11.520 : A Workshop on Geographic Information Systems  
  11.188 : Urban Planning and Social Science Laboratory

Course Website: http://mit.edu/11.520/www

Fall 2007 SYLLABUS INSTRUCTORS Prof. Joseph Ferreira, Jr., MIT Room 9-532, jf@mit.edu     Office hours : Tuesday 2:30 - 4 & Thursday 10:30 - noon Yang Chen, Teaching Assistant, yangchen@mit.edu     Office hours : TBA COURSE ADMINISTRATION Sue Delaney, Room 9-530, x3-0779, sld@mit.edu The class staff collectively can be reached via e-mail at 11.520staff@mit.edu. MEETINGS Monday: Lab prep and Lab exercises 2:00-5:00 PM in Room 37-312 [Lab prep and start of exercise are the key parts. Students can leave for other classes beginning at 3:30 or 4 and finish the exercises later on their own.] Additional lab time (optional) is to be arranged after the first class (most likely on Friday). Wednesday: Lecture: 2:00- 3:30 PM in Room 1-379  CREDITS Undergraduates should enroll in 11.188; this subject will satisfy both the Department and the Institute lab requirement. Graduate students should enroll in 11.520. 11.520 is a full-semester graduate subject that earns 3-6-3 units of H-level graduate credit. 11.188 is a full-semester undergraduate subject covering the same material as 11.520 that earns 3-6-3 units of undergraduate credit. NOTE: The subjects 11.520 and 11.188 meet at the same time with nearly identical content. GOALS This class uses lab exercises and a workshop setting to help students develop an in-depth understanding of the planning and public management uses of geographic information systems. The goals are to help students: Acquire technical skills in the use of geographic information system (GIS) software and database management tools through lab exercises and homework using small (but real) local datasets, and project work involving the shared use of larger datasets and the mixing and matching of data from different sources. Acquire qualitative methods skills by: gathering data and documentation analyzing information, and presenting results effectively. Investigate the potential and practicality of GIS technologies in a typical planning setting and evaluate possible applications. Understand basic principles underlying the growth of web mapping, geospatial services, and location-aware computing. The workshop teaches GIS techniques and basic database management at a level that extends somewhat beyond the thematic mapping and data manipulation skills included in the MCP core classes (viz. 11.204 and 11.220). Instead of focusing on one thematic map of a single variable, students will focus on more open-ended planning questions that invite spatial analysis but will Require judgment and exploration to select relevant data and mapping techniques; Involve mixing and matching new, local data with extracts from official records (such as census data, parcel data and regional employment and population forecasts); Utilize spatial analysis techniques such as buffering, address matching, and overlays; Use other modeling and visualization techniques beyond thematic mapping (e.g., raster analysis) ; Raise questions about the skills, strategy, and organizational support needed to sustain such analytic capability within a variety of local and regional planning settings. PREREQUISITES The prerequisites for the course are: A working familiarity with personal computing, spreadsheets, and the MIT Athena & CRN computing environments.  A basic familiarity with elementary data analysis (that most undergrads acquire via general Institute requirements, and most graduate students have already acquired via undergrad methods and analysis classes). Hence, 11.220 (Quantitative Reasoning I) is not a prerequisite. REQUIREMENTS Students will be expected to complete weekly lab exercises plus three homework sets covering readings and basic GIS skills. Students will also complete one in-class test and a small project of the student's choosing that draws on the skills taught in the class. This project will be presented to the class in an oral presentation and a brief written report. The project should require about the same effort as one of the homework sets. Due dates for these requirements are given in the schedule below. The GIS exercises will use ArcGIS software on WinAthena workstations. GRADING Lab Exercises (collectively) 25% Three Homework Sets (collectively) 30% In-Class, Open-Book Test 20% Small Project 20% Class Participation 5% Please include your name and Athena username on all assignments, tests, etc., including those turned in electronically. We need this information to identify your work easily. You will be marked down (e.g., a deduction of 2 points per item on a test) if you do not include them! LATENESS POLICY Turning in assignments promptly is important both for keeping current with the subject matter, which is cumulative, and to keep all students on a level playing field. Hence, we have adopted a strict policy towards credit for assignments that are turned in late. We will consider requests for extensions due to extenuating circumstances on a case-by-case basis, but please do not count on such requests being granted. Lab exercises are typically due one week after the corresponding lab. A late lab exercise will be accepted up until one week after the original due date for a loss of one grade (e.g., a "check" becomes a "check-minus"). After that, late assignments will receive no credit and will not be accepted. Late problem sets will have two points deducted for each day (weekends and holidays count for a single day ) that it is turned in after the due date. Hence, a problem set turned in three days late would lose 6 points. If it would have earned 90 points if turned in on time, it would receive only 84 points under these conditions. Regardless, after two weeks, no problem sets will be accepted if the answers have been posted. Final project write-ups are due on the last day of classes, Wednesday, December 12. Write-ups turned in after Friday, December 14 will lose 5 points. No project write-ups will be accepted after Monday, December 17. TEXTS Texts marked with an asterisk (*) will be held on reserve at Rotch Library. The books may be purchased from online retailers such as borders.com, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com. They may also be available from brick-and-mortar bookstores such as Quantum Books or various used book sites. Ormsby, et al., Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop, Second Edition. ISBN: 1-58948-083-X    2004  (Available at http://gis.esri.com/esripress/display/index.cfm?fuseaction=display&websiteID=87&moduleID=0 this edition is for ArcGIS 9.2; the earlier version from 2001 is adequate also, ISBN: 1-879102-89-7) (*) Worboys, Michael F. GIS: A Computing Perspective. London: Taylor & Francis, 1995. Paperback: ISBN 0-7484-0065-6. (Note: Make sure to buy the less expensive paperback rather than the hardcover edition.) (*) Monmonier, Mark. How to Lie with Maps. Second Edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. Hardcover: ISBN 0-226-53420-0. Paperback: ISBN 0-226-53421-9. (The 1991 first edition, ISBN 0-226-53415-4, is also fine.) (*) Longley, Goodchild, Maguire and Rhind, Geographic Information Systems and Science, Second Edition, 2005. ISBN: 978-0-470-87000-6 (available at:http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470870001.html) The earlier edition from 2001 is adequate, ISBN: 0-471-89275-0. (*) Peng and Tsou, Internet GIS: Distributed Geographic Information Services for the Internet and Wireless Networks, John Wiley, New York, 2003, ISBN: 0-471-35923-8. (available at http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471359238.html) O'Sullivan, David, and David Unwin, Geographic Information Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey (2003) ISBN: 0471211761. Arctur, David and Michael Zeiler, Designing Geodatabases: Case Studies in GIS Data Modeling, ESRI Press, Redlands, CA, 2004, ISBN: 1-58948-021-X,   SCHEDULE Lecture Wed., Sept. 5 Introduction to the Class and GIS; GIS Principles & methods; WinAthena Introduction (required for students who did not do CRN computing orientation). Reading: NCGIA Core Curriculum in GIScience - unit 2: What is GIS? Worboys, pp. 1-15. Lab Mon., Sept. 10 Lab 1: ArcGIS Basics (intro to ArcGIS, paper output) Reading: Ormsby, et al, Chapter 2: "Introducing ArcGIS Desktop." Ormsby, et al, Chapter 3: "Exploring ArcMap." Lecture Wed., Sept. 12 GIS Principles & Methods; Reading: Monmonier, Chapter 2: "Elements of the Map." Monmonier, Chapter 3: "Map Generalization: Little White Lies and Lots of Them." Longley, et al, Chapter 4: “Georeferencing. ”Ormsby, et al, Chapter 6: "Classifying Features and Rasters". Ormsby, et al, Chapter 7: "Labeling Features". Lab Mon., Sept. 18 Lab 2, 3 posted online: Thematic Mapping in ArcMap (symbolization, exploratory vs. explanatory mapping) and Database Operations in ArcGIS (spatial selection, query selection, tabular joins, spatial joins) Homework Set 1 posted online Reading: Ormsby, et al, Chapter 8: "Data Queries." Ormsby, et al, Chapter 9: "Joining and relating tables." Lecture Wed., Sept.19 Projectiona and Coordinate Systems Lab Exercise 1 due Reading: Worboys, pp. 45-61. Longley, et al, Chapter 3: “Representing Geography”. Ferreira, J. Jr., 1990. "Database Management Tools for Planning", Journal of the American Planning Association, Winter, pp. 78-84. [on reserve] Mon., Sept. 24 Holiday - no lab (continue labs 2 and 3 from previous week) Lecture Wed., Sept. 26 GIS Data Models and Relational Databases Lab Exercise 2 due Reading: Worboys, pp. 61-67. Peng & Tsou, pp.230-237 Lab Mon., Oct. 1 Lab 4: Database Aggregation, SQL, and Charts Lab Exercise 3 due Reading: Ormsby, et al, Chapter 14: "Building Geodatabases." Lecture Wed., Oct. 3 Relational Databases Homework Set 1 due Homework Set 2 distributed  Reading: Longley et al, Chapter 9: "Geographic Data Modeling." Longley et al, Chapter 11: "Creating and Maintaining Geospatial Databases." Ormsby et al, Chapter 15: “Creating Features.” Ormsby et al, Chapter 16: “Editing Features and Attributes.” Mon., Oct. 8 NO LAB (Columbus Day Holiday) Lecture Wed., Oct. 10 Making Sense of the Census Lab Exercise 4 due in class. Reading: Monmonier, Chapter 10 (Chapter 9 in the first edition): "Data Maps: Making Nonsense of the Census." Lab Mon., Oct. 15 Lab 5: Working with 2000 Census Data & MIT Geodata Repository Lecture Wed., Oct. 17 Intro to Web Services Reading: Peng and Tsou, Chapter 1: "GIS, Internet GIS, and Distributed GIServices". Peng and Tsou, Chapter 4: "Technology Evolutions of Web Mapping". Lab Mon., Oct 22   Lab 6: Introduction to Web Services Lab Exercise 5 due Reading: to be distributed Lecture Wed., Oct. 24 Spatial Analysis (Vector Analysis). Homework Set 2 part 1 due Reading:   Ormsby, et al, Chapter 11: “Preparing Data for Analysis.” Ormsby, et al, Chapter 12: “Analyzing Spatial Data." Lab Mon., Oct 29 Lab 7: Vector Spatial Analysis (buffers, polygon overlay, area allocation, using ArcTools) Lab Exercise 6 due Reading: Ormsby, et al, Chapter 11: “Preparing Data for Analysis.” Ormsby, et al, Chapter 12: “Analyzing Spatial Data. Lecture Wed., Nov. 1 Spatial Data Models and Spatial Analysis II (Raster) Reading: to be distributed Lab Mon., Nov.5   Lab 8: Raster Spatial Analysis (Interpolation, Raster Operations, Spatial Analyst) and Model Builder Lab Exercise 7 due Lecture Wed., Nov. 7 GIS Data Creation & Conversion, Advanced Raster Operations, and Model Builder Homework Set 2 part 2 due Project Proposal due (Friday, Nov. 9, by 5 PM) Reading: Ormsby, et al, Chapter 17: "Geocoding Address." Lab Mon., Nov. 12 NO LAB (Veteran's Day Holiday ): start project + catch up on labs/homework Reading: Ormsby, et al, Chapter 17: "Geocoding Addresses." Wed., Nov. 14 Intro to network Analysis and Interoperable Web Services Project Proposal Feedback Lab Exercise 8 due Homework Set 3, Part I due by 5 PM on Friday, Nov. 16, via Stellar Mon., Nov. 19 Test (in class, open book) Wed., Nov. 21 Project Work Homework Set 3, Part II due Mon., Nov. 26 Project Work Reading: Notes by Cherie Abbanat, DUSP Writing Specialist, on "Creating Your 11.188/11.520 Presentation and Report" Wed., Nov. 28 Tips on Project Presentation and Writeup, plus Project Work Project Title and Abstract due Mon., Dec. 3 Project Work Wed., Dec. 6 Project Work Mon., Dec. 10 Brief Project Presentations Wed., Dec. 12 Project Write-up due Last modified on 23 October 2007 [jf] Back to the CRN Home Page. Please send comments about this page to the 11.520/11.188 class staff <11.520staff@mit.edu>.