Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

Instructor:	Dr. Minhe Ji	Office Hours:	MR 3:00-4:30 P
Office:	ENV 310G	Lecture:	T 6:00-6:50 pm (ENV 125)
Phone:	565-2377	Labs:	T 7-9 pm, W 9-11 am, 3-5 pm (ENV 336)
Email:	jminhe@unt.edu	TA:	Steven Earnest (sfe0003@unt.edu)

Course Objectives	Introduce the exciting and rapidly expanding field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Topics to be covered include spatial data properties, spatial data models and structures, map projection and coordinates, data collection and transformation, data management and analysis, and mapping and presentation of geographic information. Along with learning the fundamental GIS concepts, students will develop practical skills of handling spatial data in a user-friendly GIS environment. Instructions will be provided through lectures and computer-based exercises in the lab. The course requires no prior experience in computer science, cartography, or geographic analysis; those who feel limited in any of these fields should take extra efforts to make it up in order to keep up with the fast pace of the class.
Required Readings	1) Chang, Kang-tsung, 2002, Introduction to Geographic Information Systems, McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. ISBN 0-07-238211-2. 2) Nine ESRI digital books for ArcGIS (as listed at the end of this syllabus and will be supplied by the instructor).
Attendance Policy	Regular lecture and lab attendance is the key to success in this course. Students are expected to attend every meeting of this course. Although absence has no direct relation to your grade, its effects will immediately show in your understanding of course materials and lab assignments. Majority of questions in the exams will also be derived from lectures and labs. If you did miss a class, you may borrow a fellow student’s notes or check the online lecture presentation files. I will be happy to answer questions about the missed material during my office hours.
Laboratory Time	The lab classes allow students to learn practical GIS data handling skills through a series of structured exercises. These skills are crucial to completing the lab assignments. Students are expected to allocate extra time outside of class to complete lab assignments and other projects.
Grading Policy	Midterm Exam = 20%	Six Lab Exercises = 30%
	Final Exam = 20%	Two Lab Practicals = 30%
	Late assignments will be marked down by 10% per day. Your course grade will strictly follow the traditional 90-80-70-60 breakdowns.
Extra Require-ments	(1) You will need at least one 100 MB zip disk for storing files for assignments. (2) Graduate Students are required to compile an annotated bibliography with 10 entries on a GIS topic of their own interest. You may choose to use any commonly recognized format or the sample format provided here.
DSA	Any Student who, because of a disabling condition, requires special arrangements in order to meet the course requirements should contact the instructor before the 4th class period of this semester to make necessary accommodations.

WEEK	MAJOR TOPICS	HOMEWORK
1	Course introduction ArcGIS overview. Exploring ArcCatalog and ArcMap	C1, E1-2, V2.1-2.3, B2, B3, M2, M3
2	Spatial data concepts, map and data models, map scale Exploring GIS data models. ArcGIS Online Help	C3, C7, V4, B3, M4-5 Assignment 1
3	Map projection and coordinate systems Spatial data projection / coordinate transformation	C2, K1-3, B4
4	Symbolize, classify, and label spatial data Map feature and raster data symbolization in ArcMap	C8, M6-7 Assignment 2
5	GIS project and flowcharting. GIS database creation Collect and convert GIS data into ArcGIS databases	C4, A1, A2, B6
6	GIS data creation and editing Editor basics and feature creation	C5, S2.1-2.2, S3-4 Assignment 3
7	Editing existing features and attribute data Spatial feature and table editing	C6, S2.4-2.5, S7-8, S10
8	MID-TERM EXAM (Tuesday, 6-8.50 PM. ENV 125)	Lab Practical 1
9	Geocoding as a data input method Geocoding addresses	G1, M15 Assignment 4
10	Join attribute tables. Graphing and reporting. Selecting features by attribute. Linking attribute tables	C9, M10-12
11	Attribute query and spatial query Select by location combined with select by attributes	C9, M13 Assignment 5
12	Spatial operations for data preparation Dissolving features, merging datasets, clipping layers	C5, S2.7
13	Spatial analysis: proximity and overlay Feature buffering. Feature overlay. Post-overlay analysis	C10, M13 Assignment 6
14	Basic cartographic design and map presentation Making maps with ArcMap. Introduction to Lab Practical 2	C8, M8
15	Semester Review Open Lab (pre-final week)	Lab Practical 2
16	FINAL EXAM (Tuesday, 6–8:50 PM. ENV 125)	All Assignments Due

Note: In the HOMEWORK column, C5 means Chapter 5 of Chang’s book, B2.1 means Chapter 2, Section 1 of Getting Started with ArcGIS, and so on. Letters representing digital books are given below.

· List of ESRI digital books for this course (available in R:\CSAM\class\4500\DigitalBooks):

1. Building_a_Geodatabase (A)

2. Getting_Started_with_ArcGIS.pdf (B)

3. What_is_ArcGIS.pdf (E)

4. Geocoding_tutorial.pdf (G)

5. Understanding_Map_Projections.pdf (K)

6. Using_ArcMap.pdf (M)

7. Editing_in_ArcMap.pdf (S)

8. Using_ArcToolbox.pdf (T)

9. Using_ArcCatalog.pdf (V)

· Lecture notes (Powerpoint files) are available in R:\CSAM\class\4500\LectureNotes

* Note *: Printing digital books or online helps in CSAM is strictly forbidden. If you need a hardcopy of these materials, please print them elsewhere.