Throughout Winter Quarter 2010 I was required to write eleven short Labs/Essays for class. We were to read a section of the textbook and answer one or more of the assigned questions at the end of each section after doing research to find sources besides the textbook for facts relevant to the topic. They were to be in Word format, a maximum of two double-spaced pages, with footnotes.
Having been a blogger for almost seven years, it was difficult at first to not get to pick the topic and still write something decent. The first couple were a little rough, but they get better as I get used to the format.
The final lab had most of the same requirements as the first ten, except that we were to research scientific journals, find an article and “critique” it. This Lab by itself was worth five times as many points as each of the others, so I decided to go big and with a topic I knew. My topic was “Gun Violence in American Culture Versus other Industrialized Nations”.
For the next two weeks I’ll be posting a Lab each day (including next weekend). I’ll first block quote the question/s and then block quote the Lab below the fold. I’ll be using links instead of footnotes here because links are easier on the web.
Some topics will be more interesting than others, but I encourage you to read them all. The length requirements were kind of a joke, so they aren’t very long at all.
Feel free to let me know how you think I did. I’ll let you know how the Professor thought I did at the end of the post.
We’ll start today off with The Development of GIS (Geographic Information Systems)
Geographers have been working with Geographic Information Systems long before there were computers, using overlays and maps, which would seem crude today. Explore the advancement of GIS to its current state.
* When were computers first used for GIS?
* What were the major advances in GIS within the last two decades?
* What are some of the most common uses for GIS?
* What are some strengths and weaknesses of particular GIS software?
* How has the availability of information changed in the last ten years?In your research try to talk to a GIS professional and get some hands-on experience with a GIS program.
