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.
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