Geography 574 Dr. Kenneth M. Hinkel
Computer Cartography 400F Braunstein Hall
Winter, 2008 556-3430
T, TH 9:30-10:45 Office Hours: T, TH 9:00-9:30
e-mail: Kenneth.Hinkel@uc.edu
TA for course: Yu Sun (556-3433), suny4@email.uc.edu , Office Hrs: T 3:30 - 4:30
Course Objectives/Description: The purpose of this course is three-fold:
(1) familiarize the student with basic cartographic principals related to the analysis and display of spatial data;
(2) introduce techniques and algorithms commonly used in analytical and automated cartography;
(3) familiarize the student with widely-used mapping packages.
Course Format: Lectures will be held on Tuesday and Thursday and will cover the analysis and display of geographic data. Typically, lab assignments will be introduced on Tuesday and will be due the following week. All course materials will be available on departmental servers. However, communiqués will be sent through the Blackboard e-mail system so be certain to register properly. You should download the PowerPoint presentations before class, keeping in mind that these are not designed to replace detailed note-taking or class attendance.
Equipment/Software: The Department of Geography has PCs available for this course. Peripheral input/output devices include plotters and printers. The software package to be used is ArcGIS, and we will be using cartographic data sets from numerous sources. You will need a flash drive, and you must have an account; see the TA for details.
NOTE: To ensure lab security, 425 Braunstein MUST BE KEPT LOCKED at all times when unoccupied. A room key can be checked in/out at the main office. We will also be taking steps to prevent "viral infection"; these policies will be announced in class.
Readings:
Borden D. Dent, 1999. Cartography: Thematic Map Design, 5th Ed, McGraw-Hill. Additional readings will be assigned.
Course Grading:
There will be 5-6 lab exercises and two (2) exams in this course. The labs are designed to give the student hands-on experience with standard mapping packages. The two exams will include information from lectures and assigned readings; the short essay question format will be used. A final project will be undertaken by each student; details on this later.
Grade Distribution: Lab exercises: 50%
Final Project: 10%
Exams 40%
Tentative Schedule
|
Week |
Lecture Topic |
Readings |
Associated Tutorial & Lab |
|
1 |
Intro, graphic design and layout fundamentals |
Design Tutorial
Lab 1: Map Design and Presentation |
|
|
2 |
Coordinate systems, projections |
2, 3 & 4 in Dent |
Projections Tutorial Lab 1: Revised |
|
3 |
Choropleth mapping |
7, 8, 5 in Dent Jenks |
Legends Tutorial & Symbols Tutorial Lab 2: Thematic Maps |
|
4-5 |
Data classification methods |
9 in Dent |
Color Tutorial Lab 3: Data Classification & Choropleth Maps |
|
6 |
Mid-Term Exam |
|
|
|
7 |
Isarithmic maps, spatial interpolation |
10 in Dent |
3DA ArcMap Tutorial & Arcscene Tutorial Lab 4: Topographic Maps in 3DA Analyst and ArcScene |
|
8 |
Lam |
***continue*** |
|
|
9 |
Cartographic data sets |
Readings |
Interpolation Tutorial Lab 5: Seamless Digital Data for 3D Analyst and ArcScene |
|
10 |
TBA: GPS, Term project time, ?? |
|
*** TBA *** |
|
Exam |
|
|
Term Projects |
TERM PROJECTS DUE DURING EXAM WEEK