Saturday, December 21, 2024

Course Schedule for 2011

Please note that some linked reading files are quite large and may take a minute or two to download in your browser window.

Monday Morning

  • History of geospatial analysis in anthropology: evolution of tools and questions
  • Definitions of RS and GIS
  • Basic understanding of geospatial data
  • IC: Participants discuss research questions and needs

Tutorial

Getting Started with GIS Tutorial

Monday Afternoon

  • Research design: sampling in time and space, data requirements, matching questions and data limitations
  • RS data search principles
  • IC: Intensive data search and evaluation
  • discussion of data choices, research scenarios, and analytical pathways

Reading

Brondizio, E., and R. R. Chowdhury (forthcoming). Spatial-Temporal Methodologies in Environmental Anthropology: Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing, Landscape Changes and Local Knowledge. In Environmental Anthropology: Methodologies and Research Design. I. Vaccaro, E. A. Smith, and S. Aswani, eds. Pp. 1-31. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge

Tuesday Morning

  • Understanding basic raster and vector data structures
  • Visualization, resolution, and evaluation of visibility and invisibility of landscape features, and categorical scales
  • IC: Hands on visualization, color composites, and thematic coding

Reading

NASA. The Basic Principles behind Remote Sensing. Remote Sensing tutorial from NASA, http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Front/tofc.html (accessed April 28, 2010).

CIESIN Thematic Guides. Basic intro to remote sensing. Excerpt from Social Science Applications of Remote Sensing, http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/tg (accessed April 28, 2010).

Tuesday Afternoon

  • GIS vector layer processing
  • Importing and adjusting projections
  • Creating point, line, and polygon layers
  • Small digitalization
  • IC: hands-on GIS manipulation

Wednesday Morning

  • Image georeferencing principles, map georeferencing, and layer staking
  • IC: Hands on georeferencing exercises

Reading

Dana, Peter H. The Geographer’s Craft Project, Department of Geography, The University of Colorado at Boulder.


ESRI Map Projections and Coordinate Systems Help File Tab

Wednesday Afternoon

  • Thematic Classification-different kinds of classification
  • spectral signature overview
  • IC: land cover classification exercise; interpreting land use patterns; basic runs of unsupervised and supervised image classification

Thursday Morning

  • Overview of change detection procedures: conceptual and technical considerations
  • IC: Hands on change detection exercises using images and maps

Reading

Green, G. M., C. M. Schweik, and J. Randolph (2005). Linking Disciplines Across Space and Time: Useful Concepts and Approaches for Land-Cover Change Studies. In Seeing the Forest and the Trees: Human-Environment Interactions in Forest Ecosystems. E. F. Moran, and E. Ostrom, eds. Pp. 61-80. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.

Thursday Afternoon

  • GIS analysis: layer operations, cross-tabulations, survey data integration, data extraction
  • IC: Hands on GIS data analysis

Reading

Bolstad, P. (2005). Basic Spatial Analyses. In GIS Fundamentals, a First Text on Geographic Information Systems. Pp. 225-66. St. Paul, MN: Eider Press.

Friday Morning

  • Ethical issues and data sharing
  • Preparing images and maps for fieldwork, principles of participatory mapping and interview techniques, training sample protocol
  • IC: Preparing images and maps for the field

Friday Afternoon

  • What we have accomplished and what is next
  • IC: Individual project discussion and upcoming research steps