The Geographer's Craft, Spring Schedule

The Geographer's Craft, Spring

This schedule will be revised in December 1999 for use during the semester of Spring 2000.

Click here to view the index of lecture and discussion notes, the menu of warmup exercises and assignments, or sets of study and review questions .

January 19: Introduction to CAD.

Topics and tasks: Introduction to Microstation and computer-assisted drafting (CAD). No class Monday: MLK Holiday.

Assignments:

Begin Your Village exercise.
Bonnici, Mapping with Microstation, Chapter 1 "System Overview" and Chapter 2 "Interface Tools"

January 26: CAD Basics and Beyond.

Topics and tasks: Overview and practice with Microstation. Continue with Your Village assignment.

Assignments:

Bonnici, Mapping with Microstation, Chapter 4 "Element Creation"

February 2: More CAD Using Public Access Datasets.

Topics and tasks: More map editing and compositing using CAD. Learn how to download and use basemaps provided agencies of the State of Texas. Study documentation and file structures of other public-access datasets. Experiment with importing different file formats.

Assignments:

Bonnici, Mapping with Microstation, Chapter 6 "Element Manipulation," Chapter 10 "Text Placement," and Chapter 3 "Coordinate System"
Finish Your Village.
Begin Favorite Place map.
Explore the TNRIS File Transfer Page maintained by the Texas Natural Resources Information System.
Skim Data Sources for GIS .

February 9: Machine Space: Technology in the Urban Environment

Topics and tasks: Review effects of urbanization on environment. Consider ways in GIS is used for environmental and habitat analysis.Consider issues of collating and compositing datasources for landuse studies. Plan and organize study.

Assignments:

Read and begin Machine Space
Skim Aerial Photography and Remote Sensing .
Bonnici, Mapping with Microstation, Chapter 9 "Raster Data"

February 16: Coordinate Systems

Topics and tasks: Raise issue of establishing and measuring location. Address issue of how and why coordinate systems differ. Survey major issues and terms. Introduce principle land survey and coordinate systems employed in Texas. Raise issues of accuracy and precision. Raise further issues in cartographic design and composition.

Assignments:

Finish Favorite Place map.
Study the Coordinate Systems Overview.
Muehrcke, Phillip C. and Juliana O. Muehrcke. 1998. "Locational Reference Systems." Chap. 11 in Map Use: Reading-Analysis-Interpretation, 4th ed. Madison, WI: J.P. Publications.

February 23: Questions of Accuracy and Precision.

Topics and tasks: Consider how accuracy and precision effect spatial datasets. Examine major sources and how they can propogate and cascade in GIS databases.

Assignments:

Read Error, Accuracy, and Precision in Spatial Datasets .
Burrough, P.A. 1986. "Data Quality, Errors, and Natural Variation." Chap. 6 in Principles of Geographic Information Systems for Land Resources Assessment. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

March 2: Managing Error.

Topics and tasks: Consider methods for dealing with error and imprecision in spatial datasets. Discuss standards for creating GIS databases and methods of testing for and estimating error. Introduce sensitivity analysis. Continue Waller Creek Study.

Assignments:

Read Managing Error .

March 9: Differential GPS.

Topics and tasks: Introduce the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the ways it can be employed to collect locational data. Address strengths and limitations of various techniques. Survey Geography Building.

Assignment:

Read The Global Positioning System .
Muehrcke, Phillip C. and Juliana O. Muehrcke. 1998. "GPS and Maps." Chap. 15 in Map Use: Reading-Analysis-Interpretation, 4th ed. Madison, WI: J.P. Publications.

March 16: Spring Break.

March 23: Three-dimensional Modeling.

Topics and tasks: Consider methods for three-dimensional modeling by reconstructing a Nicaraguan village from nineteenth century maps and prints.

Assignments:

Begin Greytown project.
Finish Waller Creek Case Study.
Review the the Final Projects from 1997 and 1996.

March 30: Rendering and Animation.

Topics and tasks: Introduce tools for rendering a three-dimensional map. Learn how to "photograph" map views and how to prepare animations. Create a "fly-through" or "walk through" of Greytown.

Assignments:

Finish Greytown project .

April 6: Terrain Modeling and Contour Mapping.

Topics and tasks: Overview principles of terrain modeling and contour mapping. Discuss data types used for such mapping, including DEMs available from the USGS. Experiment with methods of contouring and rendering relief.

Assignment:

Study the Terrain Analysis Homepage maintained by Paula Messina at Hunter College of the City University of New York.
Study the documentation of the Digital Elevation Models (DEM) available from the USGS.
Explore some of the other sources available at the United States Geological Survey's node in the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Clearinghouse.
Browse the Manual of Federal Geographic Data Products.

April 13: Project Planning and System Design.

Topics and tasks: Consider the human dimension in developing and implementing information technologies like GIS. Examine steps in project lifecycle. Consider how project lifecycle applies to final projects. Develop a plan and begin to gaterh materials for project. Begin final project.

Assignment:

Finish contour and shaded relief maps.
Read Project Lifecycle and Project Planning .
Read Campbell, Heather. 1991. Organizational Issues in Managing Geographic Information. In Handling Geography Information: Methodology and Potential Applications, ed. Ian Masser and Michael Blakemore, 259-282. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. (PCL Reserve)

Supplemental Reading:

Read Antenucci, John C; Brown, Kay; Croswell, Peter L.; Kevany, Michael J.; and Archer, Hugh N. 1991. "Costs and Benefits" and "Implementation." Chaps. 4 and 10 in Geographic Information Systems: A Guide to the Technology. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. (PCL Reserve)

April 20: Economic, Legal, and Ethical Issues.

Topics and tasks: Examine situations in which GIS and information technology intersect the law. Consider some of the ethical problems that arise from the use and misuse of information technology, including the issue of privacy. Continue work on final projects.

Assignment:

Ethical Issues in Electronic Information Systems .
Legal Issues Relating to GIS .
Read Antenucci, John C; Brown, Kay; Croswell, Peter L.; Kevany, Michael J.; and Archer, Hugh N. 1991. "Legal Issues." Chap. 11 in Geographic Information Systems: A Guide to the Technology. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. (PCL Reserve)

April 27: Trends in GIS Technologies.

Topics and tasks: Consider current trends in hardware and software. Examine close connections now emerging between GIS and other information technologies. Continue work on final projects.

May 4: Presentation of Final Projects.

May 15 (Friday): Final Projects On-line and Documented by 12:00 Noon.

Grading

One third of your final grade will be based on the Machine Space project. One third will be based on the final, independent project. The final third will be based on four warmup exercises (1. Your Village; 2. Favorite Place; 3. Greytown rendering and animation; 4. Contour and shaded relief maps) and two short in-class quizzes.

Textbook

Bonnici, Anthony M . 1997. Mapping with Microstation 95. Volume I: Foundation. Peterborough, Canada: GeoData Solutions. URL: http://www.ptbo.igs.net/~geodata/, e-mail: geodata@ptbo.igs.net.

Last revised 31 January 1998. KEF.