Santa Ana College
BA 150 - Introduction to Geographic
Information Systems (GIS)
Ticket #: 1215001 Instructor: Debbie Crowley
Introduction to GIS Syllabus
Course Description
This course is an Introduction to the concepts and uses of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). GIS is a system of computer software, hardware, and personnel designed to visualize, manipulate, analyze, and display spatial data. A GIS can create "Smart Maps" that links a database to a map. This allows you veiw relationships, patterns, or trends that are not possible to see with traditional charts, graphs, and spreadsheets. Through computer lab tutorials and case studies students will learn to use ArcGIS 9.0 from Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI).Some topics covered include City and Regional Planning, Community and Economic Planning and Development, Housing Studies, Transit and Transportation Issues, Land Use, Historic and Archeological Studies, Crime Analysis and Policing, Emergency Management and Public Works Utilities, Census and Demographic Studies, Public Health, and Business uses including Marketing and Advertising.
Course Goals
To provide students an understanding of GIS laying a strong foundation to become a successful user of ArcView.Performance Objectives
Upon completion of the course:
- Students will demonstrate an introductory level of understanding GIS.
- Students will be able to explain how GIS is used in their particular field of study.
- Students will be able to work with existing GIS data and maps.
- Students will be able to build maps from GIS data and how to create, then add graphs and reports to their maps.
- Students will be able to create geodatabases and import data into them.
- Students will understand the basic data types used within GIS.
- Students will be able to use the Internet to gther GIS data.
- Students will be able to edit spatial data.
Required Textbook:
 |
GIS Tutorial Workbook For ArcView 9, Second Edition Wilpen L. Gorr & Wristen S. Kurland ISBN # 978-1-58948-178-7 |
You can order your textbook online at Don Bookstore.com
You can order your textbook online at Amazon
Materials:
For this class you will need at least 1GB USB Flash Drive. The GIS data that comes with the text book is approximatly 280MB. ESRI Virtural Campus data is approximatly 160MB plus you'll be adding your own data.Check out the following links for some great prices on Flash Drives:
Software:
The following Software will be used in this class:- ArcGIS 9.2 - each student receives a 1 year version of the software
- MS Word - needed for answers to some assignments
- MS Excel – needed for a few assignments
- Adobe Acrobat PDF Viewer to read assignments and course slides (free download from http://www.adobe.com)
- Web browser- for access to course Web site and supplemental files
- PKZip or WINZIP – to compress multiple files and folders into a single file for e-mailing
ESRI Online Class
You are required to complete the online ESRI Virtual Campus course Learning ArcGIS 9. There is a link in the course menu in left column. You will be provided with a password to access the course so there will be no additional cost to you (a $175.00 value). The course will take you from 16 to 24 hours online to complete. You can start and stop the course at anytime, however there will be due dates for the completion of specific modules. These due dates are specified on the course outline under the heading of ESRIvc.Contact Guidelines:
- Debbie Crowley's e-mail: gisdeb@yahoo.com
- This is my preferred method of contact. I will check my email everyday
(except for unforeseen circumstances) and reply to your email within 24
hours.
It is important to type your complete name and student ID at the end of every email message. So there is no confusion as to who you are. (It is not uncommon to have 2 students with the same name.)
- voice mail: (714) 585-8131
- Last resort. Please only use voice mail, for emergencies. If you need to talk to me over the phone, I'd prefer you let me know this in an email that includes your phone number. Then I will call you ASAP.
Feel free to report via email any broken links, site problems, or improvement suggestions.
Campus Lab Hours:
The Computer Labs are located at SAC in building A, Room A-104 and A-108. Lab hours can change from semester to semester. Click this Link to get to the Business Division Computer Lab web page to get the current semester information.
Course Format
Class will be a combination of lecture and hands-on activity. The Course Outline details which chapters will be covered each week and you should have read the indicated chapters as part of your class preparation.This class will be utilizing Blackboard. Blackboard is software that provides a secure environment when using the Internet for teaching. A great deal of class related information will be available here, such as details on assignments, example maps, assignment help, grades, etc. A very import part of Blackboard is the Announcements. You should check Announcements or a regular basis. Here I will post all important class related issues. This is the page to look for any unusual events or reminders that are related to this class. If I find any qlitches with assignments, typos in the text, etc., I will post that information in Announcements.
Course Outline
There is a link to the Course Outline on the left side of this page. It shows you the class schedule detailng which chapters will be covered each week and when all assignments are due at a glance.Assignments:
There will be assignments each week.- GIS assignments build upon each other, so it is important to be up to date on your assignments.
- Points will be deducted for Late assignments.
- Assignments that are not submitted properly will be returned to the student
- Grades will reflect correctness, completeness, and "presentation" issues such as neatness, proper labeling, clear and proper use of English, etc.
Attendance
Students are expected to attend all class meetings. College policy states that student may be dropped for non attendance. In case of an extended absence please notify the instructor. Students may be dropped when more than three consecutive absences have occurred. However it is the student’s responsibility to drop the course.Absence is not an excuse for late homework or being unprepared. If you miss a class you will need to turn in homeword due the day you missed as well as the homework assigned the day you missed on the day you return to class.
You are responsible for initialing a roll sheet at every class session; failure to do so will be counted as an absence.
Return to top of pageExams
There will be two tests, a midterm and a final. Both test will include a written portion and a hands-on activity. If you must miss any test for a reason that you could not have anticipated and/or avoided in a timely manner, see me to discuss your options.Academic Honesty
All students are expected to complete tests, and projects on an individual basis. All acts of plagiarism, cheating or any other form of dishonesty will result in disciplinary action. A student found cheating on any exam will receive no credit for that exam. A second instance of cheating will result in a failing grade and the student will not be allowed to drop and receive a "W" grade for the course. To see the districts wording of this policty, go to Academic HonestyGrading
All assignments will be evaluated on Accuracy, Quality and Meeting the due date.| Class Task | # of Tasks | Points per Item | Max Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exams | 2 | 100 | 200 |
| GIS Tutorial Assignments | 5 | 100 | 500 |
| ESRI Online Course | 8 | 50 | 400 |
| ESRI Online Course Completion Bonus | 100 | ||
| Instructor Evaluation 1 | 100 | ||
| Total Points | 1300 |
| Points | Grade |
|---|---|
| 1170 to 1300 | A |
| 1040 to 1169 | B |
| 910 to 1039 | C |
| 780 to 909 | D |
| Below 909 | F |
Pagers-Cell Phone Procedure
To insure consideration for other participants in our class, please turn off or set to vibrate all pagers and cell phones while in the classroom. If you are on-call for emergencies (medical, childbirth, etc.), please let me know at the beginning of the class.
Accommodations for Disabilities
Students with verifiable disabilities who want to request academic accommodations are responsible for notifying their instructor and Disabled Students Programs and Service (DSPS) as early as possible in the semester. To arrange for accommodations, contact DSPS by phone (714)564-6260 or (714)564-6384 (TDD for students that are deaf) or stop by the DSPS Center in U-103.