Introduction to Geographic Information Systems/ Science

Lectures: Tuesday. / Thursday. 11:00am - 11:50am,  Storm Hall 248
Lab:  Section 1: Tuesday. 12:30pm - 3:10pm
        Section 2: Thursday. 12:30pm - 3:10pm
Lab room: Storm Hall 338

Overview:  This course is designed to demonstrate interdisciplinary features in Geographic Information Systems (GISystems), which involves geography, cartography, computer science, and remote sensing.  The lectures and lab exercises will provide an introductory knowledge of GIScience and a balance among spatial analysis theory, computer technology, and GISystems techniques. Students will learn how to get spatial data into the computer, to organize data so that spatial patterns can be explored, and to learn basic GIS concepts such as query and map overlay.  In addition to the basic training of GIS software and techniques, the major goals of this class are to:

1. Communicate with GIS professionals and specialists regarding both theoretical and technical issues.

2. Work in groups to conduct GIS projects, which reflects the current GIS industry tasks.

3. Encourage students to focus on critical thinking, to learn the non-objective aspect of GIS, and to prevent the misuse of GIS.

Prerequisites:  Three units from Geography 380, 381, 488, or from computer programming.  Students should have basic understanding of Cartography or some experiences in using computer software.

Required Textbooks:

1. Michael DeMers (2000).  Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems, (Second Edition), New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

2. Tim Ormsby, et. al, (2001). Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop: Basics of ArcView, ArcEditor, and ArcInfo. ESRI Press.

Additional reading and lecture notes will be available from the Geography Department Reading Room (Storm Hall 319).

Lectures:  Lecture sessions emphasize the principles and concepts of GISystems, including spatial analysis theory, GIS operations, and computer technology.

Labs Exercise:  Students must register one of lab sessions, meeting every week.  Lab exercises focus on the training of GISystems skills, basically followed by the ESRI’s Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop.  Students are required to attend full lab periods to receive a passing grade.  To encourage good attendance, students must sign-in for each lab session.  Two points will be taken off the whole course final grade for each missed lab.  Lab assignments are due at the beginning of the lab session on date it is due.  Late assignments will be docked 20% per day, beginning effective on the due date.  Students must hand in all assignments by noon Friday, December 12, 2003 to receive a passing grade regardless of how many points have been docked.

Grading:          Class participation (lectures): 5%;       Lab exercises: 50%; 

                        Midterm Exam: 20%;                           Final project: 25%

3-4 students will form a "project team" after the mid-term exam, and choose a possible GIS research topic. (four possible topics are listed next). Each team will select a team coordinator, who will coordinate the work plan of the GIS project. Each team will submit their progress report each week after the mid-term exam. At the end of semester, each team has to submit a "GIS project report" in paper format and present it in front of the class as the final exam. The paper should include two parts:

Group report (10-15 pages, double space):

Individual report (3-5 pages, double space):

Detail descriptions of Final project will be mentioned later before the mid-term exam. Here are some possible research topics:

1. Site Selection for a new San Diego International Airport.
2. Site Selection for a new football stadium.
3. Design a new route for the Trolley System in San Diego.
4. Design a one-day Trolley tour in San Diego.

Additional Readings:

1. Abler, R. F. (1987). The National Science Foundation National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis. International Journal of Geographical Information Systems, 1(4), pp. 303-326.
2. Buttenfield, B. P. (1996). Scientific Visualization for Environmental Modeling: Interactive and Proactive Graphics. In M. F. Goodchild et al. (editors), GIS and Environmental Modeling. Fort Collins, Colorado: GIS World Books. pp. 463-469.
3. Coppock, J. T., & Rhind, D. W. (1991). The History of GIS. In D. J. Maguire, M. F. Goodchild, & D. W. Rhind (editors), Geographical Information Systems: Principles and Applications (Vol. 1). Harlow, U.K.: Longman Group. pp. 21-43.
4. Goodchild, M. F. (1990). Keynote Address: Spatial Information Science. In Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Spatial Data Handling, Zurich, Switzerland. pp. 3-12.
5. Fabrikant, S. I. (2000). Spatialized Browsing in Large Data Archives. Transactions in GIS, vol. 4, no. 1: 65-78.
6. Sinton, D. F. (1978). The inherent structure of information as a constraint to analysis: mapped thematic data as a case study. In G. H. Dutton (editor), Harvard Papers on Geographic Information Systems (Vol. 7). Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley. pp. 1-17
7. Steinitz, C., Parker, P., & Jordon, L. (1976). Hand-Draw Overlays: Their History and Prospective Use. Landscape Architecture, September, pp. 444-445.
8. Tsou, M. -H., & Buttenfield, B. P. (1996). A Direct Manipulation Interface for Geographical Information Processing. In Proceedings of the 7th International Symposium on Spatial Data Handling, Delft, The Netherlands. IGU: 13B.37-13B.47.

9. Tsou, M.H. and Buttenfield, B.P. (2002). A Dynamic Architecture for Distributed Geographic Information Services. Transactions in GIS.  6(4): 355-381.  (In Reading room only)

10. Wright, D. J., Goodchild, M. F. and Proctor, J.D. (1997) Demystifying the Persistent Ambiguity of GIS as Tool Versus Science. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 87(2), pp.346-362.

Last updated: August 31, 2001.