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This activity has benefited from input from faculty educators beyond the author through a review and suggestion process. This review took place as a part of a faculty professional development workshop where groups of faculty reviewed each others' activities and offered feedback and ideas for improvements. To learn more about the process On the Cutting Edge uses for activity review, see http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/review.html.

Initial Publication Date: August 17, 2010

Boolean Raster Well Exercise

Enrique Gomezdelcampo, Bowling Green State University

Summary
This is a paper and pencil exercise using boolean raster grids. The exercise gives students a better understanding of how the GIS software works.

Context

Type and level of course
This activity is for an entry level GIS course required for geology majors.

Geoscience background assumed in this assignment
This exercise requires very basic knowledge of what an aquifer is and how a well works.

GIS/remote sensing skills/background assumed in this assignment
Basic knowledge of the raster data model.
Basic knowledge of boolean algebra (AND, OR, XOR, NOT).

Software required for this assignment/activity:
None.

Time required for students to complete the assignment:
10 minutes

Goals

GIS/remote sensing techniques students learn in this assignment
This activity reinforces the concept of how a GIS problem is solved using the raster data model in a computer.

Other content/concepts goals for this activity
For a student with basic hydrogeology background it may show the application of GIS to geologic problems/situations.

Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
This activity involves data analysis. How to combine the three grids together into one that solves the problem.

Description of the activity/assignment

This activity is to check that the students are understanding the process that GIS software uses to generate results using raster grids. The concepts are presented in class. So this exercise is to reinforce the concepts on the part of the students, and for the teacher to make sure that most of the students are moving along with the course materials.

Determining whether students have met the goals

This is an in-class assignment. I show the final resulting grid in class and collect the assignment only to track attendance and review briefly if most of the class understood the procedure.
More information about assessment tools and techniques.

URLs and References

Download teaching materials and tips

Activity Description/Assignment: Boolean Raster Well Exercise (Acrobat (PDF) 50kB May24 10)
Instructors Notes: Notes for Boolean Raster Well Exercise (Acrobat (PDF) 25kB May24 10)
Solution Set: Solution for Boolean Raster Well Exercise (Acrobat (PDF) 32kB May24 10)