Course Content and Outcomes Guides (CCOG)

CCOG for GEO 223 archive revision 202003

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Effective Term:
Summer 2020 through Summer 2021

Course Number:
GEO 223
Course Title:
Field Geography: GPS & GIS
Credit Hours:
4
Lecture Hours:
30
Lecture/Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
30

Course Description

Provides a conceptual overview and hands-on experience with Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Includes GPS theory, techniques, and field data methods. Uses hand-held GPS units to collect and integrate spatial and non-spatial data within a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) framework. Covers differential correction, importing features and tabular data into GIS, data conversions, building a GIS database, and creating maps from GPS data. Audit available.

Intended Outcomes for the course

Upon completion of the course students will be able to:

  1. Collect, process, and create geographic data using a GPS unit.
  2. Acquire, import, edit and export digital data.
  3. Create maps to visualize, interpret and present geographic data.
  4. Apply GPS technologies and concepts to real world spatial questions.

Course Activities and Design

The material in this course will be presented in a computer lab setting through classroom lecture, discussion, software demonstration, computer-based labs and outdoor fieldwork/data collection. Students will work in small groups to complete a term-long project that involves collecting GPS data, data processing, and map creation.

Outcome Assessment Strategies

Students will be expected to demonstrate mastery of themes, concepts, issues, competencies and skills by any combination of the following:
A. Written results of class labs and exercises
B. Completion of a final mapping project using GPS data

C. In-class discussions

D. Map critiques

Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)

Themes, Concepts, Issues:
A. Global Positioning Systems
B. ArcGIS Desktop
C. GIS Database
D. Creating Maps with GPS data
E. Differential Correction
F. Field Data Collection Methods
G. Geographic & Non-spatial data
H. GPS Reference Systems
I. GPS Applications
Competencies and Skills:
A. Identify and define GPS technologies & terminology.
B. Build a GIS database based on GPS data collection.
C. Postprocess GPS data.
D. Create presentation quality maps using GPS data.
E. Integrate GPS data with other spatial & non-spatial data.
F. Apply GPS technologies to real world mapping problems.