Overview

About the Course Orientation

In addition to introducing some core concepts for this course, the orientation also serves as your guide to the structure of the course and to our online learning environment.

Purpose and Scope of the Course

The course provides the geospatial information system professional with an overview of systems analysis and design with emphasis on the concepts behind the design process including: business use case modeling, business object modeling, requirements definition, analysis and preliminary design, and, finally, detailed design and deployment. The concepts of the geospatial software and database development process are introduced and the limitations of current modeling techniques are addressed within the spatial systems development paradigm. In a series of related activities, the student applies the methods, tools, and the concepts of the systems development process to document a portion of a geospatial system with Unified Modeling Language (UML), the standard graphical notation for modeling application needs. UML affords a common unifying framework that integrates database models with the rest of a system design. At the successful completion of the Course, you should be able to:

• Recognize design as a human experience concerned with our ability to mould the environment to suit our needs.
• Understand the uniqueness of geospatial system analysis and design, the conceptual basis for the current approaches, limitations, and the emerging thoughts that address these limitations.
• Recognize design as a rational, logical, sequential process intended to solve problems.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the underlying concepts that drive the phases of geospatial systems analysis and design (planning, analysis, design, implementation, operation, and support).
• Appraise various analytic approaches to effectively solicit input in the design process, unique perspectives and appreciate their role in the process.
• Demonstrate an understanding of techniques used to document a design model.
• Appropriately integrate non-spatial systems information systems design practices with spatial systems design practices.
• Design a subset of a geospatial system using the Rational Unified Process, Unified Modeling Language, and Computer-Aided Software Engineering tools.

General

Arriving at a shared vision of a system's capabilities and effectively communicating a plan to arrive at these capabilities are the greatest challenges facing a team charged with the responsibility of bringing new geospatial technology capabilities to government and business. This course provides you the essential concepts, understanding, and knowledge, reinforced with problem-based learning, to improve the quality of the geospatial systems acquisition in your organization.

The course prepares you with the appropriate techniques that can help your organization improve the way it elicits, analyzes, documents, verifies and manages geospatial system (e.g., Geographic Information System) requirements. The concepts of systems requirements engineering will be taught, as well as practical methods. The outcome is to provide you the theory and practical knowledge of the tools to reduce project risk by improving the quality and control of the system requirements, thereby increasing the likelihood of a successfully completed project.

The course is a blend of on-line lessons, textbook readings, discussions, and problem-based work. Problem-based learning will give you experience in working with use scenarios, reviewing system specifications, preparing requirements, and writing a development proposal.

I strongly encourage you to use the message boards to communicate with other students and with me. Our message boards can be found under the Lessons tab (above) and also under the Communicate tab. Whenever possible, please use the message boards to request help with the course projects and activities, as the other students in the course will most likely benefit from your experiences (positive and negative) with the software. When you do so, please make certain that you use the specific message board established for that particular lesson.

Course Format

GEOG 468 provides a structure for interaction among and between the faculty and students that leads to your learning. The readings and activities provide core information and steps for your efforts. You must be able to demonstrate a knowledge of the GIS design fundamentals and process. The course takes a problem-based learning approach with the assumption that learning emanates from solving a problem. It is a method that encourages independent learning and gives you practice in tackling situations and defining their own gaps in understanding in the context of relevant problems. In this way, they should be able to recall the material later in the real-world setting and encourages a deeper understanding of the material. In keeping with the overall objectives of this course, each activity should encourage you to develop an appreciation for the interrelated nature of GIS design that must be considered with each implementation. By participating in this learning format, you will become proficient in the process of problem analysis and the generation of learning issues that warrant further exploration.

Outline of a "Typical" GEOG 468 Week

In order to work through all of the course materials and activities together and in an "orderly fashion," we follow a set schedule each week. Yes, you will have the flexibility to work on the course on your own time, but you will be responsible for meeting set date/time requirements within the confines of a given week.

For most weeks, a similar format will be followed:

1. You will read a selection of book chapters and/or papers. All of the papers will be available via the checklist page (page 2) in a lesson.

2. Each week, you will have the opportunity to view a recorded online lecture.

3. Next, you will be expected to post comments and/or questions about the assigned readings and lectures in a structured threaded discussion. You are welcome to respond to someone else's posting, or to start a new "thread" yourself.

4. Throughout the course, with guidance from your instructor, you will also be expected to work on a total of two papers and three quizzes. Notification of these papers and quizzes will take place in the lesson and the calendar.

Questions?

If you have any questions now or at any point during this week, please feel free to post them to the Orientation Discussion Forum. (To access the forums, return to ANGEL via the ANGEL link in the Resources menu. Once in ANGEL, you can navigate to the Communicate tab and then scroll down to the Discussion Forums section.) While you are there, feel free to post your own responses if you, too, are able to help out a classmate.