GEOG 3053, Cartography 1: Visualization and Information Design

Dr. Kenneth E. Foote, Instructor

Office Hours: 10-11 MWF or by appt. in Guggenheim 102-B, Phone: (303) 492-6760, E-mail: k.foote@colorado.edu

Erin Heithoff, Teaching Assistant

Office Hours: 1-2 T, 10:30-11:30 R in KEDSA Lab, E-mail: Erin.Heithoff@colorado.edu

Overview

Thematic mapping underlies most of geographic information science (GIScience). Maps are used to explore environmental data, perform spatial analysis, and present results. This course provides a technical introduction to thematic mapping and information design. Lectures will cover principles of scientific visualization, graphical design and mapping for GIS. In labs, you will design maps using desktop publishing techniques (FreeHand, PhotoShop, ArcView and other software). By the end of this course, you will be capable to produce high quality cartographic displays, to scan images, and to process geographic data for GIS mapping.

Prerequisites: Some prior experience with computing. This course continues the undergraduate cartography sequence (Maps and Mapping, GEOG 2053 provides an overview of mapping science techniques). GEOG 3053 is a prerequisite for the Geography GIS courses and for Cartography 2: Interactive and Multimedia Mapping..

Grading

A total of 150 points may be earned. A series of exercises will be assigned in lab, which (taken as a group) will count for 100 points. All lab assignments must be handed in before the last day of class to receive a passing grade. Two closed book essay exams will focus on the readings, and count for an additional 25 points apiece (50 points total). Class exercises, due dates and exams are in the online schedule.

The grading rubric for lab exercises is available here .

Late Policy: Assignment due dates are listed in schedule. Twenty percent will be taken off for each weekday for which a lab assignment is late. All exercises and late exercises must be handed in before the last class period to receive a passing grade, regardless of how many points have been taken off for tardiness. In case of a medical or family emergency, see Dr. Foote to reschedule due dates. All medical and family emergencies must be documented in writing.

Academic Dishonesty: It is my policy in all my classes to penalize with course failure anyone who engages in "academic dishonesty." Academic dishonesty includes, among other offenses, plagiarism of the writing of others, cheating on exams, falsification and fabrication of data, and submitting the assignments or papers of others as your own.

Lab Meetings and Attendence

The real key to learning map design lies in working with other students, and discussing specific problems as a group. Students will present their designs visually and orally during lab for critique and discussion. Past experience demonstrates that this sort of dialog does not succeed unless all students attend the full lab period. To insure this, attendance in labs is required. Four points will be taken off the final grade for each lab period a student does not attend. Attendance at lectures is not required; however students are responsible for any material, information or announcements made in lecture, whether or not they attend.

Textbooks

Required textbooks:

Dent, Borden D. Cartography: Thematic Map Design , 5th ed. Dubuque, Iowa: W.C.B-McGraw Hill. Available at UMC Bookstore, the publishers' Web pages, or online bookstores such as http://www.amazon.com/ or http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
Xeroxed readings will be placed on reserve in the Earth Sciences Library.

Optional textbooks and instructional manuals:

Excellent training materials are available for all of the software systems we will be using during the semester. If you feel you would like additional materials, you might search the Web and local bookstores. For example, recent ArcView training materials include:

Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI). 1999. Getting to Know ArcView GIS 3.2. Redlands, CA: ESRI Press. This book comes with a trial copy of ArcView and a discount coupon for purchasing ArcView.
Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI). 1999. Getting to Know ArcView GIS 3.2. An online course offered through ESRI's Virtual Campus. Visit the Virtual Campus ( http://campus.esri.com/ ) at ESRI for more information. If you register for this or other courses you are provided with an instructional copy of ArcView.
Hutchinson, Scott and Larry Daniel. 1996. Inside ArcView GIS, 2nd ed. Sante Fe, NM: OnWord Press. URL: http://www.onwordpress.com/

Required Supplies

During the course of the semester you will need to purchase $20-30 in computer supplies for the laboratory exercises. You will need to buy at least two Iomega 100 megabyte ZIP disks, perhaps a third for backup. These need to be purchased immediately for use in the second week of class.

Identikey, Internet Access and E-mail

You will be making extensive use of the Geography Department's KESDA computer lab, the Internet, Worldwide Web, and E-mail. Be sure that you have a valid CU Identikey password and working email account. For more information see:

1) IDENTIKEY: A Quick Start for Computer Users (http://www.colorado.edu/CNS/docs/identikey/)
2) Getting Started with Campus Technology (http://www.colorado.edu/ITS/gettingstarted/)

Laboratory Access and Use

The course requires you to spend time working in the department's KESDA computer lab (Guggenheim 6). You should plan to spend at least 4-5 hours in the laboratory every week, in addition to your time in lab/recitation. Please study the guidelines for using the computer laboratory which are available online . These rules will be enforced strictly during the semester and their violation will result in loss of laboratory privileges.

Disabilities Assistance

Any student eligible for and needing academic adjustments or accommodations because of a disability is requested to speak to Professor Foote no later than the end of the second full week of classes.

The College will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Students should notify the Counselor for Students with Disabilities, Disability Services Office, located in Willard 322 (phone 303-492-8671) and their instructors of any special needs. If you have specific physical, psychiatric, or learning disabilities and require accommodations, please let me know early in the semester so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Disability Services Office in Willard 322 (phone 303-492-8671).

This University abides by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which stipulates that no student shall be denied the benefits of an education "solely by reason of a handicap." Disabilities covered by law include but are not limited to learning disabilities and hearing, sight or mobility impairments. If you have a disability that may have some impact on your work in this class and for which you may require accommodations, please see me or the Coordinator of Services to students with disabilities in the Disability Services Office, Willard 322 (phone 303-492-8671), so that such accommodations may be arranged.

I encourage students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury and attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, psychiatric disabilities, to discuss with me, after class or during my office hours, appropriate accommodations.

Religious Observances

If conflicts arise between class meetings, assignment deadlines, or examinations and holidays or celebrations observed by your religion, please notify me, Professor Foote, during the first two weeks of the semester so that suitable schedule accommodations can be made.

Last revised 2002.1.11. k.foote@colorado.edu.