Winter Quarter 2003, 5 credits, MW 1-2:20 Mary Gates Hall
271;
Section AA (SLN
4020): W 2:30-4:20 401 Smith (Sherman Lab)
Section AB (SLN
4021): Th 1-2:50 401 Smith (Sherman Lab)
Geography 465 covers the analytical view of cartography with particular reference to its implementation with computer tools. Analytical cartography has typically taken map projections as a classic prototype for the study of transformations of spatial data. GIS has expanded the range of transformations to consider.
In 1976, Waldo Tobler published a paper about the curriculum for a course on analytical cartography. He observed that 50% of what one learned seems obsolete in five years. He wanted his courses to have a half-life of 20 years. This course is designed with the same goal, using the evidence of Tobler's baseline 26 years ago.
At one time, 465 had students learn through programming a simple cartographic system from scratch. Recent unbundling of major GIS software packages have brought the programming interface back as a key skill in the workplace. The lecture component involves some inspection of existing (public domain) packages, but the lab component will focus on the toolkit from ESRI (ArcObjects). Students are expected to inspect the programming and to understand the analytical procedures embodied in the code. Part of the course will deal with `traditional' procedural programming, a reading knowledge of C or FORTRAN will have to be assumed. Students will be expected to analyze an existing piece of code for one assignment. The other part of the course will explore some issues related to object-oriented programming and modern client/server architectures. The ArcObjects toolkit (providing access to Arc/INFO 8) will provide a platform for this part. Some may work with ArcIMS, or some client-server software. Students must take on a programming task in depth using one of these tools. All students are expected to participate in the lecture/presentation portion of the class. Specific requirements are described below (see Policy).
Students registering for 465 should have some exposure to cartography or to other mapping sciences (surveying, photogrammetry, photo interpretation, remote sensing). In addition, students must have a course on the principles of GIS (such as Geography 460 or 461). Students must have some form of computer programming background. The Visual Basic language will be the primary vehicle for those working with MapObjects, though exposure to languages such as C, Java, FORTRAN or PASCAL may serve. Since much of the early work was done in FORTRAN, C bigots must suffer in silence or risk missing many valuable points. Ideally, a student will also have some background in data structures.
Geography 465 serves multiple functions. For undergraduates specializing in Cartography and GIS, it provides exposure to the technical underpinnings of GIS. For graduate students, it provides a starting point to develop skills and possible research on the technical aspects of GIS. Students from Computer Science are welcomed to develop an "application" field within their discipline.