Spring, 1998 Dr Ronald Briggs
GR3.608 GR 3.126
Tues/Thurs-5:30-6:45 p.m. 972-883-6877 (o), 690-3442 (h)
http://www.utdallas.edu/~briggs/poec6381.html e-mail:briggs@utdallas.edu
Office hours (in GR 3.126 or 3.204):
Tues/Thurs 3:00-5:00; Tues 6:45-7:45pm
& 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 (Version 3.0) software
in a Windows NT environment in the Green 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
DeMers, Michael Fundamentals of GIS (New York: John Wiley, 1997
ESRI, Using ArcView GIS-Version 3.0 Edition (Redlands,
CA: ESRI, Inc., 1996)
Other Books on ArcView
Getting to Know ArcView (Geoinformation International, 1997 2nd ed. for Ver. 3)
Hutchinson, Scott and Daniel, Larry Inside ARCVIEW GIS (Santa Fe, NM: Onward Press,1996)
Hohl, Pat and Mayo, Brad ArcView Exercise Book (Version 3) (Santa Fe, NM: Onward Press, 1997)
Razavi, Amir ArcView GIS/Avenue Developer's Guide (Santa Fe, NM: Onward Press, 1997)
(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)
Star, J. and John Estes Geographical Information Systems: An
Introduction (Prentice Hall 1990)
Course Schedule
Jan 13,15: Introduction to GIS
DeMers Chap 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 20,22: Fundamentals of GIS and its Application
DeMers Chap 2 pp. 21-31
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 27 Computer Lab orientation (GR 3.204)--optional
Jan 29 No class
Feb 3,5 ,10 Using GIS Software: Intro. to ARCVIEW
Using ArcView GIS, Chap. 2; also parts of Chap. 5,6,7,10
Feb 12,17,19 Terrestial Data Structures
DeMers Chap. 2, pp. 32-34; Chap 3, 50-67
Using ArcView GIS Chap. 9
Huxhold Chap 6
Map Projections (USGS brochure)
Feb. 19 Project #1 due: Customer Characteristics and DayCare Location
Feb 24,26 GIS Data Structures and Management
Mar 3 DeMers Chap 4, Chap. 7, Chap. 11, 287-311
Using ArcView GIS Chap 22
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)
Mar 5 Midterm Exam
Mar 10, 12 Spring Break
Mar. 19 Project #2 due: Texas Population Demographics
Mar 17,19 Data Sources and Acquisition
DeMers Chap 2, pp. 35-49, Chap 5,
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 24, 26 Internet Data Exploration and Extraction
Mar 31 Data Preparation and Integration
April 2, 7 DeMers Chap. 6, Chap 10
Using ArcView GIS Chap.18 thru 21
Flowerdew, R. Spatial Data Integration, in Maguire, Goodchild and Rhind, Chap 24 (Vol. 1, p. 375)
April 16 Project #4 due: Geocoding the Dallas County Tax File
April 21, 23 GIS Outputs and Application Examples
DeMers Chap 3, 67-81, Chap 14
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 28 GIS in the Real World-- Practitioners Speak
-- Student Show and Tell.
DeMers Chap. 15
April 30 Project #5 due: Creating a Layer: Tracts for Dallas
April 30 The Future of GIS and Some Dissenting Perspectives
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)
May 7 Final Exam: any 2 hour slot beginning between 4:00pm
and 6:00pm. (Note: the official exam time published in the
class schedule is Friday May 8 at 8:00pm. Students unable to make
the revised time should contact me on or before the last class
meeting.)
Using ArcView GIS : its relationship with the
Lab. Projects
The Using ArcView GIS text is primarily intended to help you with the lab projects, which give you hands on experience with ArcView. How you use this text is a personal decision. You might like to work through the examples in this book before tackling the projects. Or you may prefer to jump in with projects, using the book as a reference. Below is a very general guide to the chapters as they relate to each Project.
Project 1: Daycare location: Chap. 2, parts of 5,6,7,10 (purpose: general introduction)
Project 2: Texas Demographics: Chap. 3,4,6,10 (purpose: map creation and layouts)
Project 3: Pipeline: Chap 11, 12, 13, 14 (purpose: drawing and data selection)
Project 4: Housing Sales: Chap 5,8 (purpose: geocoding, graphing)
Project 5: Census Tracts: Chap 18, 20,22 (purpose: spatial editing
and data preparation)