Geog 458: Map Sources and Errors
Winter 2006
Time: MWF 2:30-3:50 pm
Location: SMI 415C for lectures
Instructor: Julie Hwang (303A Smith Hall, shwang5@u.washington.edu)
Course Overview
In one word, this course is about data, of course used in GIS. More specifically, geography 458 covers components of metadata that describe geographic information. The title of the course (sources and errors) implies the study of cartographic data quality and its impact on the use of map information. The issues of cartographic data quality have been formulated as a part of a national standard for the exchange of cartographic data, though the research issues in this field are incompletely explored. This course will use material from the conflicting national standards process; case study material developed from ongoing metadata documentation projects in the region, and potential service-learning opportunities with cooperators. Students should build their skills in documenting and communicating about geographic data resources, recognizing problems, and formulating solutions to errors in geographic data.
The course is organized into three parts: (1) nature of geospatial data (2) quality of geospatial data (3) geospatial data infrastructure. The first part will cover virtually everything about geospatial data, ranging from theories of data modeling to techniques of data input, storage and edit. The first part will serve as the foundation for the next part where we focus on spatial data quality. Data quality issues will be discussed in the context of metadata. Five components of data quality will be covered in detail, including the assessment of data accuracy. The third part is designed to introduce students to the broader scope of geospatial data seen as infrastructure (i.e. collection of people, data, network, technologies that handles geospatial data). At the end of course, students will have cultivated keen eyes on the importance of data quality as well as the value of geospatial data in a broadened outlook.
Texts (required)
Tentative schedules
|
Week |
Date |
Topic (lecture notes in ppt) |
|
Due |
|
1 |
1/4 1/6 |
Course overview |
Syllabus |
|
|
I. Nature of
Geospatial Data |
||||
|
2 |
1/9 1/11 1/13 |
L3; L8 L9 |
|
|
|
3 |
1/18 1/20 |
Martin Luther King day |
|
Lab1 |
|
4 |
1/23 1/25 1/27 |
L6 |
P1 |
|
|
II. Quality of
Geospatial Data |
||||
|
5 |
1/30
|
Exam1 Study home (prepare Quiz) Study home (prepare Quiz) |
C1, C2; A-16 rev. C6; CSDGM workbook |
|
|
6 |
2/6 2/8 2/10 |
Quiz (doc) | Metadata content standard |
C1, C2, C6
Cr1991, U1 |
Lab2 |
|
7 |
2/13 2/15 2/17 |
C7, U2 C9, U3 |
Event1 P2 |
|
|
8 |
2/24 |
Presidents Day Instructor is away (no class) Event2:
continued |
C4, U4 |
|
|
III. Geospatial
Data Infrastructure |
||||
|
9 |
2/27 3/1 3/3 |
Logical consistency | Completeness | Exercise (doc) |
C11, U5, U6 |
Event2 |
|
10 |
3/6 3/8
|
Exam review Instructor is away (no class) |
SDI Cookbook, N1 |
P3 |
|
Exam |
3/14 |
Exam2 |
|
P4, P5 |
The schedule is subject to change
Underlined readings are hypertext – check course website to retrieve the document.
Red texts indicate schedule changes made relative to syllabus circulated on the first day
Grading
|
Components |
Points |
Due
date |
|
Exam |
80 |
|
|
Exam1 |
30 |
1/20 |
|
Exam2 |
50 |
3/14 |
|
Quiz |
10 |
2/6 |
|
Lab/Event |
40 |
|
|
Lab1: Exploring data format |
5 |
1/20 |
|
Lab2: Editing data & RMS error |
15 |
2/6 |
|
Event1: Writing report on metadata tools |
10 |
2/13 |
|
Event2: Evaluating positional accuracy |
10 |
2/24 |
|
Project |
80 |
|
|
P1: Choose case study |
8 |
1/27 |
|
P2: Lineage report and metadata entry |
20 |
2/17 |
|
P3: Test report |
28 |
3/6 |
|
P4: Fitness statement |
12 |
3/14 |
|
P5: Final report (=P1+P2+P3+P4) |
12 |
3/14 |
The total sum of points you gained divided by 50 becomes
your final grade. → Conversion table
Project
Students will select products from a list of ongoing projects with
cooperators (Olympic Natural Resources Center in Forks,
1) a description of the lineage (source materials & transformations) of some geographic information
2) a report of a test performed by the student
3) an evaluation of fitness of a product for a specific use.
Ideally, these three essays should be focused on the same product (as a "project"), but various combinations are possible, as long as the three components are attempted. The lineage report should produce a digital record complying with the FGDC Metadata Content Standards, and a narrative with more detail. The third essay, an evaluation of fitness, should integrate the two previous presentations. The whole project will be presented orally to the entire class. As an alternative to the lineage report, a student may choose to select a metadata source on the World Wide Web to criticize for lack of compliance with the current metadata standards (choose amongst those available). This does not have to be the material tested. Such a critique should be written in the form of a letter/report to the issuing agency/producer.
The Project has five components (and due dates in the schedule). The first draft (lineage and test reports) will be returned with comments. A provisional point score will be attached. Points will be recorded on the FINAL version (due on last day of classes) if you make corrections. Items not submitted as draft will lose considerably due to a lack of feedback. Draft material submitted on the due date will be returned in one week or less.
10% of the given points for each component will be deducted for each late assignment per day. It applies to lab/event assignments as well.
I. Nature of Geospatial Data
L. Geographic Information Systems and Science by Paul A. Longley, Michael F. Goodchild, David J. Maguire, and David W, Rhind, 2005, John Wiley & Sons 2nd Edition, available at University Bookstore (ISBN: 047087001X)
· L3: Chapter 3. Representing geography (p. 63-83)
· L9: Chapter 9. GIS data collection (p. 199-216)
· L5: Chapter 5. Georeferencing (p. 109-126)
· L6: Chapter 6. Uncertainty (p. 127-153)
D. Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems by Michael N. DeMers, 2005, John Wiley & Sons 3rd Edition (ISBN: 0471204919)
· D6: Chapter 6. Data storage and editing (p. 147-168), to be posted at course website
II. Quality of Geospatial Data
C. Course packet, available at Professional copy located in
1) Clinton, Bill 1994: Coordinating Geographic Data Acquisition and Access: The National Spatial Data Infrastructure. Executive Order 12906, Federal Register 59(71): 17671-17674.
2) Federal Geographic Data Committee 1994-97: various handouts on NSDI
3) US Geological Survey (National Institute of Standards and Technology), 1992: Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS) Federal Information Processing Standard 173 (Extract of Data Quality section).
4)
Chrisman,
N. R. 1984: Alternatives for Specifying Quality Standards for Digital
Cartographic Data, 43-71 in Report 4, National Committee for Digital
Cartographic Data Standards,
5) Defense Mapping Agency 1992: Vector Product Format MIL-STD-600006. (esp. p. 42-44; 67-70; Appendix D)
6) Federal Geographic Data Committee 1998: Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata. (Version 2.0)
7)
Chrisman,
N. R. 1985: Quality Report for Dane
8) ESRI 1990: DCW Error Analysis. (prepared for Defense Mapping Agency Digital Chart of the World project)
9)
10) Chrisman, N.R., Gurda, R. and Beard, M.K. 1987: National Charting Quality Standards, submitted to National Ocean Service, NOAA.
11) Chrisman, N.R. and Beard, M.K. 1987: Report on Verifying the Topological Consistency of the NOS Shoreline Data Base, submitted to National Ocean Service, NOAA.
U. Elements of spatial data quality / edited by Guptill
and Morrison, 1995, Elsevier Science
Cr1991. Chrisman, N.R., 1991: The error component in spatial data, Chapter 12, p. 165-174 in Maguire, D.J., Goodchild M.F. and Rhind, D.W. (editors) Geographical Information Systems: Overview Principles and Applications, Longmans
CL1991. Chrisman, N.R. and Lester, M. 1991: A diagnostic test for error in categorical maps, Proc. AUTO-CARTO 10, 330-318
III. Geospatial Data Infrastructure
G. Geospatial Data Infrastructure:
Concepts, Cases, and Good Practice / edited by Groot
and McLaughlin, 2000, Oxford University Press
N. Geographic Information Metadata for Spatial Data Infrastructures: Resources, Interoperability and Information Retrieval by Javier Nogueras-Iso, F. Javier Zarazaga-Soria, Pedro R. Muro-Medrano, 2005, Springer 1st Edition
Instructor office hour: WF 9:30-10:20 am or by appointment