SYLLABUS

Introduction to GIS

AVS 4495; ENV 4485; GEO 4485; GEOG 4485

Instructor:

Shane J. Prochnow, Ph.D.

BSB B409.3 (Center for Applied Geographic and Spatial Research)
254-710-2224
Shane_J_Prochnow@baylor.edu

Office Hours: Wed. 10:00 am to 12:00 pm or by appointment

Official Course Description: Map properties, map design, remote

sensing, GPS, and the growth and development of geographic
information. Students will use computers and other tools related to
Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Prerequisites: Junior or Senior Classification.

Textbook:

Lo, C.P. and Yeung, A.K.W. (2007) Concepts and Techniques in

Geographic Information Systems (2nd Edition). Prentice Hall. ISBN: 0-13-
149502-X

Grading:

Grade Graduate Students Undergraduate

Students
A 90.0 – 100.0 90.0 – 100.0
A- 88.0 – 89.9 N/A
B+ 84.0 - 87.9 84.0 – 89.9
B 80.0 – 83.9 80.0 – 83.9
C+ 75.0 – 79.9 75.0 – 79.9
D 60.0 - 69.9 60.0 - 69.9
F (Fail) 0.0 – 59.9 0.0 – 59.9
P (Pass) 60.0 – 100.0 60.0 – 100.0

Mid-term 25%
Final 25%
Weekly Assignments 10%
Weekly Quizzes 20%
Semester Project 10%

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Professionalism 10%

GRADUATE STUDENTS: By the nature of your classification, you are

held to a higher standard-across the board. Your projects will be more
elaborate to justify graduate credit.

Effort: You will be learning practical skills along with theoretical

background. Expect to spend double the scheduled meeting time
preparing for the course outside of class. We will have 48 hours of
lecture time through the semester, which means you should spend a
total of 144 hours time and effort (or about 3.5 work weeks) during the
semester to successfully complete all the assignments and study for
the tests. This is a standard calculation for any university course you
take.

Attendance: As per University requirements, all students must attend

75% of the regular class meetings. Additionally, I require all students
to attend 100% of the field trips. In extreme situations, such as a
sudden divorce, death, prison, deployment, mental illness, etc., a field
trip can be reassigned to an absent student. If you figure 16 weeks of
class per semester, and 3 hours per week, then you can miss a total of
12 hours of class (8 meetings) without failing by default. There will be
a sign-in sheet passed around at every class meeting.

Weekly Grades: I will typically lecture for 45 minutes, and then you
will spend roughly 45 minutes working hands-on with the equipment.
An assignment will often be due the next week to give you the
weekend to work on it. Often this will be a rough map, an online short-
course certificate, or some other graphic. You will ALWAYS have a quiz
at the beginning of the Tuesday class meeting covering what we
learned the previous week or the previously assigned reading (see
schedule). I will drop your lowest quiz grade when calculating your
final grade because we all have bad days.

Tests: The tests can be a mix of short answer, essay, multiple choice,
and true-false. I usually reorganize the questions from the weekly
quizzes and in-class exercises for the examinations. However, don’t be
deceived-expect the tests to still be very challenging. The final will be
comprehensive.

Semester Projects: You have a choice here. You can propose a

project you wish to work on-within the first two weeks of class, or I can
give you the standard project. I encourage you to use this as an
opportunity to process some of your thesis/research data. Your project
should be elaborate enough to spend roughly 28 hours (40 hours
graduate students) to complete the finished product.

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The standard project is to complete a series of ESRI web-based short
courses from the following list. You will need to complete 28 hours of
courses if you are an undergraduate or 40 hours if you are a graduate
student. When you finish a short course, you will be given a short, on-
line test. Once you pass the test you will be emailed a certificate of
completion. When you have finished your requisite number of training
hours, you must submit copies of all your certificates. This is an
outstanding opportunity to build your resume for future employment.

Hours
Online ESRI Short Course Effort
Introduction to ArcGIS Survey Analyst 3
Basics of the Geodatabase Data Model 3
Customizing ArcMap: Easy Ways to Extend the Interface 3
Georeferencing Rasters in ArcGIS 3
Introduction to ArcScan for ArcGIS 3
Introduction to Map Production System-Atlas (for ArcGIS
3
9.0-9.1)
Labeling in ArcMap: Tips and Tricks 3
The 15-Minute Map: Creating a Basic Map in ArcMap 3
Understanding GIS Queries 3
Using ArcCatalog: Tips and Tricks 3
Working with Map Topology in ArcGIS 3
Working with Survey Data in ArcGIS 3
Creating and Editing Labels and Annotation 6
Creating and Editing Linearly Referenced Features with
6
ArcGIS 9
Customizing ArcGIS Desktop (for ArcGIS 9.0-9.1) 6
Creating and Maintaining Metadata Using ArcGIS Desktop 9
Creating, Editing, and Managing Geodatabases for ArcGIS
12
Desktop (for ArcGIS 9.0-9.1)
Linear Referencing with ArcGIS Desktop 9
Working with Rasters in ArcGIS Desktop (for ArcGIS 9.0-9.1) 9
Creating and Integrating Data for Natural Resource
12
Applications (for ArcGIS 9.0-9.1)
Geoprocessing with ArcGIS Desktop (for ArcGIS 9.0-9.1) 15
Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning Using ArcGIS 9 18
Turning Data into Information Using ArcGIS 9 18

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Understanding Map Projections and Coordinate Systems 18
Cartographic Design Using ArcGIS 9 21

Professionalism: If you are enthusiastic and helpful to others, you

will get a high mark. If you whine and are troublesome, then I will use
this to knock your letter grade down. Attendance is also a factor.

Schedule: I promise this WILL change slightly as needed.

W Chapt Due
Topic Assignment
eek er Day
8/20 Introduction 1 Meteorite Exercise 8/28
Sizing Up the Earth
Maps and Geospatial Exercise
8/27 2 9/4
Data Flattening the Earth
Exercise
Geographic and Planar
Maps and Geospatial
9/3 2 Coordinate Systems 9/11
Data
Exercise
Digital Representation
3.4- Datum Exercise
9/10 and Organization of 9/18
3.8 Projection Exercise
Geospatial Data
Geospatial Data 4.1- How to Georeference
9/17 9/25
Quality and Standards 4.5 Exercise
DEM Mosaic Exercise
9/24 Raster Geoprocessing 5 Using the Raster 10/2
Calculator Exercise
How to Interpolate A
Raster Exercise
How to Clip a Raster
10/1 Raster Geoprocessing 5 10/9
Exercise
How to Reclassify a
Raster Exercise
10/8 Vector Geoprocessing 6 How to Digitize an 10/1
Existing Map Exercise 6

4
 How to Plot Point Data
and Join Attributes
Exercise
Buffer Analysis Exercise
10/1 10/2
Vector Geoprocessing 6 Introduction to X-tools
5 3
Pro and Hawth’s Tools
Extensions Exercise
10/2 Mid-term; Work on Mid-term; Work on
- -
2 Semester Projects Semester Projects
10/2 Work on Semester
Remote Sensing 8 -
9 Projects
Working with TINs
Digital Terrain Exercise 11/1
11/5 9
Modeling Surface Analysis 3
Exercise
Working with 3D Data
11/1 Digital Terrain Exercise 11/2
9
2 Modeling Working with Arc Hydro 0
Tools Exercise
Working with Spatial
11/1 Spatial Data Analysis 10.1- 11/2
Statistics in ArcToolbox
9 and Spatial Statistics 10.6 7
Exercise I
Working with Spatial
11/2 Spatial Data Analysis 10.1-
Statistics in ArcToolbox 12/3
6 and Spatial Statistics 10.6
Exercise II
12/3 Semester Projects Due - Semester Projects Due 12/3
12/8 Final Exam - Final Exam-9:00 am 12/8
Version: 10/14/2008 5:25:56 a10/p10