11 Feb 3) You have been asked to conduct a GIS project

ENMT307 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

Module 1 Discussion

What is GIS?

After reading the Week 1 GIS Articles under Module 1, please complete the required task and respond to one or more of the following questions. After making your initial response (primary post), come back in a day or so to respond to the postings of your classmates (secondary post).

PARTICIPATION QUESTIONS (choose one):

1) Look at the various different GIS definitions covered in Chapter 1 (GIS Commons). Why are they different? How can the definition of GIS vary by discipline? What will your personal definition of GIS be?

2) Find a photograph of a landscape (can be human scale, picture from vacation, aerial photo, or even satellite image). Make a list of what features on the image fall into the classes of points, lines, and area (polygons). Any exceptions? If you have features that might be one or the other, then explain your decision. Make sure you attach your picture to your post or paste it within your post.

3) Describe three different applications that are often performed using GIS. Try to think of everyday examples that your classmates can relate to. Feel free to include pictures/diagrams to illustrate your examples.

ENMT307 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

Module 2 Discussion

Spatial Data and Projection

After reading the Week 2 GIS Articles under Module 2, please complete the required task and respond to one or more of the following questions. After making your initial response (primary post), come back in a day or so to respond to the postings of your classmates (secondary post).

PARTICIPATION QUESTIONS (choose one):

1) Choose two or three map projections to present to the class (try to present some that no one has posted yet). List the properties of these projections and the distortions. Don’t forget to show a picture of the projections too! A good reference is http://www.icsm.gov.au/mapping/map_projections.html or http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb//pubs/MapProjections/projections.html . A good list of map projections and visuals can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_map_projections .

2) Why is it important that all of the geospatial information stored in a GIS be geometrically rectified (registered) to one another in a project? Give an example to support your argument.

3) You have been asked to conduct a GIS project that maps the land cover of Western Europe/Antarctica/Africa (choose only one). Which map projection would you choose for this project and why? Provide pictures!

4) What is the difference between a map projection, coordinate system, and a datum? Choose one type of coordinate system to showcase and explain its purpose/application.