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| GLY 560: GIS for Earth Scientists | ||||
| Home | Syllabus | Lectures/Lessons | Project | |
Syllabus
GLY560 GIS for Earth Scientists -- Spring 2006
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Instructor |
Teaching Assistant (Lab) |
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Name: |
Matthew Becker |
Bill Stelmack |
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Phone: |
645-6800x3960 |
645-6800x3921 |
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Email: |
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Office: |
760 NSC |
707 NSC |
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Hours: |
MW 13:00-14:00 |
Th 10:00-12:00
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Class Web Site: http://www.glyfac.buffalo.edu/courses/gly560/ (please check for last minute changes)
Meeting Times:
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Lecture: |
M W 9:00-9:50 |
858 NSC |
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Lab: |
M W 10:00-11:30 |
858 NSC |
Objectives:
This course is intended to “jump-start” Geology Graduate Students on the use of Geographic Information System (GIS). This is not a science course, but a hands-on tutorial. For those students whose research involves the theory behind GIS, or who will be involved with advanced application of these tools, should consider taking graduate-level courses in the Geography department. After completion of this course, you will have a basic understanding of how GIS systems work, how spatial data can be manipulated in a GIS for common earth science applications. You will also be able to rectify air photos and satellite images so that they can be used as a map base. You will have a working knowledge of Linux and HTML, as well as the software’s ArcGIS.
Course Text:
There is no course text, but students must register for certain ESRI courses. These course are free to UB students.
Texts from which I will draw are:
Chang, Kang-tsung, Introduction to Geographic Information Systems, McGraw Hill, Boston, 2002.
Jensen, John. R., Remote Sensing of the Environment, an Earth Resource Perspective, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 2000.
Accessibility:
Students with special physical or learning needs have a right to and should expect full access to this course. I will make any arrangements necessary to meet documented special needs, but it is the responsibility of the student to make me aware of any special needs on the first day of class.
Other Requirements:
You will need a Science and Engineering Node Services (SENS) account to access the computers used for this class. This account is separate from your CIT university account, and may be obtained by visiting the Help Desk in 101 Bell Hall.
Elements of the Course:
The course will be organized such that on each meeting day there will be a short lecture, followed by a long hands-on “laboratory” or exercise period. Class exercises will be largely self-paced, but during this time students will be expected to either work on their class material or leave the room. Writing emails, surfing the internet, gabbing, or working on other coursework during this time is distracting to the other students and will not be tolerated.
Lectures and Reading
Lectures and reading will be used to lay out basic concepts, provide a foundation for exercises, and provide you with a sufficient "literacy" in GIS. Your understanding of this material will be assessed in weekly quizzes.
Exercise and Problems
The best way to learn GIS and RS tools is to work with them. Consequently, most of the course will center on hands-on experience with the software. Exercises will walk students through the software, and problems will test the students understanding of the theory and the software. You are encouraged to collaborate on both the exercises and the problems.
Quizzes
Quizzes reinforce lectures and handouts. Quizzes will be given sporadically and will be short.
Projects
Each student will be required to submit a GIS-based project. This project will involve the solution of an Earth Science problem using spatial analysis in a ArcGIS. You will be asked to submit a project proposal to me by February 15. Final project ideas will be approved by March 1, on which date all students will present their project ideas to the class in a short (<4 slides) presentation. Students who do not have an approved project plan from me by March 1 will receive 0 credit on their project. Final projects will be submitted as a web page, and presented to the class on the last day of regular classes. The final project web page will be due on the last day of finals.
Policy on Lecture Attendance:
I expect that you will make it to class unless you are ill, or have notified me that you have other pressing matters. You must be in class when quizzes are given, valid excuse or not. There are enough of them so if you miss one or two it won't affect your grade significantly.
Grading:
For purposes of grading, assignments will be weighted as follows:
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Component |
Percentage of Total Grade |
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Problems |
50% |
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Quizzes |
20% |
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Project |
30% |
Assignments will generally be corrected as percentages, and then converted to a letter grade at the end of the semester using the scale below. You have until the end of the following semester to appeal a final grade.
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A+ |
>96 |
B+ |
87-89 |
C+ |
77-79 |
D+ |
68-70 |
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A |
93-96 |
B |
83-86 |
C |
73-76 |
D |
63-66 |
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A- |
90-92 |
B- |
80-82 |
C- |
70-72 |
F |
<63 |