GEO 309: Intro to GIS

The best way to get in touch with me is via email. Please allow a 24-hour turnaround on emails during the week, and 48 hours for emails sent on weekends. I will respond if you message me through Canvas, but it may take longer.

Spring 2020

Description

This course introduces students to the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and their basic principles. Topics addressed include data collection, processing, and output. Students will learn about types of geographic information and data: sources, constraints, and uses; the range of secondary spatial data sets available; and the collection of primary data.

While this is indeed a technical and skills-based class, it also avoids treating GIS as a “solution looking for a problem,” so to speak. In addition to sharpening technical proficiency with a variety of GIS software, this course will situate geospatial technologies within a broader field of social and political contestation. How have GIS been leveraged in different contexts (industry, politics, environment, etc.)? How do GIS change the relationship between a map and the territory it purports to represent? And how might these geospatial technologies, so increasingly mundane and everyday, transform the way we encounter – and even understand – the very world around us?

Objectives

At the end of this course, you should be able to do the following things better than when we started:

• Understand and articulate basic principles of mapping and map design
• Complete foundational geoprocessing and spatial analysis tasks in a GIS
• Communicate in both verbal and written formats about the foundational concepts of GIS
• Demonstrate a capability in digital data management
• Meaningfully utilize and offer troubleshooting support
• Critically consider the implications produced by the multiple aspects of a GIS project
• Critically discuss the broad social implications of GIS and geospatial technologies

Required Materials

By week 2, you must acquire a copy of Learn QGIS (4th edition) by Andrew Cutts and Anita Graser. This book can be purchased online for $5 at the following link: https://www.packtpub.com/application-development/learn-qgis-fourth-edition

As soon as possible, you must acquire a personal flash drive. I recommend at least 8GB, and further recommend that you back up your work on this flash drive at least once a week.

Finally, you should come to class every day with your personal laptop, a pen/pencil, and paper. We will sometimes have in-class writing activities, assignments, or reflections that I will collect on paper.

Course Evaluation

This course is graded out of 300 total points on a grading scale as follows: A = 100-90; B = 89.99-80; C = 79.99-70; D = 69.99-60; E = 59.99-00

Your final grade will be derived from your performance on the following assignments:

• Labs: 8 x 15pts = 120pts (40%)
• Final project: 1 x 30pts = 30pts (10%)
• Exams: 2 x 30pts = 60pts (20%)
• Quizzes: 5 x 12pts = 60pts (20%)
• Participation: 10 x 3pts = 30pts (10%)

Labs (40%)

Half of your grade in this course will be derived from weekly lab assignments. These labs will be completed partially in class, and partially on your own. Labs will be released every Tuesday morning and due the following Monday night. In other words, you have about a week to complete each one. For each lab, you can expect 1) to engage with GIS software, data management, and conceptual issues in contemporary cartography, and 2) spend at the very least a couple of hours. I will do my best to provide open lab time in class every Thursday (e.g., 30-45 minutes of free time to work on the lab), but this is not a guarantee. You are encouraged to work together on labs, but note that there is a distinction between working together and submitting the same work. I’m flexible on many things, but not plagiarism. That said, if you’re facing a roadblock in completing a lab, it’s likely that someone else is facing the same issue. Ask them for help! Work through problems together. I am here to help you, and we are here to help one another. If you’re unsure whether something would constitute plagiarism or not, ask me in advance.

Final project (10%)

Pick a topic, pick a place: this is your chance to map what you want. Expect this assignment to include 1) a written reflection, 2) a brief presentation, and 3) a map. More details on this assignment will be available after the midterm.

Quizzes (20%)

Over the course of the semester we will have 5 short quizzes, taken via Canvas. These will always be assigned on a Tuesday, and due before midnight the following Thursday. As with labs, there may be time to complete these in class, but this is not guaranteed.

Exams (20%)

There are two exams in this course: a midterm and a final. The final exam is not cumulative. The exams will both consist of multiple choice and written questions. You will be assessed on a combination of material from lectures, labs, and readings.

Participation (10%)

Your participation grade will be derived from attendance and in-class activities/exercises.

Extra Credit

There are usually opportunities for extra credit once or twice every semester (though I cannot guarantee this). It depends on what kinds of events are happening on campus or around town. If something relevant to the course is going on, I will announce it as an extra credit opportunity and provide some details closer to the event.

Late Assignments

Each day an assignment is late, I will subtract 10 points from your overall grade on it. Assignments will not be accepted more than 3 days late. I’m happy to make exceptions on this front, but communication is key. If you need more time or are struggling to make a deadline, just email me 24 hours in advance and we can figure something out. The likelihood that I offer an extension decreases the closer that you ask me to the assignment’s deadline. Furthermore, if extensions become the rule rather than the exception (i.e., you find yourself frequently requiring extensions), I will ask that we schedule a meeting in-person to talk things through.

Course Schedule

Note that the following calendar is tentative and subject to change.

Excused Absences

You must notify me of absences prior to class when possible. Senate Rules 5.2.4.2 defines the following as acceptable reasons for excused absences: (a) serious illness, (b) illness or death of family member, (c) University-related trips, (d) major religious holidays, and (e) other circumstances found to fit “reasonable cause for nonattendance” by the professor.

Per Senate Rule 5.2.4.2, students missing any graded work due to an excused absence are responsible: for informing the Instructor of Record about their excused absence within one week following the period of the excused absence (except where prior notification is required); and for making up the missed work. The professor must give the student an opportunity to make up the work and/or the exams missed due to an excused absence, and shall do so, if feasible, during the semester in which the absence occurred.

I do ask that you provide verification of absences when applicable. Senate Rule 5.2.4.2 states that faculty have the right to request “appropriate verification” when students claim an excused absence because of illness, or death in the family. Appropriate notification of absences due to University-related trips is required prior to the absence when feasible and in no case more than one week after the absence.

Electronics Policy

This class will require daily use of electronics, either in the form of the computers in CB 313 or your personal computer. It’s my expectation that you are focused when using technology. The main thing I will ask is that you please keep phones away during lecture.

Academic Integrity

Per University policy, students shall not plagiarize, cheat, or falsify or misuse academic records. Students are expected to adhere to University policy on cheating and plagiarism in all courses. The minimum penalty for a first offense is a zero on the assignment on which the offense occurred. If the offense is considered severe or the student has other academic offenses on their record, more serious penalties, up to suspension from the University may be imposed.

Plagiarism and cheating are serious breaches of academic conduct. Each student is advised to become familiar with the various forms of academic dishonesty as explained in the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities. Complete information can be found at the following website: http://www.uky.edu/Ombud. A plea of ignorance is not acceptable as a defense against the charge of academic dishonesty. It is important that you review this information as all ideas borrowed from others need to be properly credited.

Senate Rules 6.3.1 (see http://www.uky.edu/Faculty/Senate/ for the current set of Senate Rules) states that all academic work, written or otherwise, submitted by students to their instructors or other academic supervisors, is expected to be the result of their own thought, research, or self-expression. In cases where students feel unsure about a question of plagiarism involving their work, they are obliged to consult their instructors on the matter before submission.

When students submit work purporting to be their own, but which in any way borrows ideas, organization, wording, or content from another source without appropriate acknowledgment of the fact, the students are guilty of plagiarism.

Plagiarism includes reproducing someone else's work (including, but not limited to a published article, a book, a website, computer code, or a paper from a friend) without clear attribution. Plagiarism also includes the practice of employing or allowing another person to alter or revise the work, which a student submits as his/her own, whoever that other person may be. Students may discuss assignments among themselves or with an instructor or tutor, but when the actual work is done, it must be done by the student, and the student alone.

When a student's assignment involves research in outside sources or information, the student must carefully acknowledge exactly what, where and how he/she has employed them. If the words of someone else are used, the student must put quotation marks around the passage in question and add an appropriate indication of its origin. Making simple changes while leaving the organization, content, and phraseology intact is plagiaristic. However, nothing in these Rules shall apply to those ideas, which are so generally and freely circulated as to be a part of the public domain.

Please note: Any assignment you turn in may be submitted to an electronic database to check for plagiarism.

Accommodations Due to Disability

If you have a documented disability that requires academic accommodations, please see me as soon as possible during scheduled office hours or via email. In order to receive accommodations in this course, you must provide me with a Letter of Accommodation from the Disability Resource Center (DRC). The DRC coordinates campus disability services available to students with disabilities. It is located on the corner of Rose Street and Huguelet Drive in the Multidisciplinary Science Building, Suite 407. You can reach them via phone at (859) 257-2754 and via email at drc@uky.edu. Their web address is http://www.uky.edu/DisabilityResourceCenter.

Title IV

Federal regulation mandates that federal financial aid funds (Title IV) may only be disbursed to students who are actually enrolled and engaged in coursework. This regulation mandates that institutions provide evidence of engagement early in each semester.

To comply with this regulation, faculty are required to report students for non-attendance/non-participation/non-engagement through the class roster in MyUK. Attendance and a participation assignment during Week 2 will be used to determine evidence of engagement. Non-attending/non-participating students will be automatically dropped from the course, and the course will not appear on the student’s transcript. If a student is adversely or unfairly impacted by the new requirements, the student may seek relief through the tuition appeals process.

Non-Discrimination Statement and Title IX Information

The University of Kentucky faculty are committed to supporting students and upholding the University’s non-discrimination policy.

Discrimination is prohibited at UK. If you experience an incident of discrimination we encourage you to report it to Institutional Equity & Equal Opportunity (IEEO) Office, 13 Main Building, (859) 257-8927.

If you experience an incident of sex- or gender-based discrimination or interpersonal violence, we encourage you to report it. While you may talk to a faculty member or TA/RA/GA, understand that as a “Responsible Employee” of the University these individuals MUST report any acts of violence (including verbal bullying and sexual harassment) to the University's Title IX Coordinator in the IEEO Office. If you would like to speak with someone who may be able to afford you confidentiality, the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) program (Frazee Hall – Lower Level; http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/VIPCenter/), the Counseling Center (106 Frazee Hall, http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/Counseling/), and the University Health Services (http://ukhealthcare.uky.edu/uhs/student-health/) are confidential resources on campus.

Other Course Resources

• The University Writing Center: http://wrd.as.uky.edu/writing-center
• Counseling and Stress Management Workshops, Frazee Hall: http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/Counseling/
• Academic Ombud Services: [Ombud@uky.edu] or [859-257-3737]

The Office of Academic Ombud Services (http://www.uky.edu/Ombud/) is responsible for assisting students to work through and resolve academic related problems and conflicts and to help students know and protect their Student Academic Rights. The primary focus of Academic Ombud Services is the process by which decisions are made, and the primary task of the Ombud is to ensure fair policies, processes, and procedures that are equitably implemented. Thus, the Academic Ombud is a neutral party working as an advocate for fairness and equity.

• Writing and Referencing (APA style): https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/