Advanced Geographic Information Science

 

Geography 419.001

 

TR 2:00 – 3:15 pm

                                                                  R 3:30 – 5:10

 

Dr. Arthur J. Lembo, Jr.

Office Hours:

HS 157H                                                                                                                         MWF 8:00 – 10:00 am,

(410) 677-0140
ajlembo@salisbury.edu                                                                                                                                     

 

 

            Mitchell, A.  (2005).  The ESRI Guide to GIS Analysis, Volume 2:  Spatial Statistics & MeasurementsRedlands, CA:  ESRI Press.  ISBN 1-58948-116-X

 

            Zeiler, M.  (1999).  Modeling Our World:  The ESRI Guide to Geodatabase Design.  Redlands, CA:  ESRI Press.  ISBN 1-879102-62-5

 

Purpose:  The purpose of this course is to further students’ knowledge regarding geographic information science (GIScience) and geographic information systems (GIS).  It is assumed the student has mastered the principles of GIS as well as having some experience in statistics and computer programming.  The use of GIS for the mapping and analysis of spatial phenomena has never been more prevalent.  This widespread utilization has increased the demand for basic GIS users as well as people who understand the advanced intricacies of spatial data handling.  This course will provide that understanding by providing instruction on complex data issues, sophisticated spatial modeling procedures, and potential system pitfalls.  Upon the completion of this course, the student will be prepared to utilize GIS at an advanced level, either in a vocational or educational setting.

 

Attendance: “The faculty regards the classroom as the center of University life and students are expected to attend all classes (SU Undergraduate Catalog, pg. 73).” However, attendance will not be taken regularly.  A significant portion of the exams will be derived from class lectures and laboratory exercises make up a large portion of one’s final grade.  Thus, it is to the student’s advantage to attend.

 

Grading:  Grading will be based upon the student’s performance on two examinations, laboratory exercises, laboratory logs, a term project and the student’s level of professionalism.  The grading scale will be the standard 90%=A, 80%=B system for each component.  Modification to raw exam grades will occur to correct for instrument bias.  No modifications or “curve” will be made to final grades.

 

Exams:  A total of three exams will be given: one mid-term lab exam, one mid-term lecture exam and one final lecture exam at the end of the semester.  The lecture exams will be comprised of short answer and essay questions and are cumulative.  The lab exam will be designed to test technical skills using ArcGIS 9.1 software.  The exams will occur according to the schedule included with this syllabus unless otherwise noted.  Students that are unable to take the exam at the scheduled time should contact me at least one week ahead of time.  Unscheduled make-up exams will only be given in extreme circumstances.

 

Laboratory Exercises:  Eight laboratory exercises will be conducted throughout the semester.  Each lab will consist of two parts.  The first part will be completed in-class on Wednesdays.  The second part of each lab will be assigned during that lab section and will ask each student to apply what he/she has learned during the tutorial.  This second part may be started during the Wednesday lab section but will be completed outside of official lab time.  Each lab will have specific tasks that must be accomplished and questions that must be answered.  Most labs are due at the beginning of class on the Wednesday following their assignment.  Some labs may be group exercises.

 

Laboratory Logs: The practice of geographic information systems is a science; experiments are devised, data collected, results generated, and conclusions made.  Any scientific study requires that detailed notes be kept to insure the repeatability of the experiment.  As more GIS studies are used to bolster legal arguments, the necessity of knowing exactly how a study took place increases in importance.  Therefore, students will be required to keep a log of all laboratory exercises.  The grades assigned for the lab log will be separate and distinct from the lab grades themselves.  Students will be given a score of 0 to 10 based on completeness, neatness, and repeatability potential.  Logs will not be examined every week.  Each student’s log will be examined randomly at least three times during the semester.

 

Final GIS Project: The student will complete a term project based on his/her area of interest and the knowledge and skills obtained through the lecture and lab portions of this course.  Term projects will entail taking a concept through the data collection, manipulation, analysis, and representation process crucial to using GIS. Students will present their results to the class during the last week of classes. More details will be given later.

 

Breakdown of Grade Weights:

 

                                    Mid-term Lab Exam                  7%

                                    Mid-term Lecture Exam            13%

                                    Final Lecture Exam                   20%

                                    Lab Exercises/Questions            35%

                                    Lab Logs                                  10%

                                    Final Project                              15%

 

Writing Across The Curriculum:  This course provides students with many opportunities to display their writing skill including lab exercises, written exams, and the final report summary.

 

At the University Writing Center at Herb’s Place (Guerrieri University Center, Room 213), trained consultants are ready to help you at any stage of the writing process. It is often helpful for writers to share their work with an attentive reader, and consultations allow writers to test and refine their ideas before having to hand papers in or to release documents to the public. In addition to the important writing instruction that occurs in the classroom and during office hours, the center offers another site for learning about writing. For more information about the writing center’s hours and policies, visit the writing center or its website at www.salisbury.edu/uwc.

 

Academic Integrity:  “The foremost virtue upon which the academic life is based is integrity, a faithful and persistent pursuit of the truth. Integrity is a principle which permeates all the activities of the University...  The spirit of academic integrity denotes adherence to the precept that ‘one's work is one's own.’ Academic misconduct is a breach of academic integrity which may include, but is not limited to, the following:

 

1.  Plagiarism - presenting as one's own work, whether literally or in paraphrase, the work of another.

2.  Cheating on exams, tests and quizzes-the wrongful giving or accepting of unauthorized assistance, the giving or taking of unauthorized exam material and/or the use of illegitimate sources of information.

3.  Illicit collaboration with other individuals in the completion of course assignments.

4.  The use of fraudulent methods in laboratory, studio, field or computer work.

5.  Other acts generally recognized as dishonorable which bear upon academic endeavors. . (2001-2003 SU Undergraduate Catalog, pg. 72).”

 

All acts compromising a student’s academic integrity will be dealt with appropriately according to the Undergraduate Catalog.
Lecture Schedule

 

Date                           Topic                                              Labs                   Readings

 

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Syllabus discussion and overview

 

 

Thursday, January 31, 2008

GIS data representations

The structure of GIS

 

Zeiler (3)

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Geographic data models

 

 

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Object Modeling / geodatabases

Lab 1:  Review of ArcGIS Basics

Zeiler (1)

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Walkthrough of building a geodatabase

 

 

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Making features “Smart” Continue geodatabase walkthrough;

Spatial database video

Lab 2:  Getting Real-World Data into GIS

Zeiler (5)

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Cartographic modeling

 

 

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Geodatabase Design

Cartographic modeling, model builder, spatial SQL example

Software data models

Lab 3:  Building Spatial Models

Zeiler (12)

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Spatial database design

 

 

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Spatial Algorithms

Vector functions

Lab 4Geodatabase Design

Supplemental

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Vector math

Computational geometry

 

 

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Vector math

Vector algorithms

Exam review

Lab 5:  Creation of a Geodatabase

 

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Vector demonstrations

Coordinate system adjustment)

Student guest presentation

 

 

Thursday, March 13, 2008

MidTerm

Lab Exam

 

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Class Cancelled – Spring Break

 

 

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Class Cancelled – Spring Break

 

 

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Cell-based Modeling with Rasters

 

Zeiler (9)

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Student presentations of geodatabase creation

Lab 6:  Cartographic Modeling

 

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Linear Modeling with Networks

 

 

Thursday, April 03, 2008

Practical considerations for networking

Lab 7:  Network Analysis

Zeiler (8)

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Advanced Spatial Analysis (identify spatial patterns)

 

Mitchell (1-3)

Thursday, April 10, 2008

NCUR presentations

Lab 8:  Spatial Statistics

Mitchell (1 – 3)

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Spatial autocorrelation

 

Mitchell (4)

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Spatial interpolation (Kriging)

Final Project

 

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

 Spatial interpolation continued

 

 

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Surface modeling with TINs

Final Project

Zeiler (10)

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

 Guest lecture

 

 

Thursday, May 01, 2008

 

Final Project

 

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Error and Accuracy

 

Supplemental

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Exam Review

Final Project

 

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Final Exam

Final Lab Exam

 

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Final Project Presentations (1:30 – 4 pm)

 

 

 

***Both schedules are very tentative.

Supplemental readings will be announced one week before scheduled lecture.