Thinking about GIS applications and your projects

Today Introductions Course web site resources and logistics Lessons from the tutorial GIS application areas based on your field of interest Project topics assignment Literature search tips and hands-on

Introductions Name General area of interest

Course web site resources

Student work zone How to create your own workspace and post assignments

ArcGIS Basics tutorial What to turn in next Tuesday…a map with:  Title  Main map  Inset locator map  Legend  Scale  North Arrow  Your name and date

Lessons from the tutorial Data comes from different sources at different scales May be free or not, may be advertised or not, may be private, shared or not shared… Examples you know about?

Lessons from the tutorial Start thinking about data you might need:  Scale / resolution  Attribute information  Geographic extent  Likely source

Lessons from the tutorial Tabular data (e.g., Excel, Access, PDF tables) can be mapped if they have a geographic identifier (a “geocode”)  Country name or abbreviation  Province  City  Latitude / longitude coordinates  Census codes

Country code example

Census code example - Kolkata

PDF example – North Korea census

Latitude / Longitude example – Tsunami historical data

Lessons from the tutorial Data management Folder structure Maintaining enough file space – get rid of old files There’s are tip sheets for:tip sheets  data management data management  Connecting to a personal GIS space (H:)personal GIS space (H:)

GIS applications of interest to you What have you found or heard about? Issues or questions addressed? Types of data? Did they have to create new data? Primarily mapping or more advanced analysis?

Literature Search Tips Google Scholar for an initial pass  “Get this item at Tufts” Tufts Library databases  Peer-reviewed articles  Citations  References

Literature Search Tips Search terms to add to your interest list:  GIS (confusion with GIs)  “Geographic information”  Spatial  Geographic  Review or Meta-analysis or Lessons (to find articles that are reviews of “what we know”  Set time period as needed (e.g., 2005 or later)

Literature Search Tips – Analysis Terms Suitability Siting Site suitability Pattern Cluster Vulnerability Proximity Prioritize Accessibility or access

Literature Search Tips Region / country of interest  But don’t use first – by being geographically broad you may find good examples from other regions

Other search terms – more specific Human security  Crisis  Livelihood  Conflict  Health  Infrastructure

Other search terms – more specific International Environment and Resources  Trans-boundary  Land use  Land conversion  Climate  Energy  Water  Forest  Agriculture

Other search terms – more specific Development economics  Poverty  Development  Rural  Urban  Growth  Agriculture  Livelihood  Econometric

Other search terms – more specific International Security  Sectarian  Ethnic  Religious  Conflict  Humanitarian  Relief  Peace  Intelligence

Hands on – quick literature search Test out terms / databases and see what you find Report back – useful terms, approaches, databases

What to look for in articles Data Methods Limitations References / Citations Contact information