Syllabus of Geographic Information Systems

DRAFT! SYLLABUS GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS)

Abstract: When introduced in the 1960s, the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was limited to a small number of research and applications users. Today, GIS is one of the fastest growing technologies; it has applications in public safety, natural resource management, environmental analysis, utilities, and government, and is moving quickly into many other areas. The motivation for the tremendous growth in the use of GIS is clearly linked to both the increasing demand for information and the ever-increasing ability of computer technology to provide effective, cost-efficient data processing and management capabilities.

Conceptually, a GIS can be viewed as a stacked set of map layers, where each layer is aligned or registered to all other layers. Typically, each layer will contain a unique geographic theme or data type. These themes might include, for example, topography, soils, land-use, cadastral (land ownership) information, or infrastructure such as roads, pipelines, power lines, or sewer networks.

The aims of this course are to: 1. present the role of GIS in the regional politics; 2. discuss the properties of the GIS; 3. introduce students to fundamental concepts and theories used in the area of GIS; 4. evaluate GIS software tools at the component level; 5. give an experience in implementing a small GIS; 6. provide a practical guide using as a basis the familiar GIS tools.

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: 1. understand the underlying principles of geographic information systems; 2. discuss specific issues in geographic information systems; 3. describe the essential components of a GIS; 4. evaluate the GIS against the user requirements; 5. demonstrate the capability to use a range of software tools in support of the development of a GIS of medium size.

Syllabus Contents 1. Geographical information systems (GIS) and graphical information. Some definition of GIS. Classification. 2. Historical development. Geographical data and GIS. From the real world to GIS. 3. Introduction to automated geography. Cartographic modeling. Map and attribute information. Map scale and projections. Coordinate system and geographic information. 4. Maps and map data handling. The map as a model of geographic data. Representing maps as numbers. Structuring maps. Format of GIS data. 5. Making maps with GIS. The pars of a map. Choosing a map type. Designing the map. Getting the map into the computer. 6. Choosing a GIS. Organizational & technical issues. Standards and geospatial infrastructure. Formal problems in establishing GIS. The evolution of GIS software. GIS software capabilities. 7. Getting to know ArcView GIS. ArcView is a desktop mapping software package/Geographic Information System that can be used to view, manipulate and analyze spatial data. ArcView is part of the ArcGIS family of applications that includes: ArcMap, ArcCatalog and ArcToolbox. ArcMap is the mapping interface, where the user builds his/her project by adding data layers. ArcCatalog is similar to Windows Explorer, but is used to organize spatial files. ArcToolbox is loaded with different tools that help the user to convert data to different formats, to perform sophisticated analysis techniques. 8. GIS for transportation. Transportation data sources and integration. Shortest paths and routing. Transportation planning. Route planning. Geographic visualization. Coupling transportation analysis and modeling with GIS. Logistics. GIS and logistics management. 9. GIS in ecology. Remote sensing and GIS. Global positioning systems and GIS. 10. A vision for the future. Future data. Future hardware. Future software.

Indicative Sources Books: Bernhardsen, T., Geographic Information Systems: An Introduction, Wiley, John & Sons, Inc.. (1999) ISBN: 0471321923.

Chrisman, N., Exploring Geographic Information Systems, Wiley, John & Sons, Inc.. (1997) ISBN: 0471108421.

Clarke, K.C., Getting Started with GIS, Pearson Education (2002) ISBN:0130460273.

DeMers M.N., Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems, Wiley, John & Sons, Inc.. (1999) ISBN: 0471314234.

Johnston, C.A. Geographic Information Systems in Ecology, Blackwell Publ. (1997) ISBN: 0632038594.

Miller, H.J., S.L. Shaw, Geographic Information Systems for Transportation: Principles and Applications, Oxford University Press (2001) ISBN: 0195123948.

Getting to Know ArcView GIS: The Geographic Information System (GIS) for Everyone, ESRI Inc. (1999) ISBN: 1879102463.

URLs (Web sites ): http://www.arl.org/transform/gis/gistrans.html http://www.mannlib.cornell.edu/ http://www.arl.org/transform/gis/ncsu/ncsu-bib.html http://library.mcmaster.ca/ http://www.mrsc.org/subjects/planning/gis/ http://www.mrsc.org/byndmrsc/gis.aspx http://www.esri.com/ http://www.gis.com/ http://www.geog.buffalo.edu/ncgia/gishist/