Week 5: Monitoring Invasive Species

Weekly Goals

  • Become familiar with basic GIS functions, such as zooming and panning, reordering layers, and selecting features
  • Recognize the four main types of GIS data (point, line, polygon and image) and understand how they build a GIS map.
  • Learn to find features by their attributes using simple and complex search strategies.
  • Apply GIS techniques to investigate the spread of invasive species.
  • Share your ideas about you might use querying of a GIS database in your classroom teaching.
  • Provide feedback on what you are learning and the process of learning it.

List of This Week's Tasks

  1. Explore and practice basic GIS functions to develop an understanding of the visualization and analysis capabilities of a GIS.
  2. Find out how Dr. Jeff Morisette, a remote sensing scientist at NASA, used GIS to study the spread of the invasive species, Tamarix.
  3. Read background information on invasive species.
  4. Develop and execute a query that you might use to select records in a GIS database applicable to your teaching.
  5. Analyze and predict the spread of the invasive species Tamarix by using GIS techniques.
  6. Contribute to an online discussion centered on using the capabilities of a GIS, (particularly querying), in your teaching.
  7. Answer the Week 5 Feedback questions.

A Look at the Week Page by Page

Intro to GIS

This page provides an overall introduction to GIS (geographic information systems).

  • Intro to AEJEE
  • Intro to ArcGIS
  • Intro to My World

These parallel pages introduce GIS basic techniques and capabilities, including how to navigate the map, work with data layers, and explore the tabular data linked to the map.

If you are pressed for time, download the project file and watch all the movies.

Eyes on Dr. Jeff Morisette

Meet Dr. Jeff Morisette, a remote sensing scientist at NASA who uses GIS to study the spread of the invasive species, Tamarix.

If you are pressed for time, read the background information and save the save the "read more about" link for later.

Getting to Know Querying in GIS

This page introduces you to the two different types of queries in a GIS: 1) database queries and 2) spatial queries.

  • Getting to Know Querying in AEJEE
  • Getting to Know Querying in ArcGIS

On these parallel pages, learn to create and execute GIS database queries to investigate the spread of zebra mussels. Then build and execute a query of interest to you. Take a screenshot showing the query results on the map. This is the image that you'll post to your discussion section.

This weekly activity is required and is due on Tuesday, March 16, 2010.

Using GIS to Analyze and Predict Invasions

This page provides background information about the concern for and the strategies used to monitor and study invasive species.

  • Using AEJEE to Analyze and Predict Invasions
  • Using ArcGIS to Analyze and Predict Invasions

These parallel pages guide you through an investigation that uses GIS to explore the distribution and spread of the invasive species, Tamarix. Examine Tamarix invasion by state, create a spatial query to investigate the extent of the invasion, add satellite data to connect Tamarix spread with vegetation index, and compare Tamarix distribution patterns to elevation.

If you are pressed for time, complete the investigation at least through the spatial query section.

Share and Discuss

This page allows you to access your discussion section plus gives you the opportunity to provide us feedback.

Feedback is optional and anonymous. However, if you have time to provide feedback, you can help us better meet your needs.

Posting on Your Weekly Discussion Section Page (i.e. JSC 1, JSC 2, etc.)

Discuss with your colleagues how you might use the GIS technique of database querying with your students. It is helpful if you create a new thread when you post your Tuesday assignment. Then use the reply function to "talk" to others in your section about their ideas.

This weekly activity is required and occurs from Tuesday, March 16, through Thursday, March 18, 2010.


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