Working with Geographic Information Systems
INSTRUCTOR: ADAM CABRERA
SYLLABUS

 

Introduction

Hello! Welcome to your first required class of the Geographic Information Systems certificate program's core classes. By enrolling in the GIS certificate program, you have taken a very important first step toward enhancing your research, data analysis and presentation skills. I encourage you to enjoy your courses and assure you that all of us involved in the GIS certificate program are committed to ensuring that you have a positive and fruitful learning experience.

The following schedule is based on a regular ten week course. I recommend that you try and complete this class within ten weeks. However, you may take more or less than ten weeks depending on the amount of time you can devote to this class. Remember, the important goal is to understand the procedures outlined in your text rather than the finish the class hurriedly.

If you need help along the way, do not hesitate to contact me, because, even though we do not meet in the traditional classroom, as a student, you are my first priority.

Good luck.

 

Required Text

Getting to know ArcView GIS: The geographic information systems for everyone ESRI: Cambridge, USA.

 

Grading

Your course grade will be determined by your performance on three take home tests. You must take the test only after you have completed all requirements for that section. Tests are not cumulative and noone is allowed to re-take a test.

  • Test 1 = 25 percent
  • Test 2 = 50 percent
  • Test 3 = 25 percent

Total points = 100 percent

 

System Requirements

  • A multi-media PC, 486/33MHz
  • 16MB of RAM
  • 16MB of hard disk space
  • CD-ROM drive
  • 256-color display adapter
  • Microsoft Windows version 3.1, Windows NT, or Windows 95

Week
Readings Exercises and Assignments

1

DESKTOP GIS: WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT DOES

THIS IS HOW IT WORKS

ASKING QUESTIONS GETTING ANSWERS

2

MAKING INFORMATION PRESENTABLE

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DATA

USING DESKTOP GIS

TAKE HOME TEST 1

3

INTRODUCING ARCVIEW GIS

GETTING DATA INTO ARCVIEW GIS

CLASSIFYING AND DISPLAYING THEMES

SYMBOLIZING THEMES

4

MEASURING DISTANCE AND AREA IN A VIEW

MANAGING SCALE

5

SELECTING MAP FEATURES IN A VIEW

SELECTING RECORDS IN A TABLE

DISPLAYING AND EDITING TABLES

JOINING, LINKING, AND HOT LINKING

6

FINDING THE FEATURES NEARBY

FINDING THE FEATURES WITHIN

TAKE HOME TEST 2

7

FINDING FEATURES THAT INTERSECT OTHER FEATURES

SPATIALLY JOINING TABLES

8

WORKING WITH CHARTS

CREATING MAP LAYOUTS

9

CREATING SHAPEFILES

EDITING SHAPES IN A THEME

10

CREATING THEMES FROM COORDINATE FILES

ADDRESS GEOCODING

TAKE HOME TEST 3

Online class procedures

Questions and comments are encouraged. Send them to me via the following e-mail address adcab@pacbell.net. I expect to respond most e-mail questions and comments within two days.

Instructor

Adam Cabrera, GIS Specialist/Analyst, Kern County Superintendent of Schools

Adam has been working in the field since 1992. He is currently working on his degree in Computer Science at California State University, Bakersfield. He is involved in both Kern URISA and the ESRI User's Group. Adam recently had the honor of being published in ESRI's 1999 Map Book for a project looking at child care and the spatial relationship between care facilities and welfare recipients.

 

Virus Protection

Since you may be downloading files from the Internet or from other media, you should be aware that there is a potential for these files to contain viruses that may infect and damage your computers data (and even damage your equipment). This course has taken every means to protect students from viruses, but students should also be aware that virus infections remain an ongoing problem of file exchanges in the Information Age. It is recommended that you have a good, working antivirus program in place prior to beginning this course. If not, I recommend you implement such a program before proceeding. For antivirus software check out the site of McAfee at http://www.mcafee.com/., or consider acquiring software from another reputable software.

Return to top of syllabus