Courses : Syllabi : 104
Geography 104 Geographic Information Science and Spatial Reasoning
Instructor
Course Description
This course will introduce fundamental concepts of geographic information science (GIScience), including geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), cartography, remote sensing, and spatial statistics. Advanced geospatial application tools, such as Google Earth, Google Map, and the National Geographic Map Machine will be used to demonstrate these concepts. Students will learn how to use these geospatial technologies and tools in addressing human and environmental problems. Students will be able to organize geospatial data, visualize spatial patterns, and conduct basic spatial query and map overlay functions.
Prerequisites
Satisfaction of the Entry-Level Mathematics requirement (ELM).
Grading
Your grade in this course will be based on the following elements:
- Web Exercises: 40%
- Class participation (lectures): 10%
- Midterm: 20%
- Final Exam: 30%
This course will provide a series of web-based GIS exercises for students who may utilize any campus computers in public space or their home computers with high speed Internet access. Web-based assignments are due at the beginning of the lecture on the lab due day. Late submission will be docked 20% per day, and will be effective on the due date. This course also provides access to the Spatial Analysis Lab (SAL) for students who need to access high speed Internet.
Books and Materials
Longley, Paul A., Goodchild, Michael F., Maguire, David J., and David W. Rhind. 2005. Geographic Information Systems and Science (Second Edition), John Wiley and Sons, Toronto.
Additional readings as assigned.
Weekly Topics
| Week | Topic |
|---|---|
| Week One | Introduction Overview of GIScience |
| Week Two | Mapping the Earth Describing location |
| Week Three | Digital Globe Scale and Resolution |
| Week Four | GIS Movies |
| Week Five | Geo reference GPS introduction |
| Week Six | Sampling the Earth Basics of GIS |
| Week Seven | GIS data input Database Management |
| Week Eight | Internet and the Web GIS Intro Remote Sensing |
| Week Nine | Cartography (Exam review) Mid-term Exam |
| Week Ten | Remotely Sensed Imagery EMR interaction |
| Week Eleven | Visualization and Maps |
| Week Twelve | Spatial Analysis Spatial Statistic |
| Week Thirteen | Thanksgiving |
| Week Fourteen | GIS and Society |
| Week Fifteen | The future of Geospatial Technology |