Syllabus
Course Description
This course introduces the fundamental concepts of geographic information systems (GISystems), geographic information science (GIScience), and their application to public policy and the social sciences. The course will also provide instruction in a variety of open source GIS and spatial analysis software packages including QGIS, PySAL, and OpenGeoDa.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course students will have acquired:
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A sound understanding of fundamental spatial concepts and theory
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Know how to locate, import, manipulate, display, and analyze geographical data in a GIS
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Ability to apply GIScience concepts and methods in public policy and social science research
Prerequisites
Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
Grading
| Component | Points |
|---|---|
| Exercise 1 | 15 |
| Exercise 2 | 15 |
| Exercise 3 | 15 |
| Exercise 4 | 15 |
| Midterm | 10 |
| Final Exam | 20 |
| Collaboration | 10 |
Exercises
- Four exercises will be introduced in class and are to be completed outside of meeting times.
- Collaboration on exercises is encouraged with the understanding that you alone are responsible for mastering the material
- Collaboration is not allowed on the examinations
- Material from the exercises will form the bases of some examination questions
Exams
A mid-term and final examination will be given in class. Exams are closed-book. Reviews will be held the sessions preceding an exam.
Makeups for exams will be given for unforeseen events. Makeups will consist of a 30 minute oral examination during office hours.
Collaboration
You have the opportunity to earn a total of 10 collaboration points. Collaboration here means you make a contribution that improves the course experience for all.
Points can be earned for the following contributions:
- An approved review question (1 pt)
- An approved answer to a review question (1 pt)
Review Questions
- Can be submitted anytime up to 2 weeks before the midterm or final
- Must be submitted through piazza
- Have to be approved by the professor for credit
Piazza
This term we will be using Piazza for class discussion. The system is highly catered to getting you help fast and efficiently from classmates and myself. Rather than emailing questions to the teaching staff, I encourage you to post your questions on Piazza. If you have any problems or feedback for the developers, email team@piazza.com.
Find our class page at: https://piazza.com/ucr/winter2020/pbpl273/home
Schedule
Week 1: January 6, 8
- 6: Introduction to GIS
- 8: Introduction to QIS
- 8: Exercise 1 Out
Week 2: January 13, 15
- 13: Data Models
- 15: Vector Data
- 15: Exercise 1 Due
- 15: Exercise 2 Out
Week 3: January 20, 22
- 20: Martin Luther King Holiday
- 22: Raster Data
Week 4: January 27, 29
- 27: Coordinate Reference Systems
- 29: QGIS Studio
Week 5: February 3, 5
- 3: Review
- 3: Exercise 2 Due
- 5: Midterm Exam
Week 6: February 10, 12
- 10: Mapping in QGIS
- 12: Creating Vector Data
- 12: Exercise 3 Out
Week 7: February 17, 19
- 17: Holiday
- 19: Vector Analysis: Buffers and Spatial Joins
Week 8: February 24, 26
- 24: Vector Analysis: Clipping and Partitions
- 26: OpenStreetMap
- 26: Exercise 3 Due
- 26: Exercise 4 Out
Week 9: March 2, 4
- 2: Introduction to QGIS Console
- 4: Scripting QGIS Part II
Week 10: March 9, 11
- 9: QGIS Studio
- 11: Final Review
- 11: Exercise 4 Due
Final Exam: March 17
- 17: 7:00pm
Readings
Readings supporting the lecture are taken from the following sources:
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Sutton,T, O. Dassau, and M. Sutton (2009) A Gentle Introduction to GIS. Spatial Information Management Unit, Office of the Premier, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
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Longley, P.A., M.F. Goodchild, D.J. Maguire, and D.W. Rhind (2015) Geographic Information Science and Systems, 4th Edition, Wiley.
Additional readings will be assigned and made available on the course learning site.
Academic Integrity
The UCR student academic integrity policy lists violations in detail. These violations fall into eight broad areas that include but are not limited to: cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, facilitating academic misconduct, unauthorized collaboration, interference or sabbotage, non-compliance with research regulations and retaliation. For more information about the UCR student academic integrity policy, please use the following web link http://conduct.ucr.edu/policies/academicintegrity.html
Disability accommodations
Qualified students with disabilities who will require disability accommodations in this class are encouraged to make their requests to me at the beginning of the quarter either during office hours or by appointment.
Note: Prior to receiving disability accommodations, verification of eligibility from the Student Disability Resource Center is required. Disability information is confidential.
Code of Conduct
As course instructor, I am dedicated to providing a harassment-free learning experience for all students, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, or choice of operating system. All course participants are expected to show respect and courtesy to other students throughout the semester. As a learning community we do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form.
- All communication should be appropriate for a professional audience including people of many different backgrounds. Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate in this course.
- Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other students. Behave professionally. Remember that harassment and sexist, racist, or exclusionary jokes are not appropriate for PBPL273.
- Students violating these rules may be asked to leave the course, and their violations will be reported to the UCR administration.
This code of conduct is an adaptation of the SciPy 2018 Code of Conduct.