Introduction to GIS

Geography 5510

Fall - 2013

Bruce Hunter Office: EESAT 320J
Course Instructor Office Hours: Mon. 3:00 – 5:00

Class – Mondays at 6:00-6:50, EESAT Rm. 340

Materials: Text - Getting to Know ArcGIS 10.1 Desktop 3rd Edition,Law and Collins, ESRI Press (from bookstores or online). Lab workbook: “Journey Along the Path of GIS Enlightenment” - Purchase from Eagle Images, in 173 Stovall Hallor CopyPro (Hickory &Fry Sts.)

Note! There will be a master copy printed 2 sides which you will copy (print 2 sided). By copying the workbook yourself you will save a lot of money. ** Flash Drive is a must for your personal files.

Course Objectives:

  • To incorporate multiple data types from a variety of sources using an industry-standard GIS software package.
  • To understand basic geography and GIS concepts pertinent to building comprehensive analyses of geospatial data.
  • To build a strong foundation for advanced GIS classes and be able to incorporate analyses and mapping into other university courses and research projects.

Class expectations:

  • Students must be prepared to spend time outside of class sessions. This is a time intensive class.
  • Learning GIS is similar to learning a language. Week-by-week you build a foundation of knowledge that can extend over many years of learning. You must keep up weekly or you will fail to thrive.
  • This is a comprehensive class – what you know at the end of the semester depends upon what you learned from the first day of class. You cannot miss sections and expect to do well.
  • Attendance is expected.

Grades:

Labs (10 of 13 labs at 2% each)20%

Projects 1 & 2(15% each)30%

Mid-term exam10%

Projects 3 20%

Final Exam10%

White Paper/Literature Review10%

Total100%Grades:

Course Schedule

Wk/Date Projects Lecture Lab Due__ Readings for next class

1 (9/2) No Class – Labor Day
1 (9/9) Intro &Spatial Data Concepts Demonstration Lab 1 9/18 Ch.1-4 and Ch. 6
2(9/16) Projections and Coordinates Lab 2 9/25 Ch. 7-8
3(9/23) Classifying/SymbolizingData Lab 3 10/2 Ch 9,15a, 15b
4 (9/30) Project 1 Labeling and Querying Lab 4 10/9 Ch 16, 17a, 17b
5(10/7) Attributes & Tables Lab 5 10/16 Ch 19c
(10/8) Last Day to Drop Course with Auto W
6(10/15) Project 2 Tables Continued Lab 6 10/23 Ch 10
7(10/21) Midterm Exam Map Making Lab 7 10/30 Ch 12 - 13
8(10/28) Editing Lab 8 11/6 Ch 11
9(11/4) Project 3 Geodatabase, Editing & TopologyLab 9 11/13 Ch 18a, 18b, 19a, 19b
(11/6) Last Day to Drop Course with either W or WF with consent of Instructor
10(11/11) Data Manipulation Lab 10 11/20
11(11/25)Project 4 Planning & Data Analysis Lab 11 11/27 Ch 14
(11/22) Last Day to Withdraw (drop all classes)
12(11/26) Address Geocoding Lab 12 12/4 Ch 5a & 5c
13(12/2) Project 4 Due Web Mapping/Models Lab 13 12/11
14 (12/9)Final Exam

Lab Exercise Notes! You have one week to complete each lab exercise. Exercise results submitted after 6:00 of the due date will not be graded. You are graded on 10/13 exercises, so you can miss 3. However, it is recommended that you complete all of the labs for your experience.

Project Notes! Projects will be graded using a checklist so the grading is objective. You will receive a copy of the checklist showing your grade. All projects will be submitted to your lab instructor by email.

You have two weeks to complete a project. The results must be submitted by 6:00pm (class time) of the due date (the handout date of the next project). Note! Late projects, within 1 week of the due date and time, will lose 20% points. Projects beyond 1 week of the due date and time will not be accepted. No work will be accepted after 6:00 pm Mon. Dec 9th.

The date and time of lab exercises and projects are recorded on the email you submit.

CSAM Lab Issues

  • Saving Your Work: You are encouraged to save your work on a flash drive. You may not be able to use you “favorite” computer between classes, but you will have your own data on your flash drive and can do the work on any machine in either CSAM lab or at home.
  • Cell Phones: Turn them off. You can use your phone, if necessary, in the hallway after the exercise presentation is given at the beginning of the lab.
  • Communications: Email is recommended as the first means of communication with the lab instructors. Please be sure that your name is included in the email.

CSAM Lab Rules

No food or drink next to the computers. If you have a drink, put it on the shelves at the back of the class AND DISPOSE OF IT AT THE END OF THE CLASS. Soft drink cans go into recycling. Printer paper goes into recycling.

Please note! If you abuse the food and drink rule, you will lose after hour privileges for use of the lab. The damage we have received over the years has been from students having drinks in the lab.

Please do not waste printer paper. Do not print out web stuff and power point presentations from other classes. We do not receive funds to support the printer. You pay fees to the College of Arts and Sciences General Access Labs. If you have large print jobs, please do them in CASGAL labs in Terrill Hall 220, GAB 30 or GAB 550..

Save your work on the t:\ drive. Anything placed on the c:\drive will be automatically cleaned off every night.Note! The computers shut down every night at 2:00 AM until 7:00 AM for automatic cleaning. If you are working late, save your work as the machines will close automatically at that time.

You are welcome to work as long as you like in CSAM but not during other classes. Please be respectful of others.

Typical EESAT Building Hours:

7:00 am – 11:00 pm Mon through Thurs.

7:00 am – 10:00 pm Friday

8:00 am – 10:00 pm Saturday

10:00 am – 10:00 pm Sunday.

If you are working late at night, do not prop outside doors. Security and personal safety is of concern.

Note! Occasionally the UNT Police will check the lab at EESAT closing time. You have the Department’s permission to use the CSAM facilities after hours. However, if you leave the building, you may not return – the outside doors will be locked. Never prop the outside doors to the building.

UNIVERSITY AND DEPARTMENT POLICIES

ODA:“The University of North Texas is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 92-112 – The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of new federal legislation entitled Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens.”

Extra Credit: The Department of Geography does not allow extra credit assignments (work not specified on a course syllabus).

Academic Dishonesty: Students caught cheating or plagiarizing will receive a "0" for that particular assignment or exam. Additionally, the incident will be reported to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities for further penalty. According to the UNT catalog, the term "cheating" includes, but is not limited to: (a) use of any unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes, tests, or examinations; (b) dependence upon the aid of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other assignments; (c) the acquisition, without permission, of tests or other academic material belonging to a faculty or staff member of the university; (d) dual submission of a paper or project, or resubmission of a paper or project to a different class without express permission from the instructor(s); or (e) any other act designed to give a student an unfair advantage. Altering a returned test and claiming a grader or scanning machine made an error is also considered cheating. The term "plagiarism" includes, but is not limited to: (a) the knowing or negligent use by paraphrase or direct quotation of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment; and (b) the knowing or negligent unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials.

Classroom Courtesy: Please follow these guidelines to avoid disrupting the class:

(1)Turn off cell phones before arriving.

(2)Do not arrive late or leave early (except for a bathroom break or emergency).

(3)Do not sleep or eat during class.

(4)Do not work on other assignments during class.

(5)Do not talk when the instructor is lecturing, unless prompted for feedback by the instructor.

Dropping Courses

  • Refer to Registrar’s website for schedule –
  • Students may drop a course themselves prior to the Census Date.
  • After the Census Date, students must have written consent to drop from the instructor. Depending on the date the student received written consent to drop, instructors may award the student a “W” or “WF”. A “WF” will have the same effect as an “F” for the class. Refer to online schedule for dates.
  • The instructor may withhold consent for students to drop, provided that the students have been informed in writing at the beginning of the semester.
  • Be aware of the last day to drop as students will be trying to contact instructors to obtain permission to drop.

Withdrawing

  • Withdrawing means to drop all classes enrolled in for the semester.
  • To withdraw from all classes, students must make a formal request by email, fax or in person with the Registrar’s Office.

Student Behavior in the Classroom:

Student behavior that interferes with an instructor’s ability to conduct a class or other students' opportunity to learn is unacceptable and disruptive and will not be tolerated in any instructional forum at UNT. Students engaging in unacceptable behavior will be directed to leave the classroom and the instructor may refer the student to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities to consider whether the student's conduct violated the Code of Student Conduct. The university's expectations for student conduct apply to all instructional forums, including university and electronic classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The Code of Student Conduct can be found at