Course description: Use of GIS technology in wildlife and fisheries management and research. Emphasis placed on creation, maintenance, and analysis of spatially explicit data.

Text: Clarke, K.C. 2001. Getting started with Geographic Information Systems, 3^rd edition. Prentice Hall Pub., Upper Saddle River, NJ. 351pp.

Justification: This course is designed as an Fisheries and Wildlife elective for majors and as a general elective for non-majors. The increasing use of GIS technology in the workforce makes this a good course for a variety of majors including Geology, Agriculture, Recreation and Parks, and Emergency Management Planners. Pre-requisites include PSY 2053 or MATH 2163, and a Computer Science course.

Objectives: FW 4034 is designed to provide an introductory knowledge of geographical information systems with particular emphasis on their use in fisheries and wildlife management. Specific objectives for this course are:

1. Understand the basic working and functional capabilities of ArcView 3.2.
2. Know where to find and use GIS data.
3. Understand raster and vector data formats and the utility of each.
4. Understand map formats and projections.
5. Have a grasp on the application of GIS in natural resource planning.
6. Understand how GPS works and how to use a GPS receiver.
7. Have a functional knowledge of the spatial analyst and image analysis ArcView extensions.
8. Have an understanding of remote sensing data sources and image classification.
9. Understand use of GIS in wildlife population modeling.
10. Understand basic land use metrics and their application.

Assessment Methods: Grades will be computed based on 600 points from two (2) exams (including the final exam), five (5) homework/computer assignments and one (1) semester project; grades will be assigned based on the following percentages, 92-100% = A, 84-91% = B, 76-83% = C, 68-75% = D.

Exam I                         100 pts
Final Exam                 150 pts (note that the final exam is comprehensive)
Homework 5@30 pts 150 pts
Semester Project       200 pts
Total points                 600

Semester Project Description: Students will pursue one of the following topics: (1) an application of GIS in his/her major (under the guidance the instructor); or (2) research and mastery of a recent development in GIS technology. More information on the semester project may be found in the study materials web page.

Class Policies: (1) Class will be held in McEver 206 and McEver 38. This room houses assorted computer equipment and therefore, no eating, drinking, or chewing will be allowed in the lab. (2) Tests will be a combination of multiple choice, matching, and short answer/essay. (3) Students are expected to come to class regularly, but attendance is not a component of the final grade. However, there may be opportunities to gain bonus points during lecture (i.e. pop quizzes). (4) Students must not miss regularly scheduled quizzes or exams without a justifiable and legitimate excuse (ie. Illness, traffic accident, university sanctioned trips etc.). If you know you are going to miss an exam due to an illness or class trip contact me beforehand so that alternative arrangements can be made. (5) Cheating or plagiarism on a quiz, exam, or management report will result in a score of zero for that assignment. Repeat offenders will receive an F for the course. (Plagiarism=presenting work done by someone else, either in whole or in part, as if it were one’s own.) (6) It is expected that students will participate in an academic atmosphere (i.e. participate in class, be honest etc.).

Late work:Work submitted after deadline will be penalized at the rate of 10% of the value of the exercise per day.

Students with disabilities: Any student who may have physical or other disabilities should see me as soon as possible and we will make the necessary arrangements.

FW 4034—INTRODUCTORY GIS SYLLABUS

 FINAL EXAM - DATE AND TIME TO BE ANNOUNCED