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Understanding Geographic DataNew Web Course Teaches Geographic Data ConceptsEvery GIS student has heard that data capture costs often account for a lion's share of the cost of many GIS projects. A new course on Esri's Virtual Campus will help beginning GIS users and customers of GIS service providers understand the unique properties of geographic data. The course, titled Understanding Geographic Data, is authored by David DiBiase of Pennsylvania State University and provides a concise but comprehensive survey of the technologies and professions that are involved in producing geographic data. A free introductory module called "What is Geographic Data?" uses metadata as the vehicle for engaging such fundamental concepts as data models, coordinate systems, control networks, scale, projections, georegistration, and data quality. Additional modules include Land Surveys and GPS Data, Air Photos and Planimetric Data, Elevation Data, Satellite Image Data, and Census Data. Students learn to find and acquire geographic data via the Internet from institutions such as the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, as well as the exciting new portal Geography Network. They use Esri's ArcExplorer software and other public domain data viewing applications to visualize the data they study. Those who complete the course will be able to specify the characteristics of geographic data needed to perform common GIS tasks, determine whether the required data is available, and recognize the technology required to produce data needed for a particular task. There are no prerequisites for the course. It offers approximately 14 hours of online instruction, though actual hours will vary by student. Once enrolled, students may access the course indefinitely. A certificate of completion is awarded to those who finish the course with a score of 75 percent or higher on the online exams for the six modules. All of the software needed to complete the course can be downloaded via the Internet at no charge. Course author David DiBiase directs the Gould Center for Geography Education and Outreach in the Department of Geography at Pennsylvania State University. Understanding Geographic Data is based on a popular course he has offered since 1997 to more than 100 undergraduate students per semester at Pennsylvania State. DiBiase also leads a team of instructors who offer an online certificate program in GIS through Pennsylvania State's World Campus. Students who successfully complete Understanding Geographic Data will be able to substitute it for the introductory course in the Penn State program. The free introductory module What is Geographic Data? is available now, and the balance of the course will be online early 2001. The course can be purchased online for $100 (U.S.). Educators and students enrolled in accredited educational institutions qualify for a 40 percent discount. |
