Course Access
Have you been able to log onto
Blackboard?
Course information is also available at:
http://www.unc.edu/courses/2007fall/geog/370/001/
Discussion Group Format
Quickly form groups of 4-5 people
Take out 2 sheets of paper for your
group & designate a writer
Remember To:
1) Put everyone’s name on the page
2) Answer all questions
3) Turn the page in at the end of class
Discussion topic: Rules for
discussion groups
Each group should come up with a list of 5 rules that
encourage learning & respectful dialog
Write your rules on the first sheet of paper
After 5 minutes I will collect these lists and combine
them into a class code of behavior for group
discussions
Then we’ll move on to our first case study
Case Study 1
Grocery Store
Purpose of Case Studies
Apply what you’ve learned to new problems
Learn how to plan for and design GIS
projects starting from scratch
Build a sense of community (a.k.a. a support
network for GIS questions in this course)
To keep things interesting & keep you
focused on the big picture while we learn the
nuts-and-bolts
Scenario
As members of a GIS consulting firm, your group has
been assigned to determine the best location to build
a new grocery store within the area (i.e., Orange
County and the counties surrounding it)
Question 1
What questions would you ask before starting?
Come up with at least 2
My responses to question 1
What type of grocery store is being built?
Tienda vs. Super Market vs. Gourmet Grocery
What does “best” mean?
Highest profit potential
Lowest building costs
Fastest growing area
Most prominent/visible vocation
Highest traffic volume
A combination of these (how are they weighted)
As a group, select one of the following
types of stores:
Asian food market
Organic/local food co-op
A Southern Season
Kroger Supermarket
Write the store type on your answer
sheet
Question 2
With respect to the store’s potential
customers, what geographic information
would you like to have for determining the
store location?
Think about demographic data (i.e.,
census information)
Question 3
With respect to the store’s potential
employees, what geographic information
would you like to have for determining the
store location?
Question 4
With respect to the store’s physical
visibility, what geographic information
would you like to have for determining the
store location?
Question 5
With respect to the store’s accessibility
and infrastructure, what geographic
information would you like to have for
determining the store location?
Question 6
With respect to the store’s competition,
what geographic information would you
like to have for determining the store
location?
Question 7
With respect to the legal and political
issues, what geographic information
would you like to have for determining the
store location?
Question 8
Name a few interactions between the
types of data you’ve come up with.
For example - competition from another
business 1 mile away will be different in
Raleigh than it is in Hillsborough
because competition is relative to the
population of potential customers
Turn in your sheets
Read your syllabus
Have a great weekend