Work only at daytime – atmospheric distortions are too big at night |

|□ |Require a second unit at a base station to achieve sub-meter accuracy |

|Unofficial secondary data |

|□ |Is unreliable |

|□ |Is cheaper than official data |

|□ |That comes from research reports is usually extremely well documented |

|□ |Grows in market share on the national geodata market |

|□ |Is by definition biased because there is always somebody, who paid for its creation |

|All but one of the following statements are correct. Pick the wrong one. “A good source for geophysical data |

|□ |Is USGS |

|□ |Is NOAA |

|□ |Is NASA |

|□ |Is FDA |

|□ |Is EPA |

|Census data is a great geographic resource because |

|□ |US Census was instrumental in the invention of GIS |

|□ |It is indexed by geographic location |

|□ |It contains so many geographic variables |

|□ |They hired so many geographers as full-time employees |

|□ |It is a complete (100%) dataset |

This completes this midterm exam. If you have time left, remember that you have two full hours), then I recommend that you rest for a minute or two and then go over the questions again to make sure that you interpreted the question correctly – even on second sight/thought.

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