Fall 2007

NRM338, Geog338 Introduction To Geographic Information Systems

http://nrm.salrm.uaf.edu/~dverbyla/nrm338/

3 credits: 2 lectures, 1 computer lab per week

Lectures: Tuesday/Thursday, 11:30- 1PM Natural Sciences Room 203

Lab: Tuesday 2-5PM or Tuesday 6-9PM ONeill 359

or Wednesday 2-5PM WRB Room4

Instructor: Dave Verbyla, Professor, ONeill Building, Room 366

Phone: 474-5553 (but Email is much preferred instead of telephone tag!)

Email: D.Verbyla@uaf.edu.

Dave's Office Hours: ONeill 366 Tuesdays 9-10 AM or by email appointment..

Email: D.Verbyla@uaf.edu.

Teaching Assistant: Becky Baird (email: fsrap1@uaf.edu )

Course Description: This course is designed for geographers, wildlife biologists, fisheries biologists, ecologists, natural resource managers, geologists and field-oriented professionals who use spatial technologies in their jobs. Spatial technogies are especially important in Alaska, where road-access is typically limited. Our emphasis in this course is on obtaining and using Alaskan geographic data.

You should have basic computer skills and basic algebra (especially for conversion from english to metric units) before you take this course. The course is cross-listed as NRM/Geog, so if a Geog 338 lab that you want is full, it may have an opening in the NRM338 section at the same time.

Course Objectives:

1) To learn how spatial technologies such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and satellite imagery can be used in natural resources management.

2) To understand basic concepts independent of any particular software.

3) To learn ArcGIS (ArcMap and ArcCatalog) GIS through hands-on computer lab exercises.

4) To learn how to obtain and process GIS data such as scanned topo maps, satellite images, GPS locations, and elevation data.

Grading: Late assignments will not be accepted!

Based on total points from the following:

12 weekly Reading Assignments : 20 points each = 240 points
11 Open-note, open-book quizzes based on labs, lectures, readings: 20 points each = 200 points
(we drop your lowest quiz grade)
On-line GIS Final Exam: 100 points
Total points possible = 540 points

Final grades will be based on total points earned in the course as follows:

> 485 total points = A

445 to 485 total points = B

400 to 444 points = C

350 to 399 total points = D

< 350 total points = F

Disability Services: We will work with the Office of Disabilities Services (203 WHIT, 474-7043) to provide reasonable accommodation to to any student with a disability.

Please inform us the first week of class if you have a disability that we should be aware of.

Textbook: None---weekly web site readings

Solutions to all reading assignments will be posted at the website the afternoon of the due date.

Fall 2007 Schedule
(One of the 11 quizzes will be dropped,
so you will have ten quizzes for grading points)
Date	Lectures	Reading Assignment due Thursdays at end of lecture	Lab

Sept.11-13	GPS Geographic Coordinates 2006Quiz#1	GPS Tutorial Due 1pm Thursday 13-Sept-2007	Lab1: GPS: Navgation, Planning, Data Processing
Sept. 18-20	Intro. to ArcGIS Invisible Toolbars/Windows 2006 Quiz#2	Geographic Coordinate Systems Due 1pm Thursday 20-Sept-2007	Lab2: Introduction to ArcMap and ArcCatalog
Sept. 25-27	Projections and Coordinates 2006 Quiz#3	Projected Coordinate Systems Due 1pm Thursday 27-Sept-2007	Lab 3: GIS Coordinate Systems and Projections
Oct. 2-4	GIS vector data 2006 Quiz#4	Map Projections Due 1pm Thursday 4-Oct-2007	Lab 4: GIS Feature Data Formats
Oct. 9-11	GIS raster data Generating from text files 2006 Quiz#5	ArcCatalog Due 1pm Thursday 11-Oct-2007	Lab 5: USGS DRG and DLG data
Oct. 16-18	Elevation Rasters Color Hillshading 2006 Quiz#6	Introduction to ArcMap Due 1pm Thursday 18-Oct-2007	Lab 6: USGS DEM data
Oct. 23-25	Editing Features 2006 Quiz#7	Editing in ArcMap Due 1pm Thursday 25-Oct-2007	Lab 7: Editing shapefiles
Oct. 30-Nov1	Geodatabases	Working With Tables Due 1pm Thursday 1-Nov-2007	Lab 8: Editing geodatabases
Nov, 6-8	Image Rectification Free Landsat 2006 Quiz#8	Rasters in Arcmap Due 1pm Thursday 8-Nov-2007	Lab 9: Raster imagery: rectification
Nov. 13-15	Image classification GIS Image Servers 2006 Quiz#9	Map Interactions Due 1pm Thursday 15-Nov-2007	Lab 10: Raster imagery: classification and accuracy assessment
Nov. 20-22	Thanksgiving Week: No lecture	Geoprocessing Tools Due 1pm Thursday 29-Nov-2007	Thanksgiving Week: No labs
Nov. 27-29	Feature Analysis Practice Final Exams 2006 Quiz#11	Geoprocessing Tools Due 1pm Thursday 29-Nov-2007	Lab 11: Feature Analysis
Dec. 4-6	Map Layouts Go over practice exams	Map Layout Due 1pm Thursday 6-Dec-2007	Lab 12: Map Layout
Dec. 11-20	email me at least a day in in advance when you want to take final exam	Study or take online final	On-Line Exam 9am-5pm By Thursday Dec. 20, 2007 noon