Theoretical Concepts in GIS   Practical Applications and Training 

 

PROJECT SUMMARY AND COURSE GOALS 

    We designed this online GIS course for geologists, natural resource scientists and cartographers in conjunction with a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) project.  The goal of this project is to educate  professionals with limited GIS experience to design, implement and manage their own GIS.  This course is divided into two sections: Theoretical Concepts in GIS and Practical Applications and Training.  Theoretical Concepts covers background information on how to design a GIS, the possible applications, terminology and provides supplemental readings for each section.  To learn the software needed to digitize images, compile your database, create and edit data layers, and to analyze data complete the exercises in Practical Applications and Training. In completing this section's exercises, you will learn to apply GIS to meet your specific interests.

    If you are completing the Practical Applications and Training section you will need compatible hardware and software basic to any GIS.  We have included an example GIS set-up and discuss different purchasing options.  (For our set-up, see Components)   Please refer to the course syllabus for a detailed list of covered topics.

 

GIS BASICS

    A GIS is a computer system capable of assembling, storing, manipulating, and displaying geographically referenced information.  ArcInfo, our suggested GIS software, is able to link geographic information with descriptive information using geography as the connection between the many data sets.  It is important to realize that GIS can do more than make maps, it allows you to calculate the relationships between map features and analyze the different attributes.   A GIS can convert existing digital information, which may not yet be in map form, into forms it can recognize and use. For example, digital satellite images can be analyzed to produce a map layer of digital information about geology.  And unlike a paper map, a GIS view consists of many data layers revealing an abundance of information.  

                                        

EESPTeam Home Page

USGS Home Page