State University of New York at Morrisville

Dr. Walid H. Shayya
School of Agriculture, Business, and Technology



Course Outline of ENRM 303

Spring 2024

Brightspace Access of Course Material Online (for students enrolled in the course)


INSTRUCTOR:

Dr. Walid H. Shayya

Instructor's Contact Information


GENERAL COURSE DESCRIPTION:

ENRM 303 is intended to cover the fundamentals of geospatial information systems. These include the geographic information system (GIS), which represents a computerized data management system designed to input, store, analyze, and output geographically-referenced spatial data; the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), which combines globally-functional satellite constellations (including the U.S. Global Positioning System or GPS) with global and regional ground-based reference stations (at accurately surveyed locations) to enhance and broaden positioning; and remote sensing, which is widely used to gather information about features on the earth’s surface without being in physical contact with these features. The course is designed to provide students with limited geospatial technology and analysis background with the ability to gather spatially-distributed and geographically-referenced data, query data, analyze spatial relationships, and produce professional outputs. The specific topics covered include geospatial data models; geodesy, datums, map projections, and coordinate systems; mapping and cartographic output; data collection and entry; GNSS and coordinate surveying; aerial and satellite imagery; geospatial and tabular data analyses; basic geospatial analysis; advanced geospatial (including terrain) analyses; geospatial estimation; geospatial modeling; and data standards and quality. The laboratory work will focus on the practical application of geospatial information systems following the hands-on approach where the student is expected to gain practical knowledge on using ArcGIS for Desktop, aerial and satellite imagery, and several positioning and navigation systems.

Course Format: Lectures (Asynchronous Online), Laboratories (Face-to-Face)
Meeting Times/Locations: Lectures (recorded by 5:00 PM on Saturdays), Laboratories (Mondays and Wednesdays @ 12:00-1:50 PM or 2:00-3:50 PM in Bicknell 208)
Semester Start Date: January 22, 2024
Semester End Date: May 3, 2024

Prerequisite: NATR 213 and upper-division standing or permission of instructor
4 credits (2 lecture hours, 4 laboratory hours), spring semester


EXPECTED COURSE OUTCOMES:

Upon the successful completion of ENRM 303, the student is expected to have:

  1. Developed an understanding of the various components of geospatial information systems (GIS, GNSS, and remote sensing).

  2. Demonstrated how to design, create, and maintain spatially-distributed and geographically-referenced data using desktop GIS software.

  3. Evaluated vector and raster data entry and editing, tiling, database and metadata development, and cartographic model development.

  4. Understood how to best utilize the various data models (including vector and raster data) for representing entities.

  5. Demonstrated the use of remotely-sensed aerial and satellite imagery (and elevation data) in GIS applications.

  6. Applied positioning systems (including GPS) for geospatial data collection. 

  7. Utilized analytical methods to facilitate basic and advanced geospatial analysis, including multi-layer overlay operations, interpolation, and surface analysis.

  8. Evaluated real-world GIS and spatial analysis applications to investigate a variety of current natural resources and environmental issues.

  9. Demonstrated how to apply the ArcGIS Desktop software to tackle real-life problems effectively.

  10. Demonstrated proficiency in generating detailed project technical reports and making professional presentations.


STUDENT HOURS:

The instructor has the following designated student hours per week during the spring semester:

If necessary, students are also encouraged to make appointments to meet the instructor at other times.


CONTACT HOURS AND CLASS SCHEDULE:

ENRM 303 is a four-credit course. It includes six contact hours per week (two for lecture and four for laboratory). One section of the lecture and the laboratory is offered during the 2024 Spring semester. The schedules of the offered class sections are as follows:


TEXTBOOK(S):

Below is a list of the three textbooks required in ENRM 303 (the texts are available from the Campus Store and various online vendors):

  1. Bolstad, P. and S. Manson. 2022. GIS Fundamentals: A First Textbook on Geographic Information Systems (7th Edition). Eider Press, White Bear Lake, Minnesota (ISBN: 978-0-97176-475-0).

  2. Law, M. and A. Collins. 2022. Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop 10.8 Sixth Edition. ESRI Press, Redlands, California (ISBN: 978-1-58948-577-8).

  3. Gorr, W.L. and K.S. Kurland. 2020. GIS Tutorial for ArcGIS Desktop 10.8. ESRI Press, Redlands, California (ISBN: 978-1-58948-614-0).

We will use the the first textbook predominantly during the lecture, while we will cover the second and third texts will during the laboratory (please note that older editions of the ArcGIS textbooks cannot be used in class). The instructor will provide additional handouts on topics not covered (or briefly covered) within these books. A lecture manual is also required (only available for purchase from the Campus Store).

  1. Shayya, W.H. 2021. Fundamentals of Geospatial Systems: Lecture Manual (6th Edition). XanEdu Publishing Inc. (ISBN: 979-8-82277-930-3).

Additional pertinent material is available online from a variety of sources for geographic information systems (GIS.COM, fgdc, GeoPlatform, nationalatlas, census.gov, USGS, and ESRI), the global positioning system (GPS.gov, aero.org, Trimble, and Garmin), and remote sensing (USGS, USDA, CUGIR, and NYS GIS Clearinghouse). Students are encouraged to acquire pertinent knowledge from these and other online resources on the world wide web.


CLASS POLICIES:


GRADING/EVALUATION OF THE STUDENT:

Evaluation is a shared responsibility between the teacher and the student. It aims to demonstrate how well the professor has taught and the student has learned specific course materials, the principles, concepts, and terms relevant to the covered topics. Evaluation is also intended to assess the student's ability to apply the acquired knowledge in problem-solving.

The breakdown of grading in this course will be as follows:

The distribution of grades in this course will be based on the A-F College grading scheme. The letter grades correspond to the following percentage scale: A (90-100%), A- (87-89.9%), B+ (83-86.9%), B (80-82.9%), B- (77-79.9%), C+ (73-76.9%), C (70-72.9%), C- (67-69.9%), D+ (63-66.9%), D (60-62.9%), and F (<60%).


STARFISH EARLY ALERT SYSTEM:

This course participates in the Starfish Early Alert System, an early intervention system designed to enable academic success, student persistence, and graduation. When an instructor observes student behaviors or concerns that may impede academic success, the instructor may raise an alert flag that notifies the student of the matter, requests an individual contact to discuss the issue, and (in most cases) refer the student to the academic advisor. If you receive an email notification of an early alert, you must contact the instructor as soon as possible to discuss the issue. The purpose of the contact is to determine the severity of the issue, accurately assess its potential impact on your academic success, and plan actions to prevent negative consequences and enable academic success. For more information about the Early Alert system, contact your academic advisor.


OUTLINE OF TOPICS:

Week

Lecture Topic*

Date Recording Available Textbook
Chapter
1 Introduction to ENRM 303
Overview of GIS (GIS.COM, USGS)
- 20 Jan.
- 20 Jan.
Handout
Handout
2 GIS and the Information Age
Geographic Data
- 27 Jan.
- 27 Jan.
1Ch. 1
1Ch. 2
3 Common Spatial Data Models
Comparison of Spatial Data Models
- 3 Feb.
- 3 Feb.
1Ch. 2
1Ch. 2
4 Vector Topology
Georeferencing
- 10 Feb.
- 10 Feb.
1Ch. 2
1Ch. 3
5 Map Projections
GIS Data Entry and Editing
- 17 Feb.
- 17 Feb.
1Ch. 3
1Ch. 4
6 GIS Output  and  Introduction to Maps
First Hourly Examination (to be held during the lab. on Wednesday)
- 24 Feb.
- 28 Feb.
1Ch. 4
7 Remote Sensing and Imagery
Digital Orthoimagery
- 2 March
- 2 March
1Ch. 6
1Ch. 6 & 7
Week 8: Spring Break (No classes)
9 NYS GIS Clearinghouse Imagery
Intro. to GPS, GPS Operation, and Differential GPS
- 16 March
- 16 March
Handout
1Ch. 5
10 Overview of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)
GNSS Signal Errors, Augmentation, and Applications
- 23 March
- 23 March
1Ch. 5
1
Ch. 5
11 Digital Data
Attribute Data and Tables
- 30 March
- 30 March 
1Ch. 7
1Ch. 8
12 Inventory Operations
Second Hourly Examination (to be held during the lab. on Wednesday)
- 6 April
- 10 April
1Ch. 9
13 Basic Spatial Analysis
Advanced Spatial Operations and Network Analysis
- 13 April
- 13 April
1Ch. 9&10
1Ch. 9
14 Terrain Analysis
Spatial Models and Modeling
- 20 April
- 20 April
1Ch. 11
1Ch. 13
15 Data Standards and Quality
Final Examination Review
- 27 April
- 1 May
1Ch. 14
16 Final Examination (comprehensive) Finals Week  

Week: Date

Laboratory Topic*

1: 22 Jan. Introduction to the Course and Computers
1: 24 Jan. Introduction to the Course Assignments and Deadlines
Installation of Exercise Data (CD-ROM of Data Purchased with Texts 2 and 3)
Introduction to ArcGIS for Desktop (2Chapter 2 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
2: 29 Jan. Interacting with Maps (2Chapter 3 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
  - Display map data
  - Navigate a map
  - Use basic tools
  - Look at feature attributes
Interacting with Data (2Chapter 4 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
  - Browse through map data
  - Add data to ArcMap
  - Work with map layers
2: 31 Jan. Exploring Online Resources (2Chapter 5 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
  - Create a web map
  - Merge online and local layers
  - Share a map package
Working with Coordinate Systems and Projections (2Chapter 6 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
  - Examine coordinate systems
  - Project data
  - Define a map projection
  - Georefernce a raster
3: 5 Feb. Introduction (3Chapter 1 - GIS Tutorial for ArcGIS Desktop 10.8)
  - Opening and saving a map document
  - Working with map layers
  - Navigating in a map document
  - Measuring distances
  - Working with feature attributes
  - Selecting features
  - Changing selection options
  - Working with attribute tables
  - Labeling features
3: 7 Feb. Symbolizing Features (2Chapter 7 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
  - Create custom symbology
  - Symbolize features by categorical attributes
  - Use styles and creating layer files
  - Symbolize rasters
Classifying Features (
2Chapter 8 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
  - Classify features by standard methods
  - Map density
  - Use graduated and chart Symbols
4: 12 Feb. Labeling Features (2Chapter 9 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
  - Use dynamic labels
  - Set rules for label placement
  - Create graphic labels
  - Convert dynamic labels to annotation
Making Maps for Presentation (2Chapter 10 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
  - Create a layout
  - Add titles and additional text
  - Add standard map elements
  - Add final touches and setting print options
4: 14 Feb. Building Geodatabases (2Chapter 11 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
  - Create a geodatabase
  - Create feature classes
Creating Features (2Chapter 12 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
  - Draw features
  - Use more construction tools
5: 19 Feb. Map Design (3Chapter 2 - GIS Tutorial for ArcGIS Desktop 10.8)
  - Creating point and polygon maps using qualitative attributes
  - Creating point and polygon maps using quantitative attributes
  - Creating custom classes for a map
  - Creating custom colors for a map
  - Creating normalized and density maps
  - Creating dot density maps
5: 21 Feb. Editing Features (2Chapter 13 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
  - Delete and modifying features
  - Split and merging features
  - Edit feature attribute values
6: 26 Feb. GIS Outputs (3Chapter 3 - GIS Tutorial for ArcGIS Desktop 10.8)
  - Building an interactive GIS
  - Creating map layouts
  - Reusing a custom map layout
  - Creating a custom map template with two maps
  - Adding a report to a layout
  - Adding a graph to a layout
6: 28 Feb. First Hourly Examination
7: 4 March File Geodatabases (3Chapter 4 - GIS Tutorial for ArcGIS Desktop 10.8)
  - Building a file geodatabase
  - Using ArcCatalog utilities
  - Modifying an attribute table
  - Joining tables
  - Creating centroid coordinates in a table
7: 6 March Geocoding Addresses (2Chapter 14 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
  - Create an address locator
  - Match addresses
  - Rematch addresses
Week 8: Spring Break (No classes)
9: 18 March Spatial Data (3Chapter 5 - GIS Tutorial for ArcGIS Desktop 10.8)
  - Examining metadata
  - Working with world map projections
  - Working with US map projections
  - Working with rectangular coordinate systems
  - Learning about vector data formats
  - Exploring raster basemaps from Esri web services
  - Downloading raster maps from the USGS
9: 20 March Excercise on Utilizing Digital Orthoimagery and GPS Measurements in ArcGIS
  - General characteristics of NYS DOI
  - Tiling ccheme and file names for NYS DOI
  - Characteristics of NYS DOI
  - Online availability of NYS DOI
  - Downloading NYS DOI
  - Incorporating DOIs and GPS data in ArcGIS
10: 25 March Querying Data (2Chapter 15 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
  - Select and finding features
  - Use attribute queries
  - Create reports
Selecting Features by Location (2Chapter 16 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
  - Use location queries
  - Combine attribute and location queries
10: 27 March Mapping Using a Handheld GPS Unit (1st GPS Exercise)
11: 1 April Navigating Using Real-time Differential GPS (2nd GPS Exercise)
11: 3 April Joining and Relating Data (2Chapter 17 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
  - Join data by attribute
  - Relate data
  - Join data by location
12: 8 April Preparing Data for Analysis (2Chapter 18 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
  - Dissolve features
  - Clip layers
  - Create a data subset
  - Run tools in a model
12: 10 April Second Hourly Examination
13: 15 April Geoprocessing (3Chapter 6 - GIS Tutorial for ArcGIS Desktop 10.8)
  - Extracting features for a study area
  - Clipping features
  - Dissolving features
  - Merging features
  - Intersecting layers
  - Unioning layers
  - Automating geoprocessing using ModelBuilder
13: 17 April Geoprocessing Vector Data (2Chapter 19 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
  - Buffer features
  - Overlay data
  - Calculate attribute values
  - Create graphs
14: 22 April Digitizing (3Chapter 7 - GIS Tutorial for ArcGIS Desktop 10.8)
  - Digitizing polygon features
  - Digitizing line features
  - Digitizing point features
  - Using advanced editing tools
14: 24 April Demonstration of the Spatial Analyst Extension of ArcGIS
  - Creating surface of elevations
  - Surface analysis (contour, slope, aspect, hillshade, & viewshed)
  - Raster calculations
  - Converting features to rasters
  - Converting rasters to features
15: 29 April Geocoding (3Chapter 8 - GIS Tutorial for ArcGIS Desktop 10.8)
  - Geocoding data by Zip Code
  - Geocoding data by street address
  - Correcting source addresses using interactive rematch
  - Correcting street reference layer addresses
  - Using an alias table
Spatial Analysis (3Chapter 9 - GIS Tutorial for ArcGIS Desktop 10.8)
  - Buffering points for proximity analysis
  - Conducting a site suitability analysis
15: 1 May Using ArcGIS Spatial Analyst (2Chapter 20 - Getting to Know ArcGIS for Desktop)
  - Create raster surfaces
  - Combine raster surfaces
Review for Final Exam

*The topics and corresponding dates listed in the tables above are tentative and may be subject to change during the semester.
1Bolstad, P. and S. Manson. 2022.  GIS Fundamentals: A First Textbook on Geographic Information Systems (7th Edition). Eider Press, White Bear Lake, MN (ISBN: 978-0-97176-475-0).
2Law, M. and A. Collins. 2022. Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop 10.8 (6th Edition). ESRI Press, Redlands, California (ISBN: 978-1-58948-577-8).
3Gorr, W.L. and K.S. Kurland. 2020. GIS Tutorial for ArcGIS Desktop 10.8. ESRI Press, Redlands, California (ISBN: 978-1-58948-614-0).


COLLEGE-WIDE POLICIES:

To view the College-wide policies page, please click on this link.