Course Synopsis:

       The objective of this course is to provide students with an introduction to GIS.  The course will cover the following topics:

- Geospatial data and data formats - Symbology and  displaying data - Map projections - Proximity Analyses - Editing Spatial Data - Working with data attributes - Querying spatial data - Map presentations and reports Lecture Notes are here. Class activity Schedule is here

Grading Scheme: Test 1                  20 Test 2                  20 Assignment 1        10 Assignment 2         10 Assignment 3         10 Assignment 4         10 Assignment 5         10 Assignment 6         10 Total                    100

Specific Student Learning Objectives as measured by Entrance/Exit Text

Students will demonstrate a knowledge of geospatial data

Students will demonstrate a knowledge of geographic and map projections

Students will have a basic understanding of GPS

Links to Data Sources:

TNRIS (aerial photos, topographic maps, TxDot maps, DEMs, DRGs)

Texas StratMap (soils, hydrology, roads, etc.)

Texas General Land Office GIS data (roads, place names, etc)

NRCS Geospatial Data Gateway

NWS (National Weather Service)

USGS EarthExplorer

USGS Seamless Data Server

USGS Geography page

USGS National Hydrography Dataset

U.S. National Atlas

  Obligatory Statements:

 Plagiarism is a criminal activity.  You must cite all sources of information.  Copying of material, whether, whether parts of sentences, whole sentences, paragraphs, or entire articles, will result in a score of zero for your essay and can result in further disciplinary action.

Every student must compose their own, unique maps.  Duplicate maps will not be tolerated.  Duplication of any aspect of a map will be treated as plagiarism.  All duplicate and/or plagiarized maps will receive a grade of zero

Collusion: Is intentionally aiding or attempting to aid another in an act of scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to, providing a paper or project to another student; providing an inappropriate level of assistance; communicating answers to a classmate during an examination; removing tests or answers from a test site, and allowing a classmate to copy answers.

Students with Disabilities:

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities.  Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation fo their disabilities.  If you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact:

Texas A&M University-Commerce
Gee Library, Room 132
Phone (903) 886-5150 or (903) 886-5835
Fax (903) 468-8148
StudentDisabilityServices@tamu-commerce.edu

All students enrolled at the University shall follow the tenets of common decency and acceptable behavior conducive to a positive learning environment.  See Student's Guide Handbook, Policies and Procedures, Conduct. 

Students who are disruptive to class activities will be dropped from the class and may face further disciplinary action.

Early Intervention for First Year Students — Early intervention for freshmen is designed to communicate the University’s interest in their success and a willingness to participate fully to help students accomplish their academic objectives. The university through faculty advisors and mentors will assist students who may be experiencing difficulty to focus on improvement and course completion. This process will allow students to be knowledgeable about their academic progress early in the semester and will provide faculty and staff with useful data for assisting students and enhancing retention. Grade reports will be mailed by the end of the sixth week of the semester