PLAN 512 GIS for Planners
Spring 2008 (3 cr)
Course Description and Detailed
Outline
School of Architecture, Department of Urban and Environmental Planning
Prof. David L. Phillips, 128 Campbell Hall, dlp@virginia.edu
Tuesday and Thursday 12:30-1:50 p.m. Scholar’s Lab Classroom Alderman
Library 4th Floor. Open Lab: Friday 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Campbell 105 (schedule
some portion)
Prerequisites
Graduate Planning and upper level undergraduate Planning majors will receive priority
enrollment, however students from other disciplines throughout the University are welcome.
Students should have a basic working knowledge of MS Windows operating system, University
network system and Internet skills. A review of Excel or data base management software
concepts (Access) would be helpful.
Course description and methods:
GIS is a data management tool, a mapping tool, a visualization tool and a spatial analysis
engine. While this is an introductory GIS course, it will focus on how urban and environmental
planners and others in social sciences or related fields of study can use Geographic Information
Systems to address current planning problems. Since planning issues are part of our everyday
life in either urban or rural America, this focus should provide some grounding even for the nonplanning major. A major focus of the course will be the conceptual and practical underpinnings of
establishing and using a Geographic Information System. The major focus will be on
understanding the concepts by doing GIS. Readings will address policy issues of establishing
GIS in various governmental or regional settings. Some specific applications to planning and
other public systems problems will be examined through lectures and readings.
Practical technical training will be undertaken through the use of the ArcGIS software package on
PC computers in the Scholar’s Lab, ITC labs and School of Architecture Labs. . Raster and 3D
analysis will also be introduced.
Students will develop a small GIS project of their own choosing after the fundamentals of GIS
have been mastered.
Maps are intended to communicate information some of which derives from analysis. The
cartographic quality of course products will receive critical attention.
Requirements
This is a learn by doing course so exercises and projects will receive the following weight:
Fundamental GIS Exercises: 50%
Practical GIS Development 40%
Consistent Preparation, Quizzes and Participation 10%
Fully completing the exercises well will qualify for a B grade. Insightful reflections, analysis and
outstanding cartographic quality will be necessary to demonstrate outstanding work reaching into
the A grade range. Grading will be on the normal grading scale: 100-98 A+; 93-97 A; 90-92 A-;
88-90 B+; 83-87 B; 80-82 B-; etc 70’s for C etc.
Late submission of exercises or project will result in a half-grade (5 points out of 100) for each
day the assignment is late. Extenuating circumstances (illness, etc.) will need to be arranged
with the instructor before the submission date.
No exercise work will be accepted after the last class session. No project will be received after
the scheduled exam period.
Readings
Olmsby et.al., GETTING TO KNOW ARCGIS Desktop 2nd edition .ESRI PRESS:
Reference: William Huxhold, Eric M. Fowler, and Brian Parr, ArcGIS and the Digital City, ESRI
PRESS
Longley, Paul A., Michael F. Goodchild, David J. Maguire and David W. Rhind, GEOGRAPHIC
INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND SCIENCE,2nd ed.,Wiley and Sons, 2005.
About the instructor
Professor Phillips is a full time planning faculty member who has taught computers, geographic
information systems and quantitative methods for a number of years. His website is:
http://www.people.virginia.edu/~dlp/
Web Address URL (incl. Collab sites if public):
http://www.people.virginia.edu/~dlp/2003site/courses.html
Number of Students Authorized to Enroll: 12
Satisfies Requirement (Building Elective, Preservation Certificate, etc.): Professional
Planning Elective
PLAN 512
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
SYSTEMS FOR PLANNERS
Spring 2008 Course Syllabus
Urban and Environmental Planning
School of Architecture, University of Virginia
Professor David Phillips
Session/
Week
Date
Topic/Readings
Exercise
1
Jan 17
Introduction to the Course;
Introduction to Computers
in Planning & Geographic
Information Systems
Exercise Tasks::Establish Accounts, Locate Home
Directory and Home2/Courses Directory, Establish
your own folder.Find the GTKAG data; Locate the
COLLAB website.
The Course Requirements, The
Computer Exercises The Applied
Project
Examples of GIS applications in
planning.
Orientation to the GEOSTAT and
School of Architecture Computer Lab.
Communications, ESRI Software,
Google Earth Exercise
Introduction to GIS
Lecture on GIS and Thematic
Mapping, Map Information;Non-Map
Attributes; Hardware/Software; Data
Base Management; GIS
Functionality; Raster/Vector Contrasts.
READINGS: Getting To Know
ArcGIS (GTKAG), Chap 1-4.
Reference: Longley, GISS:1-33; 157175..
Explore ArcMAP and ArcCatalog. Getting to Know
ArcGIS, Read Chapters 1 & 2 Review the
Exercises: Chapters 3 & 4.
Session/
Week
Date
Topic/Readings
Exercise
2
Jan 22
Thematic Mapping with
ArcMap
Exercise Tasks: Thematic Mapping and Map
Composition Assignment
Colors: Color Brewer:
Introduction to Thematic
Mapping
Receive the GIS Applications
Assignment
Map Updating; Zoning; Redistricting;
Housing Policy; Land Records;
Environmental Studies; Infrastructure
Management Etc.
Research Directions on Thematic Mapping of Census
Data:
http://www.agocg.ac.uk/reports/visual/casestud/dykes/i
ntrod_1.htm
READINGS:
Applications: Longley,
GISS: pp. 35-60. Longley, GISS: pp. 6083, 96-99.
Reference: GTKAG: Read Chapters 5,
6, 18, 19
3
Jan 29
Map Projections and Coordinate
Systems
Complete the Thematic Mapping
GIS Applications Reporting by
students
READINGS:
Exercise Tasks: Projection exercise
Review GTKAG exercises 13a and 13b
Do Handout Virginia Projection Exercise.
Longley, GISS: pp. 109-
126
Reference:
GTKAG: Chapter 13;.
4
Feb 5
Building a GIS Geodatabase:
Data Capture, Data Importing,
Digitizing, Data Quality
Blending Spatial Data
Data Capture: Digitizing, Importing,
Purchase,
Conversion,
Precision,
Accuracy and Scale, Map Document
Preparation
READINGS:
Longley, GISS: pp.
183-224.
Reference: GTKAG:Chap 14 thru 17.
Huxhold, Digital City, Chap. 1, Exercises 1a
thru 1i.
Exercise Tasks:
Creating a GIS Geodatabase
Reference:
GTKAG:Chap 14 thru 17.
Session/
Week
Date
Topic/Readings
Exercise
5
Feb 12
Building a GIS Project continued.
Exercise Tasks: Continue Creating GIS Project.
Data Bases & Data Structures:
Personal Geodatabases
Concepts, Entities, attributes and
relations, Tables, Files, Data Bases,
Software, Design of Relational Data
Bases, Topology in Urban Data Other
Data Structures
READINGS:
Longley, GISS: pp.
178-197, 199-216, 217-239.
6
Feb 19
GIS Analytic Capacity
Asking Spatial Questions
Exercise Tasks: READINGS: Begin the Analysis
Exercise on Vector Based Data
Reference: GTKAG: Chapters 10-12
Map Query; Attribute Query, Buffering;
Proximity; Overlays; Neighborhoods,
Locations, Connectivity
READINGS:
Longley, GISS: pp. 85-
97 and 315-339.
Reference: GTKAG, Chap. 10-12
DIGITAL CITY, Chap. 2, Exercises 2a, 2c,
2e, 2f, Chap 3. Exercises 3a, 3b, 3c
7
Feb 26
GPS and GIS
Exercise: Field work with GPS
Readings to be assigned.
8
March
2-9
SPRING BREAK
March
11
Geo-referencing and Address
Matching
DIGITAL CITY, Chap. 3, Exer. 3d, 3e.
Reference: Huxhold, Intro. Urban GIS,
Chapter 5, Geographic Base Files.
Computer Models for Planning
Information
Readings from Brail and Klosterman to
be assigned.
Exercise Tasks: Complete the Analysis Exercise on
Vector Based Data
Geo-referencing Exercise in GTKAG:
Chapter 17.Exercises17 a, b, c.
Session/
Week
Date
Topic/Readings
Exercise
9
March
18
Project Definition and Design.
Exercise Tasks: Assembly and analysis of GRID based
geographic data.
Spatial Analysis of Geographic
Data
READINGS: EXTENDING
ARCVIEW, Chapters 8-15.
Longley, GISS: Summary, design and
inference, pp. 341-362.
10
March
25
Spatial Analysis of Geographic
Data
Exercise Tasks: Grid Based analysis Continued
READINGS:
Longley, GISS: Spatial Modeling in GIS, pp.
363-382
11
April 1
Surface Modeling with TINs
Exercise Tasks: TIN exercise Individual Projects
Visualizing Places
Use of ArcScene, Animation
Generation of elevation data, Contours,
Digital Elevation Models, TINs
READINGS:
Longley, GISS: TINS pp. 189-190.
Geovisualization, pp. 289-313
ESRI, Extending ArcView GIS:3D
Analyst.to be assigned.
12
April 8
Planning and Managing
Information Systems
Development
READINGS: Longley, GISS: GIS and
Exercise Tasks: Individual Projects
Management pp. 385-424.
13
April 15
Sharing Geographic Data and
Spatial Data Standards.
Availability and Transferability
READINGS: Longley, GISS:
Success…Partnerships, Chap 20, pp. 447470.
Exercise Tasks:Working On Individual Projects
Session/
Week
Date
Topic/Readings
Exercise
14
April 22
Individual Project Work
Exercise Tasks:Working On Individual Projects
15
April 29 Presentation of Projects and
Submission of all Exercises
Exam
week
Scheduled final Exam Time is Thursday,
May 8, 2-5 p.m. This is the final date for all
submissions. We may have this as the
presentation date for projects as well.
File maintained by D.L. Phillips
Last Modified: January 14, 2008
PLAN 512 Course Mechanics
Operational Considerations:
While we do meet in a “computer classroom”, we will not always be working with computers during the class session.
Please do not use computers for printing, word processing or email during class. It is distracting to your colleagues and
to the instructor.
Please turn any cell phones or pagers to off or vibrator mode.
You will want to acquire storage media as backup for digital work. You can use your Home Directory and the files in the
Home2/Courses file server. However, you should not solely rely on them to preserve your work. The particular way you
choose to back up the work may depend on your personal as well as university computers. Develop a strategy and use
it! The lack of a backup copy is not a sufficient excuse for missed work.
Attendance:
You are expected to be in class to receive handouts, instructions and help with exercises. If you are not going to be at a
class session, you are expected to 1) inform the instructor of your absence and its purpose and 2) inform any team
members with whom you are currently working. You are expected to take advantage of the Open computer lab time on
Fridays. The instructor and TA will be present to assist you in your exercises and projects.
Student Accommodations : All students with special needs requiring accommodations should present the appropriate
paperwork from the Learning Needs and Evaluation Center (LNEC). It is the student’s responsibility to present this
paperwork in a timely fashion and follow up with the instructor about the accommodations being offered. Students are
urged to fulfill this responsibility within the first two weeks of the class.
The LNEC is located in the Department of Student Health and can be contacted at 243-5180/5181.
http://www.virginia.edu/studenthealth/lnec.html
Contacting the Instructor:
You may contact the instructor by using email or phoning the office: 982-2196
dlp@virginia.edu