In lieu of BlackBoard access…
Syllabus for GTECH 710
Introduction to Geographic
Information Systems
Fall 2006
Tuesday 5:35 – 8:15 PM (and beyond)
Instructor:
Jochen Albrecht
Office: Hunter HN 1000 C Office hours: Tu, We 3-5 PM
E-Mail:
jochen@hunter.cuny.edu Phone: (212) 772-5265
Course Overview:
In this course, we will cover the whole
Required textbook: None – and there are good
reasons for that, which I will discuss during our first session.
However,
experience has it that some students need the “security blanket” of a textbook
even if the course does not follow it. If you belong into this group then you
might benefit from having a look at
any the following:
- Burrough, P and R McDonnell 1998. Principles of
- Chang, Kang-tsung 2006. Introduction to
Geographic Information Systems.
- deMers, Michael 2004. Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems.
- Worboys, M and M Duckham 2004.
Pre- and
co-requisites: none.
Policies:
Attendance is crucial. Given that the
class-learning environment is active learning, meaning that most of the student
performance is practical assignments rather than tests, adherence to protocols
and the course timetable is very important. Lateness in arriving at class, both
lectures and laboratory/discussion sections will not be tolerated. Active
involvement in the course is evidenced in part by undertaking the mechanics of
the practical assignments systematically, and learning the tools by hours of
practice. In so doing the tools soon come to be seen as a means to an end,
rather than the end itself. For example, you will make many maps, and may get
caught up in this creative activity, but remember that the maps are being made
for particular scientific purposes. Class participation includes timely
attendance at laboratory sessions, participation in organized class discussions,
accomplishments of in-class tasks, accomplishment of the preliminary assignment
on time
Plagiarism is simply not acceptable. Helping other students
on use of the software is encouraged. However, do not help other students
answer questions from the labs. Many of the problems have a "sample"
problem, which includes the answer. The best way to help your fellow students
is to work the sample problem. If a sample problem is not available, create an
exercise similar to the problem in the lab and solve that problem. You can't
actually learn this material unless you do the work yourself. Therefore, do not share your calculations
or measurements with other students. You must do your own work (and it is easy to see when students copy work from
other students). Students with labs showing
copied work can receive failing grades.
Special
accommodations for persons with
disabilities are provided upon request. Please see the instructor if you feel
the need for them.
Lab
policies are described in detail
in http://rwc.hunter.cuny.edu/computing/policies.html
Assignments are due one week after they are given in class.
Late labs will be downgraded by one letter grade. Labs will not be accepted if
greater than one week late. It is in your best interests to keep up with the
work and meet deadlines for assignments. Incomplete grades and time extensions
are not an option for this course. There are no "extra-credit"
assignments. Unless otherwise instructed, you will submit assignments in
electronic form. For all labs, you are expected to show all the work you did in
order to complete the assignment. It is more important how you did the work, than whether you got the right answer.
Partial credit will be given for good work but incorrect results.
Criteria for evaluation:
Evaluation of your
performance in this course will consider both lecture and laboratory
components, using the following breakdown:
10
Quizzes (2% each) 20%
Lab
exercises (14 total) 35%
Midterm
exam 15%
Final
exam 15%
Your
very own map project 15%
Schedule:
Class
#
|
Date |
Topic |
|
1 |
09/05 |
Getting started;
semester overview; project management |
|
2 |
09/12 |
Cartographic
communication and geospatial visualization |
|
3 |
09/19 |
Datums, projections, and
coordinate systems |
|
4 |
09/26 |
Organizing geographic
data |
|
|
10/03 |
No session - Hunter
follows Monday schedule |
|
5 |
10/10 |
Creating and editing
spatial data |
|
6 |
10/17 |
Exploring the
geodatabases model |
|
7 |
10/24 |
Secondary data sources |
|
8 |
10/31 |
Midterm Exam; Creating a geodatabases |
|
9 |
11/07 |
Creating
and editing features in a geodatabases
|
|
10 |
11/14 |
Adding behavior to a
geodatabase |
|
11 |
11/21 |
Network analysis and
geocoding |
|
12 |
11/28 |
Getting started with
(raster-based) GIS analysis |
|
13 |
12/05 |
Geoprocessing and Modeling |
|
14 |
12/12 |
Designing maps with
ArcGIS |
|
|
|
Final (online) Exam |
Instructor expectations
Hunter College
This is a place where students come to
learn. It’s a place where knowledge is developed and hopefully it’s a place
where students can see and participate in its development. Unlike previous
schooling you don't have to be here, so we'll assume that you want to be here
and that you are here to actively seek knowledge and skills.
With assumptions that you are (a) here of
your own free will and (b) are actively seeking to gain knowledge and skills,
there is only one fuzzy area (for some) - how to succeed! It’s really quite
simple: have fun. If you are enjoying what you are doing, you will succeed; if
you are taking subjects or studying in a particular program and not enjoying
it, you are unlikely to be successful.
A few words on success and enjoyment.
Success is not just measured by your grade (but passing does help!), it is also
measured by how you feel about what you are doing. You are the only person who
can really judge whether you are successful - have you met your own
expectations? Enjoyment does not necessarily mean stress free living (although
maybe it is for some!). Taking only subjects that you were told were
"easy" doesn't guarantee enjoyment; some of us require a challenge in
life! Again, only you are in a position to determine what you find enjoyable.
A final thought on what a university is:
this is also a place where faculty comes to learn...
GTECH 710 Introduction to
Geographic Information Systems
Students: to be successful
you should be taking this subject because you want to take it, not because
someone told you that you need to take it and you must be actively seeking
knowledge and skills. This subject is a good participation "sport",
but it’s not a really good spectator event. You need to be proactive, be able
to try something new, look at things from a new (spatial) perspective, ask
questions, read read read. You need to know when to take a break, get some
fresh air, rest your eyes (a Buddhist philosophy is quite useful...). Attend
the lectures and practical sessions. when your absence is unavoidable, make
sure you catch up on what was missed. Plan your week as best as possible and
make the commitment to spend the amount of time needed for you to be
successful. get a study partner or three, if this works for you.
Faculty: to be
successful, I need to know that I've "made a difference" to at least
some of my students, i.e., they feel successful. I'll provide a coherent
subject structure, I'll deliver the best lecture possible on the day, and
pointers to resources where possible and my tutors and I will provide sound
practical instruction and practice our listening skills so that we can
understand what difficulties you may be having, so that we can resolve them.
Furthermore, we are available and approachable; ask questions in lectures, labs
and at other times; use our office hours or make appointments to see us.
Faculty have shown disappointing prowess at extra-sensory perception, please
help us out!
We often lecture in subjects we are
considered to have some expertise in; we are therefore fairly interested in the
subject matter. We too are students in that we are continuing to learn new
things in our areas of expertise and sometimes we are the ones who develop new
knowledge in our areas of expertise!
Theory vs. practice: in lectures I
try to provide an overview of the most important knowledge, but this never
replaces the reading material. sometimes lectures and readings will cover the
same ground, but often, the best that can be done in some fourteen sessions is
to provide just a "flavor" of the subject matter, something to whet
your appetite, something to set the context for your readings.
Finally...
The reason for this page of amateur pop
psychology is two fold: (a) first I hope that prospective students take this
subject for the right reasons (i.e. they believe that they will enjoy it) and
are in the right frame of mind to be successful and (b) second, I hope that
with a little mutual empathy the learning experience can be made better for
both student and teacher. If we are not having fun, we are both doing something
wrong!
I wish us a lot of fun in this course,
