GR 3.608(lec) GR3.206 (lab) Dr Ronald Briggs

Tuesday/Thursday GR 3.126

5:00-6:15 p.m. 883-6877 (o), 690-3442 (h)

http://www.utdallas.edu/~briggs/poec6381.html e-mail:briggs@utdallas.edu

Office hours: Tues/Thurs 2:00-5:00 p.m. & by appointment or drop-in

POEC 6381

Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

This course introduces Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and their applications. These systems are becoming the core of local (city, county) government operations, are being rapidly adopted by state and federal governments to manage operations from highway planning to environmental resource conservation, and are playing a major role in businesses as diverse as market research, site selection, real estate, civil engineering, and geophysical exploration. Additionally, academic research in disciplines ranging from the Social Sciences to Geoscience is using GIS to expand research possibilities and productivity. In the vernacular, they are one of the killer apps. of the nineties, with substantial potential for further development and application.

GIS is a combination of software and hardware with capabilities for manipulating, analyzing and displaying spatially-referenced information--that is, information which is referenced by its location on the earth's surface. By linking data to maps, a GIS can reveal relationships not apparent with traditional item-referenced information systems and data base management products, and by displaying information in a graphic form can communicate complex spatial patterns succinctly. This course will introduce the concepts needed to use GIS effectively and correctly, and develop basic proficiency in GIS software usage. Examples will primarily focus on urban and regional analysis, though business, environmental and geological applications will also be included.

The course will comprise both lecture and lab. The lab component will focus on the use of ArcView software in a PC/Windows environment. We will be using a new release (Version 3.0) of ArcView in a new Windows NT Workstation 4.0 environment on machines in the Social Science lab (GR3.206). (The software will not be available in the university's McDermott Microcomputer lab.) Should you desire your own copy, it is available at a student price of $250 (Version 3.0) from ESRI, Inc. (call 1-800-447-9778 to order). Alternatively, you may borrow a copy of the software for use on your machine at home for this course only, providing you agree to the terms of the loan.

This course is one of a series in the GIS Certification Program at the University of Texas at Dallas; five courses are needed to receive the certificate.

There are no formal prerequisites, however students will be expected to have competence in microcomputer use and familiarity with Microsoft Windows 95 and file management (directories, subdirectories, copying, etc). Evaluation will be based upon a midterm exam (25%), final exam (35%), and lab projects (40%). Although some class time will be allocated to lab instruction, additional computing work outside of scheduled classes, will be necessary for successful course completion.

Readings and Schedule-Spring 97

Texts

Chrisman, Nick Exploring Geographic Information Systems: (New York: John Wiley, 1997)

ESRI, Getting to Know ArcView-Version 3.0 Edition (New York: John Wiley, 1997)

(These are brand new texts. The publishers have promised delivery by January 15, 1997! I'll give you reading assignments when the books arrive!)

Optional Books on ArcView

Hutchinson, Scott and Daniel, Larry Inside ARCVIEW (Santa Fe, NM: Onward Press, 1995)

Hohl, Pat and Mayo, Brad ArcView Exercise Book (Santa Fe, NM: Onward Press, 1996)

Razavi, Amir ArcView Developer's Guide (Santa Fe, NM: Onward Press, 1995)

(to purchase, call: 1-800-223-6397)

Supplementary Materials

Huxhold, William E. An Introduction to Urban Geographic Information Systems (New York, Oxford University Press, 1991)

Maguire, David J., Michael Goodchild and David W. Rhind Geographical Information Systems: Principles and Applications (Harlow, England: Longman, 1991)

Peuquet, Donna J. and Duane Marble Introductory Readings in Geographic Information Systems (London: Taylor and Francis, 1990)

Course Schedule

Jan. 9, 14: Introduction to GIS

Chrisman

Getting to Know Chap. 1-3 (Version 2.1)

Cowen, David GIS versus CAD versus DBMS: what are the differences? from Peuquet and Marble, pp. 52-61

Black, James D. Fusing RDBMS and GIS GIS World July, 1996, p. 44-47

Huxhold, Chap 1, & Chap 2 thru p. 38

American Planning Association, Planning: Special Issue on Technology, July, 1995, 1-15

Obtain and test UTD computer accounts (PC-LAN, e-mail and UNIX)

Jan. 16, 21: Fundamentals of GIS and its Application

Chrisman

Getting to Know, Chap. 4-6 (Version 2.1)

USGS: Geographical Information Systems (brochure handout).

Application Examples (read/scan, as convenient, prior to midterm):

Huxhold, Chap. 3: Application of Urban Geographic Information Systems.

National League of Cities Planning Smarter: GIS as a Tool for Policy Makers, 1993

Ventura, Stephen J. The Use of GIS Systems in Local Government Public Administration Review Sept./Oct. 1995 461-467

Geological Society of America, Development of Geographic Information Systems-Oriented Databases for Integrated Geological and Geophysical Applications, GSA Today, March 1996

Business Geographics, December, 1995: Merging Technologies: EIS and Business Geographics (p. 34-36) & Boosting Sales Performance with Statistics: A Healthcare Case Study (p. 37-39)

Calkins, H. and Eagles, M. Geographic Information Analysis and Human Capital Research. A Report to NSF and HUD on a Conference in Boulder, CO, July, 1995

Waddell, Paul and Shukla, V. Employment Dynamics, Spatial Restructuring and the Business Cycle Geographical Analysis, 1993 (Vol. 25, p. 35-52) (research study based on D/FW)

Jan. 23, 28, Using GIS Software: Intro. to ARCVIEW

30 Getting to Know Chap. 7, 8, 9 (version 2.1)

Getting to Know Chap 10, 11 (Version 2.1)

Feb. 4, 5, Terrestial Data Structures

11: Chrisman

Getting to Know, Chap 12, 13, 21 (Vesrion 2.1)

` Huxhold Chap 6

Map Projections (USGS brochure)

Feb. 13: Project #1 due: Customer Characteristics and Day Care Location in Tempe

Feb. 13, 18, GIS Data Structures and Management

20: Chrisman

Getting to Know, Chap. 14, ( & optionally 15) (Version 2.1)

Huxhold, Chap 2 (p. 38-63) 4 & 5

Peuquet, Donna J. A Conceptual Framework and Comparison of Spatial Data Models, in Peuquet and Marble, pp. 250-285 (advanced)

Wiegand, Nancy and Adams, Teresa M. Using Object-Oriented Database Mangement for Feature-Based Geographic Information Systems URISA Journal Spring, 1994 pp. 21-36 (advanced)

Feb. 27: Project #2 due: Texas Population Demographics

Feb. 25, 27: Data Sources and Acquisition

Chrisman

USGS, US Geodata (brochure)

Keating, John B. The Geopositioning Selection Guide for Resource Management, Technical Note # 389, U.S. Dept. of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, September, 1993

Hurn, Jeff GPS: A Guide to the Next Utility Sunnyvale CA: Trimble Navigation, 1989

Hurn, Jeff Differential GPS Explained Sunnyvale, CA: Trimble Navigation, 1993

Manzer, Gary Maximizing Digital Orthophoto Use: A Technical Overview GIS World December, 1995 50-64

Thorpe, Aerial Photography and Satellite Imagery: Competing or Complementary? EOM June 1996 pp. 35-39

Fisher, P.F. Spatial Data Sources and Data Problems, in Maguire, Goodchild and Rhind, Chap 13 (Vol. 1, p.175)

Mar. 4: Midterm Exam

Mar. 6 Internet Data Extraction

Mar. 11,13: Spring Break

Mar. 18, 20: Data Preparation and Integration

25 Chrisman

Flowerdew, R. Spatial Data Integration, in Maguire, Goodchild and Rhind, Chap 24 (Vol. 1, p. 375)

April 10 Project #4 due: Geocoding the Dallas County Tax File

April 8, 10: GIS Outputs and Application Examples

Chrisman

Getting to Know, Chap. 20 (& review Chap. 21) (Version 2.1)

Making Better Maps, selections from Business Geographics

Hodler, T.W. Do Geographers Really Need to Know Cartography? Urban Geography, 1994 p. 409-410

Business Applications: market analysis, site selection, routing

Municipal Applications: land record management, citizen information

Environmental Applications: resource monitoring and geological modeling

Scan GIS World, Geo Info Systems, EOM (Earth Observation Magazine), Business Geographics, URISA Journal for examples.

April 15, 17 GIS in the Real World-- Practitioners Speak.

Getting to Know, Chap 22, 23, 24 (Version 2.1)

April 24: Project #5 due: Creating a Layer: Tracts for Dallas

April 22, 24: The Future of GIS and Some Dissenting Perspectives

Getting to Know, Chap. 25 (Version 2.1)

Hazelton, N.W.J, Leahy, F.J. Integrating Dynamic Modelling and Geographic Information Systems, URISA Journal, Fall, 1992 47-58

Campbell, Heather A Social Interactionist Perspective on Computer Implementation, American Planning Association Journal Winter 1996, 99-107

Goss, Jon "We Know Who You Are and We Know Where You Live": The Instrumental Rationality of Geodemographic Systems, Economic Geography , April 1995 (Vol. 71 p. 171-198)

Sui, Danial Z. GIS and Urban Studies: Positivism, Post-Positivism, and Beyond Urban Geography, 1994 (vol. 15, p. 258-278)

April 29: Student Show and Tell

May 6: Final Exam

May 8: Project #6 due: Internet Module