EFB 519/ENS 519
Introduction to Geographic Modeling/Spatial Ecology
3 credit hours: 2 instructional hours of lecture/discussion and 3 hours of laboratory per week.
Lecture: Tuesday, 12:30 – 2:20 – 111 Marshall
Instructor: Myrna Hall – 112 Marshall
Lab: Thursday 12:30 – 3:30 – 437 Baker Lab
Office Hours: W, 10:00 – 12:00 or by appt.
Scope: This course is designed for seniors and graduate students desiring further development in
ecosystem modeling. Geographical modeling, in contrast to GIS, landscape ecology and other subdisciplines, involves the simulation of natural earth phenomena with special consideration given to
spatial position, adjacency, clustering or distribution of system variables. It requires an interface
between the new tools of GIS and the traditional tools of ecological process modeling. The focus
is on rigorous empirical science applied to landscape units at varying scales. This includes on the
one hand geographic data-intensive simulation, and, on the other, simulation-intensive mapping.
Objectives: To teach students how to integrate ecological process modeling with GIS. Specifically
students will be able to do the following upon completion of the course:
1) understand the basic vocabulary that links maps, computers and simulation models;
2) build a “cartographic model,” i.e. a map flow diagram, showing how the student will use GIS
modules to create the necessary map inputs required by the student’s simulation model;
3) locate digital map data from a variety of public INTERNET sources, and know how to import
and export various formats using GIS import/export modules, and the student’s own
FORTRAN programs (other languages can be used such as C, C++, Visual Basic, Math Lab,
Pascal, etc. can be used as long as code is well commented);
4) manipulate digital data using a raster-based GIS such as IDRISI. Students will learn to prepare
model inputs, e.g. distance from pollution sources, distributed maps of interpolated point and
line sample data, overlays of land cover soil maps to derive estimates of hydrological
infiltration for surface water modeling, reclassification of NRCS soil maps to derive soil curve
numbers (infiltration coefficient) for runoff modeling or the K factor for erosion modeling,etc.;
5) create and use digital elevation models to derive hourly insolation, hydrological flow path,
potential soil saturation, wind patterns, temperature, rainfall, stream and lake depth profiles, etc,
6) write FORTRAN code to generate matrices (row, column raster maps) of environmental
variables within a time loop. Typical maps produced would represent predictions of
photosynthesis, soil moisture, species composition and distribution, biomass production, land
use change, population movement, energy expenditure, etc. in the mapped region of interest
over time;
7) dynamically display model results – using ECOPLOT, IDRISI time series visualization or
ARCVIEW 3D or ARCGIS 3D Scene images in Power Point.
Methods and Materials
Methods: The class meets twice weekly, and is comprised of two instructional hours of
lecture/discussion and three hours of lab per week. Lecture sessions combine lectures with
discussion of assigned readings. Lab exercises are designed to develop students’ spatial modeling
skills. Each student will develop a computer model of his/her own area of research. At the end of
the semester each student will have a well-developed conceptual model and a simulation model
with graphic output to illustrate system dynamics over time.
Materials required of students:
1. The course reader available for purchase from the ESF Business Office the first
week of classes
2. A set of readings selected by the student related to his/her own modeling
interests
3. A project notebook (9.5 X 6 inches)
4. Storage media (flash or portable hard drive)
Optional but available to students at great pricing:
1) IDRISI TAIGA at student pricing ($295 or $95 for a one year license), check
http://www.clarklabs.org/
2) A FORTRAN compiler ($79.00 for Lahey Essential FORTRAN 90), check
http://www.lahy.com/elfpage.htm
FREE: One-year copy of ARCGIS 9.2 provided by the instructor
Highly recommended:
FORTRAN 90 for Engineers and Scientists, L. R. Nyhoff and S. C. Leestma, 1997,
Prentice Hall. (Used from $55.00 at http://www.amazon.com/). Also available at
Barnes and Noble, and maybe at SU or Orange Bookstore.
Environmental Modeling with GIS, M. F. Goodchild, B. O. Parks, and L. T.
Steyart (Eds.), 1993Oxford, New York. (Available in paper back from
http://www.amazon.com for $26.95).
Environmental Modelling with GIS and Remote Sensing, A. Skidmore (Ed.)
2002, Taylor and Francis, London.
C. T. Hunsaker, M. F. Goodchild, M. A. Friedl, and T. J. Case (Eds.), Spatial
Uncertainty in Ecology, 2001, Springer-Verlag, New York.
Relation to Other Courses
Course Prerequisites: EFB 518 -- Systems Ecology, or course in computer programming and
any one course in GIS, from among the following ESF courses:
ESF 300 Introduction to Geographic Information Technology
FOR 557 Spatial Modeling with Vector GIS
FOR 556 Raster-based Spatial Modeling
Grading
Weekly homework assignments
= 75%
Final Project
= 25%
Attendance / Participation are expected and can affect final grade!
A grading rubric is provided with each lab. Grades are allocated as follows:
92.5 - 100
=A
89.5 - 92.4
= A87.5 - 89.4
= B+
82.5 - 87.4
=B
78.5 – 83.5
= BGrades lower than this almost never happen as long as you turn in your assignments.
The final presentation will consist of an oral presentation describing the project objectives,
hypothesis, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions, accompanied by graphic display of model
results. To be handed in at that time are the following: 1) an abstract describing your model, 2)
documentation of data sources, (including map metadata), 3) a cartographic model showing how
your program inputs were derived, and 4) the well-commented FORTRAN code of your simulation
model.
Course Lecture Sequence:
Lecture Topics
EFB 519 -- Introduction to Geographic Modeling
Lectures -- Tuesdays, January 19 – May 3, 2010, 12:30 - 2:20 PM
 1st hour – Discussion of readings
 2nd hour – Case studies, examples of applications, and how to’s
Week 1 – January 19
 A review of GIS, data structures, modeling and the need for the synthesis of GIS
and modeling to understand ecosystem processes
 Group discussion to define the question, identify data needs, appropriate scale of
analysis, and detail required to adequately meet our objectives; pick a modeling
approach; from conceptual model to computer code.
Week 2 – January 26


Linking Simulation Modeling and GIS – an Overview
Modeling Tropical Land Use Change in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve -- A
Cartographic Model turned to Code
Week 3 – February 2


Data – Sources, Issues of Quality, Scale, Level of Aggregation, Scales of Measurement,
Appropriateness for Question of Interest, Metadata
Creation of a land cover land use map for statistical analysis of water quality versus land use in
the NY City Catksill/Delaware Watersheds
Week 4 – February 9


Sources of Uncertainty in Spatial Modeling
Application of Cartographic Modeling to calculate long term soil productivity,
sensitivity analysis of two different soil erosion models
Week 5 – February 16


Creating Surfaces from vector (point and line) data – review of methods
Geostatistics, spatial autocorrelation, and kriging: their application to Super Mapping
of Superfund Contaminants in Onondaga Lake Sediments
Week 6 – February 23


Terrain-based hydrological modeling, extraction of stream networks and watershed
boundaries from digital elevation models (DEMS) and overland flow routing
methodologies
Statistical Modeling of Non-Point Source Pollution in the New York City Watershed
Week 7 – March 2
 The role of sunlight in ecology and how to model it over one day – trigonometry
required!
 Modeling Photosynthesis in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico – guest speaker,
TBA
Week 8 – March 9


Gradient Analysis, and other ordination methods for understanding the
abundance, growth and spatial distribution of species
Modeling glaciers and vegetation as a function of climate change in Glacier National
Park, Montana
SPRING BREAK (March 14 – 20)
Week 9 – March 22


Dynamic models of landscape processes – fire and ice!
Model calibration -- How to determine statistically the importance of independent
variables in model parameterization; validation of calibration, sensitivity analysis,
with examples from North and South America.
Week 10 – March 29
 A review of several whole ecosystem Process Models
 Modeling Primary Production in Little Sandy Creek, a 1st Rate Model for a 3rd Order
Stream in Upstate New York -- guest speaker, TBA
Week 11 – April 5
 Dynamic Landscape Models, terrestrial and aquatic, versus Landscape Ecology
Models
 An example of a landscape ecology model from China – guest speaker, Dr. Li
Xiaoyu
Week 12 – April 12


Land use change modeling, prediction versus projection, and issues of validation
Model Validation
Week 13 – April 19


Modeling Communication and Policy Impact
Wildlife and fisheries modeling -- populations on the move – guest speaker, TBA
Week 14 – April 26
 Student presentation of papers relevant to their modeling interests
Week 15 – May 3
 Student presentation of papers relevant to their modeling interests
Course Lab Sequence:
For the 10 formal labs this semester you will do the following:
Lab 1 – Data Format Transformation for Model Inputs
Lab 2 – Write a model to reclass elevation data and soils, find the intersection of the two that
meets the necessary criteria for recessional sorghum production and create a map of
suitability zones.
Lab 3 – Conduct an Internet search for data for your project, check metadata for quality and
completeness, and evaluate the data’s usefulness or limitations for your research.
Lab 4 – Create an ambient air temperature surface based on regression of elevation and
temperature data.
Lab 5 – Write the code to sample points from elevation contour data, with which you will then
create digital elevation model surface using geostatistical analysis (semivariograms) and
kriging.
Lab 6 – Write a model to route hydrological flow, and calculate potential soil saturation, using the
neighborhood function (useful for erosion modeling, too); extra credit if you can delineate
a watershed!
Lab 7 – Write a model to predict hourly solar insolation using trigonometric functions and known
algorithms; create a 24-hour time-series display.
Lab 8 – Write a model to evaluate and plot the 2-dimensional environmental gradient space
(temperature and moisture) required by a species for maximum production.
Lab 9 – Write a spread model – wind, fire, land use change
Lab 10 – Model NPP
When you’ve accomplished all this you’ll be ready for anything!
Lab 11 - Work on own model. Project abstract due.
Lab 12 – Work on own model. Sheet describing project data sources due.
Lab 13 -- Work on own model. Project cartographic models due.
Lab 14 -- Work on own model. (last official lab) Pseudocode due.
Tuesday, May 4, Turn in project FORTRAN code.
FINAL Presentations scheduled for ____________________________________