GEO 460.102 – Introduction to GIS
3:35 – 6:00 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, LSCB 146
Spring 2011
Course Instructor: Dr. Carol Sawyer
Office: LSCB 341
Email: sawyer@usouthal.edu (preferred contact method)
Phone: (251) 460-6169
Homepage: http://www.southalabama.edu/geography/sawyer/geo460.html
Office Hours: 1:00-3:00 pm Mondays & Wednesdays, 9:00-10:30 am Tuesdays & Thursdays, 1:00-2:00
pm Tuesdays, or by appointment
Lab Instructor: Mrs. Pat Willis
Office Hours: By appointment
Email: pwillis@usouthal.edu
COURSE OBJECTIVES AND CONTENT
The purpose of this class is to give students a solid foundation in geographic information systems, specifically with
ESRI’s ArcGIS 9 software. We will cover such topics as software functionality, data editing and manipulation,
cartography, and spatial analysis. By the end of the semester, students should be able to use the software for
cartographic and analysis purposes.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
Required textbook: Mastering ArcGIS, fourth edition, by Maribeth Price. Additional required readings may be handed
out in class or posted on the course webpage. Also needed is a large capacity jump drive.
EVALUATION AND GRADING POLICIES
The final course grade will be calculated from two exams and lab exercises.
• Two exams, 18% and 22 % respectively, will be given in the course. Material for exams will come from the
lecture, textbook, and lab exercises. This course builds upon techniques learned throughout the course;
therefore, students may be tested on such material learned in the course at any time. Exams will consist of
conceptual questions and exercises to work through using the GIS software. The final exam will be
cumulative.
• Lab exercises, both those provided by the textbook and more advanced assignments, will be cumulatively
worth 60% of the course grade. Textbook exercises are due each week by class time on Mondays. Due
dates for the advanced assignments will be announced when the exercise is given. Because the nontextbook exercises will require more work, they will be worth more. Cumulatively, textbook exercises will
be work 27% of the course grade and the more advanced exercises will be work 33%.
• Attendance will be taken during each lecture and lab. Students who have no unexcused absences (in both lab
and lecture) will have 10 points added to their final exam; students with one unexcused absence will have
seven points added, and students with two unexcused absences will have four points added to their final
exam grade.
The final grades will be determined based on the following rules:
A: 100 to 90
B: 89 to 80
C: 79 to 70
Course component
Lab exercises
Mid term
Final Exam
Points
300
90
110
Total 500
1
D: 69 to 60
Approx. Percentage
60%
18%
22%
100%
F: <60%
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CLASSROOM and ATTENDANCE POLICIES
You are expected to be on time and in class every time class is scheduled to meet. Students absent or late for
class need to cover the material missed on their own time. Time is set aside during the regular course time for
you to begin work on the exercises. Use your time wisely. You CANNOT fall behind in the work in this
course as the material is cumulative.
Computers are to be turned OFF during lecture.
Turn off all cell phones and text messaging devices; you will be asked to leave for texting/talking during class.
Only work on material related to this class during the class time.
NO food or drinks!
Do NOT download ANY program files (IM, KAZAA, etc.).
We will be using copywrited data which cannot be used personally/commercially without express written
permission from USA, ESRI, or the City of Mobile (depending on the dataset).
Any “borrowing” of other student’s work or looking on another student’s computer to see how they completed
an exercise is considered cheating (even if you have the student’s permission). Please see the “Academic
Dishonesty Policy” on ramifications of such behavior.
The door entry code and student password to use the computer lab are confidential and only for those students
registered in a computer class in the Earth Sciences Department this semester. Sharing of the password is
forbidden and will constitute as a academic disruption. Consequences of such actions will be determined using
the “Academic Disruption Policy.” In addition, any damage or other cost-related activities that occurred as a
result, direct or indirect, of you sharing the password will be your responsibility.
MISSED or LATE WORK
If you have a valid excuse for missing a deadline or an exam, you must contact me via email as soon as possible.
All legitimate excuses require written validation. Valid excuses include: illness (your’s or a dependent’s), a death in
the immediate family, or participating in a university-sponsored event. Only exceptional excuses from work-related
absences are accepted. A 15% reduction in the grade will be applied to missed exams if no valid excuse is
presented. Make up exams will be different from those given at the scheduled time. Exercises will be assessed a
10% grade reduction for each day it is late (including weekends).
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
The University of South Alabama provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. In
accordance with the American with Disabilities Act, students with bona bide disabilities will be afforded reasonable
accommodations. If you have a specific disability that qualifies you for academic accommodations, please notify
me and provide certification from Disability Services (Office of Special Student Services). OSSS is located in room
270 of the Student Center (460-7212).
ACADEMIC DISRUPTION POLICY
The University of South Alabama’s policy regarding Academic Disruption is published annually in The
Lowdown. Disruptive academic behavior is defined as individual or group conduct that interrupts or interferes with
any educational activity or environment, infringes upon the rights and privileges of others, results in or threatens the
destruction of property and/or is otherwise prejudicial to the maintenance of order in an academic environment.
ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY
All members of the academic community are responsible for supporting freedom and openness through rigorous
personal standards of honesty and fairness. The University of South Alabama is committed to the fundamental
values of preserving academic honesty as defined in the Student Handbook: The Lowdown. Plagiarism is using
somebody else’s ideas in your writing without correctly identifying such sources. Plagiarism and other forms of
academic dishonesty undermine the very purpose of the university and diminish the value of an education and must
be avoided. The academic community regards academic dishonesty as an extremely serious matter, with serious
consequences that range from receiving a zero on an exam to probation and expulsion.
CHANGES
The class schedule is tentative and may be changed if necessary. Students will receive at least 48 hours notice if
possible. The notice may be sent via email to your Jaguar email account.
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Tentative Schedule*
Week of
Topic
th
Jan 17
Jan 24
Jan 31
No class on 17 : MLK Jr. Day
Introduction to GIS: Defining GIS &spatial data file formats
Map Projections and Coordinate Systems
Elements of a map: scale, colors, displaying features
Map types: Selecting and using the type that fits the objective of the map
and its data
Lab exercises
Lab intro & Chapter 1 GIS data & Mapping GIS
data
Chapter 2 Working with ArcMap
Chapter 3 Coordinate systems and map projections
Feb 7
Spatial analysis I: query & description, buffering, and measurement
Chapter 4 & 5: Drawing and symbolizing features
& working with tables
Feb 14
Spatial analysis II: Data classification, spatial arrangements, and map
overlay
Chapter 6 & 7: Queries & spatial joins
Feb 21
Data editing: editing features and maintaining topology
Chapter 8 & 9: Geoprocessing & presenting data
Feb 28
Mar 7
Data sources and data collection I: Finding secondary data (i.e. Census
data, addresses), adding data to databases.
Mid-term
Data sources and data collection II: Creating primary data (digitizing,
GPS), creating new geodatabases.
Chapter 10 & 11: Geocoding & basic editing
Chapter 12 & 13: Advanced editing and
geodatabases
Mar 14
Spring Break – no class
Mar 21
Data sources topic cont’d.
Digitizing exercise
Mar 28
Metatdata: interpreting, importing, exporting, and creating metadata
according to federal guidelines
Creating and building a database exercise
Apr 4
Integrating maps and GIS analysis into reports and research
Metadata exercise
Apr 11
Lying with maps and GIS: ethical concerns with color choices, feature
display, and projections in cartography
Classification and cartography exercise
Apr 18
Using GIS in the Natural Sciences
Storm surge exercise
Apr 25
Using GIS in the Social Sciences
Storm surge exercise cont’d
May 2
Other GIS systems, private sector use, advanced programs
Emergency route exercise
May 9
Wed., May 11th: FINAL EXAM 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
*The course schedule may change or adjusted as the semester progresses. Students will be notified of any adjustments in advance.
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