Geographic Information Science and Spatial Reasoning

(GEOG 104)  (A General Education [GE]  Course)

Unit #1.1:

Introduction to Geospatial Information Technology

and Geographic Information Science

1. Welcome and Introduction (Tsou and TA).

2. Course Syllabus

Textbook:  http://www.wiley.com/legacy/wileychi/longley/

3.   Movie of GEOG104 Introduction (5 minutes).

4. Questionnaires.  (Please fill our the questionnaire and return ONLY the last page back to the instructor)

5. Use the Blackboad for the communication of this course:

Blackboard URL: https://blackboard.sdsu.edu/

Hurricane Gustav

ESRI: Storm Tracker:

http://www.esri.com/disaster_response/hurricane_cyclone_support2008_map.html

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=15028&src=map

6. Google Map Street View:

http://maps.google.com

(NOTE:  Since 2008, Google Map Street View has reduced the resolution of their images significantly to prevent the privacy problems.  You will no longer see this high resolution images in Google Map Street View).

http://maps.google.com

WHO is this Guy? 

Take a street view from your home address?

Do you have any concerns about the privacy issues with the Street View?

What kinds of applications or business will be useful for using the Street View?  (Finding a new apartment location?  Shopping?)

Are these images REAL-Time?  or Pre-captured? How long will the Google update these images?

Can people take any pictures from the public space (Streets)?

Photos in 2007 ESRI User Conference, San Diego.  (Tele Atlas exhibit booth)

Google Map --- Traffic View (Real-time update).

Before the Google Map Street View, there is a  A9 Street View product from Amazon.com.

GIScience also including remote sensing images processing:

Another New Technology for GIScience:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-DqZ8jAmv0&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fdmiessler%2Ecom%2F

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Another one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP5y7yp06n0&feature=related

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6. Google Earth Bird Flu Example.

Discussion: What is Spatial Reasoning?

Do you see any spatial relationships among these human and animal cases?

If there is a hypothetical bird flu outbreak happen in San Diego...  What should we do?  Do we have enough hospital?

Adding a temporal dimension.. (Time):

http://www.declanbutler.info/Flumaps1/Timeseries.kml

What kinds of maps could we create with a temporal dimension?

Animation (Google Earth example)

Multiple small scale maps (comparisons)

San Diego Wildfire 2007

http://map.sdsu.edu

6. The Article from Nature (Reading Assignment.  We will discuss this article next time).

Declan Butler, (2006). The web-wide world.  Nature, 439(16). February 2006, pp. 776-778.

7.  Text book Reading:  Chapter 1.1 Why does GIS matter? (page. 4 - 8).

1.1 What is the uniqueness of Geographic information? (text book)

Definition of [Scale]: "The concept of scale is applicable if a system is represented proportionally by another system". (quoted from the Wikipedia  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_%28ratio%29)    Map Scale:   Map items --> Real world items. (1: 1,000).

Map Scale: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_%28map%29  (from the Wikipedia).

Examples:

In a paper map, the scale is FIXED.

In a computer-based map or a web-based map, the scale is DYNAMIC and changeable.

Different Scale --> Different details:  Scale or level of geographic detail is an essential property of any GIS project (textbook, p. 4). (What is "scale" on a map?  1: 10,000)

What are the differences between the three map examples?  Different [Scale]?  The level of geographic details? What kinds of items are more visible in a larger scale (1:5000)?  What kinds of items are more prominent in a smaller scale (1:250,000)?

(Why the 1:5000 is a larger scale comparing to 1:250,000?)

2. Geographic information can be used to solve both science and practical problem.  With a single collection of tools, GIS is able to bridge the gap between curiosity-driven science and practical problem-solving.  (what is the intent of science?)

The Intent of science: The intent for the advancement of human understanding of the world. (textbook: Page. 5).

http://geoinfo.sdsu.edu/website/SanFrancisco/viewer.htm

3. The solution methods of geographic problem can be categorized as operational, tactical, and strategic decisions.  (What are the differences between operational, tactical, and strategic decisions?)

Give an example if an severe Earth Quake hit California, the city mayor needs to perform a few decisions.... 

Unit #1.2 

Unit 1:  Questions: Blackboard URL: https://blackboard.sdsu.edu/

Location! Location! Location!

This is a Cool Web Mapping Service !   Find a nice pub in downtown San Diego...

http://www.unscene.com/

 (Nice Web Mapping Design Style and effects!)  --  a good example of Location-Based Services (LBS).

Terminology - 1:

Geographic refers to the Earth’s surface and near-surface (p.8)

Spatial refers to any space --- other planets, human body, DNA, atoms, galaxy, etc.  (Google SKY view demo).

Geographic + Spatial = Geospatial (?) implying a subset of spatial applied specifically to the Earth’s surface and near-surface.

Discussion:  (Why use the new term?)  What's the advantages and disadvantages of using the new term "Geospatial"?

Reminder: Read the Nature Article (we will discuss it next week).

1.2 Data-Information-Knowledge transformation (text book)

(image source: http://code.ucsd.edu/Images/brain-1.jpg )

 Examples:   Global Warming Effect (note: Pseudo data used in this example)

http://www.climatehotmap.org/index.html

http://zebu.uoregon.edu/1998/es202/l13.html (Greenhouse Effect )

Terminology # 2:

GIS or GISystems: Geographic Information Systems (tools, software, hardware).

GIScience: Geographic Information Science (Scientific research domain).

GIServices: Geographic Information Services (Web-based services).

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

GIS solves the problem of combining general scientific knowledge (classification, rule sets, modeling) with specific information (local GIS databases) and gives practical value to both.

Many geographic problems involve multiple goals and objectives, which often cannot be expressed in commensurate terms. (Longley, et al. p. 16).

Everyone has their own favorite definition of a GIS.

The six component parts of a GIS: (from a community perspective)

A GIS project Examples:  San Diego Bay Watershed Common Ground Project

http://www.sdbay.sdsu.edu

From a Functional Perspective:  GIS has five elements: 

Information Output examples:  Google Mash-up Maps:

http://www.sdbay.sdsu.edu/maps/exceedance.php

CraigList example:  Housing Maps:  http://www.housingmaps.com/

What is a Mash-up Web applications? 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashup_(web_application_hybrid) 

Common Ground Watershed Movies :

What is Geographic Information?  Why is it important?

Geographic Information is a special class of information -- comparing to tabular information, graphic information, numbers, texts, etc.

Over 50% of information contains "geographic" or "spatial" meanings:

Your home address:  888## Lake Murray Blvd, San Diego, CA 92142.

Your phone number:  (619) 123-4567. ---> Where?   (Try to use Google (www.google.com) to search for your home phone number...)

Your tuition fee (In-state vs. out-of-state status).

When and where did you use your credit card ? (Why?)  (If you spend $5000 tomorrow at a New York Shopping Mall with your local address at San Diego, you might get a warning phone call from the Credit Card Company.)  ---  Geographic Information can be explicit or inexplicit! 

Web Mapping  Demonstration:  ESRI  ArcWeb Services:

http://www.arcwebservices.com/awx/index.jsp

Try your home phone number search.

"Almost everything that happens, happens somewhere.  Knowing where something happens can be critically important". (Longley, etc., p. 4)

(Why Important?)

Geographic Information can SAVE MONEY!

Example 1: Building a BIG shopping center.

"A definitive design for big shopping centers is never carved in stone prior to completion—and even after completion, there is no standard design. Each project has a life of its own, evolving and being shaped as each new retailer signs a lease, purchases property to build or seeks space for expansion. ....

......
If a GIS is built at the onset of the project, however, it can provide a wealth of intelligence to owners and managers. Armed with this valuable data, developers can pinpoint solutions scientifically, communicate more effectively with suppliers, save money and improve overall efficiency."

by Bill Dougherty  http://www.woolpert.com/asp/articles/Endless_Possibilities.asp (this link is no longer valid).

The location of the [Las Americas] Outlet (Shopping Mall)

http://www.lasamericas.com/

Geographic Information can SAVE TIME!

Example 2: Create a Shortest School Bus Routing.

Merced, California, School District Uses GIS for Special Education School Bus Routing

"We wanted a program where we could have 'hands-on' in setting up the routing for several reasons,"  "For one, medically fragile children need to go home first, even if they are the last person on the route. We needed to be able to interact with the program and do our own 'connecting dot to dot' or setting the order of students." -- Merle Jewett.  (from On-line ArcNews).

 http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/fall02articles/merced-school.html

Geographic Information can SAVE LIVES!!!

Example 3: The First Few Minutes – GIS Can Help Save Lives  (By Vicki Schmidt)

http://www.state.me.us/newsletter/oct2004/first_few_minutes_.htm

 (E-911:  Enhanced 911 Services)

http://www.fcc.gov/911/enhanced/

The wireless E911 program is divided into two parts - Phase I and Phase II. Phase I requires carriers, upon valid request by a local Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), to report the telephone number of a wireless 911 caller and the location of the antenna that received the call. Phase II requires wireless carriers to provide far more precise location information, within 50 to 300 meters in most cases.

Discussion:  The REVERSE 911 Service during San Diego 2007 Wildfire...

Does it work? REVERSE 911? http://www.reverse911.com/index.php

REVERSE 911^® is a communications solution that uses a patented combination of database and GIS mapping technologies to deliver outbound notifications. http://www.reverse911.com/index.php

Problems:  IP phones and cellular phones...   (So ?  You need to register your cellular phone with your LOCATION!)  http://www.sandiego.gov/ohs/reverse911/index.shtml

What is the field of Geographic Information Science?

Geographic Information Science is a big umbrella, which covers many topics....

Remote Sensing:

http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Intro/Part2_1a.html  (Remote Sensing Tutorial)

(image source: Nicholas M. Short, Sr., The Remote Sensing Tutorial,  http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Intro/Part2_1a.html )

(image source: Nicholas M. Short, Sr., The Remote Sensing Tutorial,  http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Intro/Part2_1a.html )

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/ (NASA Earth Observatory Systems Website).

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/GreenRoof/ (Examples)

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Observatory/Datasets/rainfall.gpcp.html  (Create animation for Rainfall).  (You need to enter both the months and years info to create a movie).

GPS (Global Positioning Systems.)

Spatial Statistics and Spatial Modeling

Crime Mapping http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/209393.pdf

Cartography (Map Design)

ARJIS  (San Diego Crime Mapping Project). http://mapping.arjis.org/

Movies:  2005 Nov. 30, KUSI News9 Visit CESAR lab:

Unit 1:  Questions:

(Prepare your own answers and post it on the blackboard before the next class  - Sept 9 Tuesday 11:00am)

1. Please describe one example of "inexplicit" geographic information from a physical or virtual item (such as a toy box?, a TV show, a pen, etc.)  used in your daily activities.

2. Please find one website of real-world applications or projects related to the domain of GIScience (including remote sensing, GPS, and spatial statistics/modeling). and tell us the URL of the website.

You will post your answers (as the class participations) to the Discussion Board in the blackboard by September 9.  (Please also save a local copy of your answers in case of some network problems.)

Blackboard URL: https://blackboard.sdsu.edu/

  
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Last updated: November 14, 2008.