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FOR/GGR
525: GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS SYLLABUS
Instructor: Dr. Samantha Arundel, Department of Geography and Public Planning
Time/day: Spring 2003,
Lecture TTH 8:00-9:15 am. Labs T 4-6:30 or TH 5:30-8:00 pm
Classroom: Bldg. 82,
CESM, Rm 34
Office: CESM 212 E-mail:
sam.arundel@nau.edu
Office hours: TBA
Lab TAs:
Kerstin
Stanford (Tuesday) and John
Cornell (Thursday)
Classroom: Bldg. 82,
CESM, Rm 034 (GIS Teaching Lab)
Office: 103 (Kerstin)
and 104A (John).
Office hours:
Kerstin - T TH 1-2
John - F 1-3 pm
Please put the term FOR/GGR 525 in the subject heading of any
e-mail directed to me about this course.
THE COURSEPAGE FOR THIS CLASS IS AT: www.geog.nau.edu/courses/sa26/for525
RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITES
It is recommended that
the student possess a basic understanding of general computer systems and
their functions. Students will experience a higher sense of achievement
if they have any of the following: Cartography or computer cartography;
any algebra, analytic geometry or trigonometry; any introductory statistics
course; and any computer related courses, especially operating systems,
applications or programming.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Societies
in general are becoming keenly aware of the need to manage information
from a geographic perspective. This awareness has been brought about by
the twentieth-century trends toward a global community and economy. At
the same time, the often negative impact of advancing technology has shown
the need for wise management of the earth's resources. Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) provide the tools to help meet these challenges.
The course
is divided between a lecture period and a laboratory period. The lecture
portion of the course will be conducted partly in a seminar fashion, to
achieve the research agenda of the course. Model proposals, group problem-solving,
and presentations of models fill this portion. The major themes will consist
of: GIS conceptual framework, the ArcInfo data model, and solving specific
spatial problems with GIS.
The
laboratory portion of the course is designed as a tutorial and will
take the student step-by-step through a prepared, natural resource-based
project and an individual model. The laboratory will make it possible for
the student to complete the lecture portion of the course, and vice versa.
The laboratory begins the first week of class. You must attend your
registered lab unless other arrangements are made with the lab instructor.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. The student will receive
a somewhat applied overview of Geographic Information Systems as related
to ArcInfo (ESRI, Redlands, CA).
2. The student will learn
to apply GIS to the input, manipulation, analysis, and cartographic output
of spatial data.
3. The student will understand
how to conduct geographic research within a GIS framework.
4. The student will gain
a broad understanding of the GIS conceptual framework, the ArcInfo data
model, and solving specific spatial problems with GIS.
5. In the laboratory portion
of the course, the student will also learn technical skills for working
with the ArcInfo software.
TEXT AND MATERIALS
There are no required texts for this course, but I will be
suggesting some books that are geared towards different levels of knowledge and
experience.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND
GRADING
1. Laboratory - (50%
of total grade) 500 pts
Attendance - 25%
- lab attendance is mandatory. 125 pts
Flow Chart - 25%
- due 10th week. 125 pts
Final Model - 50%
- due beginning of 15th week. 250 pts
2. Lecture - (50%
of total grade) 500 pts
Topic Presentation
- 60% The Topic question, and answer, will be presented in a professional,
but entertaining, manner to the class on the date. 300 pts
Quizzes - 20%
Students will be quizzed periodically over material presented in lecture.
100 pts
Participation - 20%
Participation based on attendance. 100 pts
LOGIN ACCOUNTS
Each student will obtain a login account on
the NT network, the first week of class, if the instructor hadn't already
secured one by the first class period. Login accounts may be obtained from
outside the administrator's office, Rm 111 (next to the graduate computer
lab). Be sure to fill in the account information carefully and indicate
that you want both a PC and Unix account. Labs are held in the graduate
computer lab.
POLICIES
I will hold all exams and papers for one year. If your computed score is
one point below a grade threshold (e.g., 79%), you will receive the higher
grade if all assignments were completed in a timely and professional manner.
Final grades will not be posted nor will they be given over the phone.
Students who wish to know their final grade may bring a stamped self-addressed
envelope or postcard to the final class meeting which will be Wednesday
of the 15th week (reading week). It will be mailed as soon as the final
grade is computed. If you miss a lecture or
laboratory session due to illness, injury, or family emergency, you must
provide documentation to verify the legitimacy of your absence. Make-up
exams or laboratory exercises will be scheduled at my or the lab instructor's
discretion. Read NAU's
policies.
NOTES
We will be completing on-line exercises that
will help prepare you for completing the final model. Please do not
skip parts because they seem unimportant, difficult to understand, or
boring. This will result in you falling behind and you will receive
less benefit from the course.
INCOMPLETES
There
is adequate time to perform all necessary work to complete the model assignment,
assuming that labs are attended and the work is
completed in the time-frame set out in the exercises. If you do not
keep up with the labs, you will very likely find yourself without enough
time at the end of the semester to finish your model. If this is
the case, the highest grade you will be able to earn in this class is a
B.
COURSE SCHEDULE -
The following schedule is a guideline only and is subject to change.
| Lecture Period Discussion |
| Wk 1: Intro to Course and GIS. |
| Wk 2: Defining GIS, some history of the discipline and ESRI. Assign pairs and topics. |
| Wk 3: The endless GIS grid. GIS data Types. Discuss the Final Model. |
| Wk 4: Database models. Working with attributes. |
| Wk 5: Geoprocessing. Discuss the Final Model again. |
| Wk 6: Overlay analysis. |
| Wk 7: Discuss model. Announce Model Choices. |
| Wk 8: No Lecture - AAG Meeting in New Orleans - Labs still meet |
| Wk 9: Tuesday: Presentation of topics 1 and 2. Thursday: Discuss model. |
| Wk 10: Tuesday: Presentation of topics 3 and 4. Thursday: Discuss model. |
| Wk 11: Tuesday: Presentation of topics 5 and 6. Thursday: Model Specifics: Weighting and classifying. |
| Wk 12: Tuesday: Presentation of topics 7 and 8. Thursday: Model Specifics: Customizing A/I. |
| Wk 13: Tuesday: Presentation of topics 9 and 10. Thursday: Model Specifics: Iterations. |
| Wk 14: Tuesday: Presentation of topics 11 and 12. Thursday: Model Specifics: Making and plotting maps. |
| Wk 15: Open Lab |
| Wk 16: Final Exam Week |