Spring, 2003
Professor: Youqin Huang
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CLASS LOCATION: |
AS B13 |
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CLASS HOURS |
TTh 5:45 – 7:05 pm |
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OFFICE HOURS: |
TTh 4:00-5:00 pm (AS 215) or by appointment |
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EMAIL: |
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WEB PAGE: |
http://www.albany.edu/~yhuang/GOG324_CityOnComputer.html |
1.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The City on Computer is an introductory course on Geographic Information Systems
(GIS), and its application in understanding the social, economic dynamics and
the spatial structure of American cities.
GIS is a fast-growing technology in spatial analysis, and it has been
widely used in academic research as well as in economic and political
decision-making. This course will introduce the basic principals of GIS,
the main utilities of a commonly used GIS program – ArcView by ESRI, and how to
use it to conduct urban related research.
This course also teaches you how to access census data on the Internet
and how to analyze them using computer related technologies and in particular
ArcView.
2. ORGANIZATION
The course has two components: lecture and lab. Lectures aim to combine discussions on urban dynamics in American cities with the basic knowledge of GIS. Most lectures are technical in nature. General GIS and cartographic concepts will be covered, and students will be provided with an understanding of how data are created, stored, manipulated and presented. Hands-on exposure to a leading GIS software package (ArcView 3.2) is provided through lab exercises. The tutorial programs provided by Getting to Know ArcView® GIS will introduce students to the main functions of ArcView through simulated projects. It provides opportunities for students to better understand concepts discussed in lectures, to familiarize themselves for their own projects. No previous experience with GIS or computer is required, although comfort with the Windows 2000/NT environment for PC’s is expected.
3.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
After taking this course, students should be able to:
· develop a general framework of understanding the dynamics and spatial structure of cities
· be familiar with different types of tools and research methods available through computers
· understand the basic principles of GIS
· be familiar with main utilities of ArcView 3.2
· be familiar with U.S. census data structure
· know how to access census data and census tract boundary file from the Internet
· conduct spatial analysis on census data using ArcView to answer urban-related questions
4.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS AND SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
1. Getting Started with Geographic Information Systems, K.C. Clark, ©1997, Prentice-Hall.
2. Getting To Know ArcView® GIS, ©1999 Environmental Systems Research Institute.
References (on reserve in the Library):
1. The City, Robert. E. Park and Ernest W. Burgess, Roderick D. McKenzie, ©1967, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London.
2. The Ethnic Quilt: Population Diversity in Southern California, James Allen and Eugene Turner, ©1997, The Center for Geographic Studies, California, State University, Northridge.
5.
COURSE REQUIREMENT AND GRADING
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Class participation/discussion |
10% |
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Quizzes |
5% |
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Assignments |
30% |
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Midterm exam |
30% |
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Research paper and presentation |
25% (20% +5%) |
Notes on grading:
Attendance: Attendance will be taken at ten randomly selected dates throughout the semester. To be fair, students who come to class at or close to the end, or leave early will not be credited for attendance.
Quizzes: Quizzes will cover materials covered in lectures and labs.
Assignments: Assignments are issued in class, and they
are due in a week. No late
assignments are accepted without prior consent from the instructor.
Midterm Exam: Exam is composed of definitions and short-answers. You are responsible for all materials covered in lectures and labs. Lectures may go beyond the scope of textbook.
Research Project: A research paper is the result of research that you have conducted to answer a specific research question. It may include but is not limited to library research, collection of primary and/or secondary data, analysis of relevant data, interpretation of results and findings, and other insights and observations. You are asked to write a paper on a significant urban issue or problem in a city of your choice. You have the freedom to choose any city, but you need to choose a city for which you can find the census tract boundary file and census data. I will provide some help but you need to do some research on the availability of the boundary file before you decide which city you will be working on (The webpage by the U.S. Census Bureau is a good starting point). At the same time you need to raise a research question that you will answer through your research. Again, you have the freedom to do what interests you. For your reference, here are a few sample research questions/topics: What is the residential pattern of Mexicans (or any other ethnic groups) in City A, and why? Are there evidences for assimilation between Whites and Blacks in City A? Are Japanese more assimilated than Mexicans in City B? What is the geography of poverty in City C and why? Is there a “spatial mismatch” between employment and residence for Blacks (or other ethnic groups) in City D? Is there a spatial concentration for domestic workers (or other professions) and why? You can answer these questions by analyzing census data through maps, tables and charts. In your writing, you can indicate the importance of your research, describe your data, and explain your analysis and results. At the end of the semester, you will have a 10-minute presentation to share your research with the rest of the class. I encourage you to think about your project and come to talk to me as early as possible.
Your paper should be informative and should seek to demonstrate originality and insights. A descriptive style is discouraged. Try to be analytical and write concisely and clearly. Organize your paper in a logical and cohesive manner. All standard bibliographic styles are acceptable, so long as you provide complete information about the sources. The final project includes 5-page writing (double-space) and at least two maps.
Plagiarism
is not allowed. Incidents of possible academic misconduct (e.g.
cheating, plagiarism) will be reported to the Dean of Students immediately.
Please note that taking information directly from sources such as books,
journal articles, and magazines without proper citation is considered
plagiarism. Any information cited from these sources should be
acknowledged.
In particular, your paper should not contain any texts that are
downloaded from the Internet (except short quotes). Downloading texts to be included in a paper is considered
plagiarism. You may, however, use the Internet as a source of information, in
which case you must provide proper references wherever appropriate (i.e. home
page, organization or agency, date). Be very cautious when obtaining
information via the Internet, however, by researching the reliability and
accuracy of the sources.
6.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Week |
Date |
Topic/Activity |
Reading |
Important Dates |
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1 |
01/23 |
Introduction
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2 |
01/28 |
Understanding American cities
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Park et al.: Ch. 2
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01/30 |
Virtual cities, Internet research
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Assignment 1
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3 |
02/04 |
No
class
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02/06 |
Introduction to GIS
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Clarke: Ch. 1
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4 |
02/11 |
Introduction to ArcView
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ESRI: Ch. 7-10
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02/13 |
Spatial concepts
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Clarke: Ch. 2-3
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5 |
02/18 |
Spatial concepts |
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02/20 |
Spatial concepts |
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Assignment 2 |
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6 |
02/25 |
Lab |
ESRI: Ch. 11-12 |
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02/27 |
Data pre-process |
Clarke: Ch. 4
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Quiz #1
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7 |
03/04 |
Spring Break |
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03/06 |
Spring
Break
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8 |
03/11 |
Database management I
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Clarke: Ch. 5
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03/13 |
Lab
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ESRI: Ch. 13-14
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Assignment 3
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9 |
03/18 |
Database management II
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03/20 |
Lab |
ESRI: Ch. 15-16 |
Assignment 4
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10 |
03/25 |
Map design
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Clarke: Ch. 7
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03/27 |
Lab
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ESRI: Ch. 21-22
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Assignment 5
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11 |
04/01 |
Exam
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Exam |
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04/03 |
Spatial analysis I
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Clarke: Ch. 6
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Assignment 6
(Proposal) |
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12 |
04/08 |
Lab
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ESRI: Ch. 17-18
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04/10 |
Spatial analysis II |
Clarke: Ch. 6
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Assignment 7
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13 |
04/15 |
Lab
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ESRI: Ch. 19-20
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Quiz #2
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04/17 |
No
class
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14 |
04/22 |
Manipulating themes
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ESRI: Ch. 23-24
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04/24 |
Address geocoding
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ESRI: Ch. 25-26
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Assignment 8
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15 |
04/29 |
Lab (project) |
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05/01 |
No
class
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16 |
05/06 |
Project presentation
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05/08 |
Project presentation
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Paper due |