Category: Course Student Work

Chapter 1

GIS, or Geographic Information System, is a process for looking at geographic patterns and features. This works by creating softwares and models to view data in a complex or simple way. To start, you have to decide the question you want to answer which will help in the next steps of determining the approach. Depending on the reasoning behind the question and the purpose of observing the data in this way will determine how complex or simple the visualizations need to be. After reading the first part of this chapter, it has helped me gain a better understanding of why someone needs to use GIS for their jobs. It also helped describe why more data would be needed and that getting more information can be as simple as adding new calculations into the software. Also, I appreciated how it explained the difference between using GIS for a quick study compared to a long, time-consuming one that could be used for a more official purpose. I found it interesting how the chapter mentioned that you want to find a way to represent your data clearly so that the intended viewers would be able to understand the information. I think it was also good to note that this can take many attempts to get to the final product and it is not a simple process. The features you include can be discrete, where the location gets pinpointed; continuous phenomena, where the data blankets the entire area being mapped; or summarized by area, representing data within area boundaries. Geographic features are additionally represented by either vector or raster. With vectors, each feature shape is defined by an x,y location. With raster, features are represented by a matrix of cells in a continuous shape. The representation used depends on what specifically needs to be shown with the data. When combining layers, the same map projection and coordination should be used to show accurate results when comparing relationships between information. This chapter did a great job explaining while also utilizing examples and pictures making it easy to understand. Finally, through using attribute values (categories, ranks, counts, amounts, and ratios) you can combine the numbers into a data set to then be able to use calculations. 

Chapter 2

Deciding what to map with GIS is dependent on the question you are asking. By looking at the location of these features, we can then explore the patterns being shown. To find these patterns, the data should be layered within the map with different symbols. This connects back to the first chapter where it must have the same coordination so the relationship can be easily visualized. The use of the map created also is dependent on the audience. Extra information should be included in the map when the intended audience does not clearly understand the data or location. The chapter explains that when you prepare your data to create the map you should assign geographic coordinates and category values. This step helps ensure that your map will clearly show what information you are trying to inform others on. What I found interesting about this chapter is how customizable the software is. GIS allows you to tell it what features to display and how to symbolize them as well as storing the specific coordinates of your data points. While this concept seems complex, the chapter included photographs to help visualize what it is trying to explain with each type of map. GIS can be mapped in multiple ways, including dots, lines, or others depending on what your data is. For example, the chapter included lines for mapping streets, and points for mapping location of crime. The color can additionally be changed to allow for the overlap described in chapter one that lets the viewers see the relationship between the data. It also included that a rule of thumb is to have no more than seven categories because most people can only distinguish up to seven colors on a map. This is especially an issue when data is displayed in small scattered features. The main example the chapter showed was zoning maps and how much clearer it is to read with less categories. It gave an example of grouping categories in order to create less color difference while also showing the same information. In the zoning map example, it combines heavy industrial, light industrial, and mixed used industrial into one industrial category. The chapter included multiple more examples on how to choose colors, symbols, and lines when creating GIS to help get the point across in an easy viewable way. The clearer that the information is presented, the easier it is to view the patterns. 

Chapter 3

When using GIS, another component to think about is to map both the most and the least. This allows for them to find the places that meet their criteria and see the relationship between locations. Mapping quantities allows for another layer of depth beyond mapping location. To begin this step, the chapter explains that you first must consider what features you are mapping. One part I found interesting was that it explains your map should be created with the purpose in mind. When presenting the map to an audience more components need to be considered compared to if you are looking at the data yourself. Quantities on a map can be counts, amounts, or ratios. Counts and amounts show you the total numbers while ratios show the relationship between two quantities. This chapter also introduces using ranks. Ranks show relative values and can be useful when direct measures are difficult. An example I liked in the chapter was stating what portions of the trail had an excellent or good view compared to portions with fair, poor, or no data. Once the quantities are determined, the next step is dividing them into classes or giving each value its own symbol. Mapping individual values requires a lot more precision, yet can allow you to spot relationships in the raw data. I found it extremely interesting how it explains GIS is able to calculate mean and standard deviation when creating the map. It also explains how deciding classes is not just a simple process and it must consider outliers in data and how you want it to be presented. Additionally, you want to make sure it stays easy to read. This chapter did a great job of explaining the process of creating a map and including options and steps and the advantages and disadvantages of each. It also provided many charts, graphs, and examples similarly to the last two chapters. Towards the end, what I found most interesting was the inclusion of the Z-factor. The Z-factor increases the variation in the surface making the differences much easier to see without exaggerating. You can also include a light source to determine how shadows appear within the surface. What I found most interesting about this was the effect it gave the map and how big of a difference it made in the examples to be easily understood.

Mitchell Chapter 1:

The most important thing I found from the beginning of this chapter was that GIS stands for Geographic Information System. It allows us to see patterns and relations in geographic data, and is used in many jobs. Using GIS is very helpful in understanding more about a specific place, however you still need the right tools and analysis to make that happen. The first step in GIS Analysis is asking a question. It can be any type of question, and then you simply have to understand your data. Then you choose a method, process the data, then examine the results. I found that it seems very similar to the scientific method. 

There are different types of geographic features, such as discrete features, continuous phenomena, and features summarized by area. In discrete features, the specific location can be pointed out and is there or not. Continuous phenomena can be found or measured anywhere, such as precipitation. Interpolation: the process of assigning values to the area in between points. Centroids: center points. Summarized data is the counts of individual features within area boundaries. Demographic data in particular tends to come as summarized data, but you can use GIS analysis in order to overlay the data in which you want. 

Geographic features are represented in two ways: vector and raster. In the vector model, each feature is represented by a row in a table and X,Y points on the map. Specific areas on the map are defined by borders. In the raster model, the features are represented by cells in a continuous space. The cell size does matter because information can be lost, which I think is interesting. Discrete features are often represented by the vector model. There are many types of attribute values, such as Categories, Ranks, Counts, Amounts, and Ratios. These values matter depending on the map type you’re making. The main tasks we will have to perform are Selecting, Calculating, and Summarizing. The equations are represented in Chapter 1. 

Mitchell Chapter 2: 

It is important that people understand that mapping is important, but understanding the patterns in certain types of geographical spaces can be helpful with GIS. It is used by police officers, wildlife biologists, and retail analysts. These jobs all have different uses for GIS, and it helps to have categories on the maps to describe the areas and features. You have to assign geographic coordinates and category values to each map, which I think sounds fun! To start your map, you simply have to tell GIS what you want and where you want things. Maps can be very simple, with features that represent simple patterns. 

One of the main functions that GIS does is it stores the locations of different features as a pair of geographic coordinates or as a set of coordinate pairs that define area. Using these specific coordinates, you can make symbols at each point and connect them (it reminded me of connect the dots)! Using the data layers and subsets, you can ask GIS analysis to specifically point out what kind of data you are looking for. For example, if you are tracking wildlife migration, you can tell it to focus on one particular animal or route. I also think it’s nice that the GIS will store a category value for each feature in the data’s table layer. 

I like how they mentioned that you can only use up to 7 colors, because humans can’t really process more than that, which is fair. It is definitely easier to understand an area with less colors and less features if possible. This can be helped with grouping categories, but we have to keep in mind that some important information can be lost if we combine too many things. The main thing being discussed is simply knowing your data and what categories would make sense together. Choosing symbols is also important! They state that you can use different colors, or shapes, but colors are preferred because they are easier to distinguish. Text labels are also necessary so the audience can see what you see. Overall, it seems pretty easy, but I understand how it could be very picky and difficult to analyze if done improperly. 

Mitchell Chapter 3: 

At first, I was a little confused at why it said to map the most and the least. But, upon reading more, it made sense because you have to associate the data with quantities of each feature. As discussed in Chapter 1, there are different patterns of features needed to map certain data. There can be dots, colors, shapes, and shading on different maps used for different purposes. Data summarized by area typically are displayed by shading charts. I liked how it also defined the differences between exploring the data and simply presenting a map. You have to understand your quantities, counts, ratios, ranks, and amounts. 

One of the next steps in using GIS analysis is to create classes. Counts, amounts, and ratios are typically the data that are grouped into classes. When you map individual values, you can search for patterns within the raw data and also present an accurate picture of the data you are exploring. I think it’s cool that you can group classes together by using the same symbol. The classes also require you to find the upper and lower level, so the class can be used in between those values. You can also use standard classification schemes, which let you look at different patterns in the data using similar values. Some of the subsets of standard classification schemes are natural breaks (jenks), quantiles, equal intervals, and standard deviation. 

Each classification scheme has a specific way of identifying the different patterns and groupings within the data. However, to choose one of these, you have to know how the data values will be distributed across the map or the graph. I found that it seems very similar to choosing the correct graph for your data sets in math classes. It appears that we also deal with outliers, and we put those into their own classes. Once you have all this information, you can make your map, yay! Of course, the map types are different as well, and also depend on what kind of data you have. The symbols, colors, shapes, and general charts will all be different for what you are trying to examine. One hint I found useful was using contour lines for continuous phenomena! In the map, you can also edit viewer location and that will make a difference, as well as the Z-factor and the light source.

Chapter 1:

What is GIS analysis? – Finding patterns in your data based on their geographical locations and finding relationships between features.

Understanding geographical features

Discrete: As any point, the feature is either present or not; an actual location can be pinpointed.

Continuous phenomena: Can be found and measured anywhere.

Summarized by area: Data that applies to a certain defined area, but not any specific point within it.

Representing geographical features

Vector: Each feature is a row on a table, and areas are defined by x, y locations.	Typically discrete and summarized by area are displayed this way. Vector can also be used for continuous.
Raster: Features are represented as a matrix of cells.	Continuous often displayed this way.

Understanding geographical attributes

Categories	Groups of similar things
Ranks	Put features in order, from high to low
Counts	Total number of features on a map
Amounts	Any measurable quantity associated with a feature
Ratios	Relationship between two quantities shown by division of on by another

Chapters 2 & 3:

Chapters 2 and 3 surprised me because they overlap heavily with statistics, expected, and art, unexpected. While I was aware that visual qualities would come into this because GIS can make maps, I didn’t expect so much, so early just about aesthetically and intuitively displaying data. The chapters explain how to make it most clear and obvious what your data means to your audience, even talking about how you might display differently for different groups depending on priority and familiarity, and these explanations make it clear how maps can be used to confuse viewers as well. During elections, I often see voter maps where most of the individual blocks are red but it is still a blue state; these maps are used by people wondering how that could be because the map doesn’t show the number of people in each block, leading to a perceived over-importance of large areas with small amounts of people.

Displaying too many categories at once can make a map difficult to use and understand because there is too much information being presented, but too few categories leads to an oversimplification of data that doesn’t give the full picture. The GIS user must decide on a case-by-case basis what on appropriate way to display the information is.

1. Introduction

Hello, my name is Kathleen, and I am from Dallas, Texas. I am a junior majoring in astrophysics with a minor in environmental science. I plan to work in meteorology or compact objects research. I am taking this course because GIS is one of the most important tools for tracking and predicting severe weather.

2. Reading

This reading surprised me but also taught me a lot about how GIS and how it is viewed and used by various groups of people. I don’t have any experience with GIS and I originally thought it was only used by environmental researchers, but this chapter taught me that it is used in so much more. On just page 1, I learned that even Starbucks uses GIS to find successful shop locations. GIS also has different “definitions” to different sections of the science community. In the chapter, Schuurman offers the examples of city planners who see GIS as a tool to see how residents are affected by possible infrastructure changes, while researchers see it as a way to define boundaries of changing phenomena. I found it very interesting that Canada, the US, and the UK all worked on computer cartography data together to shape what we know today. It is astounding that it would have been developed much later if Tomlinson and Pratt hadn’t sat next to each other on the airplane. The chapter states that GIS would have been inevitably created, if not by geographers, as its creation was supported by many other disciplines in the era of a world increasingly relying on digitalization of data. It is very cool that GIS has given researchers an accessible way to make conclusions through visual data. While Schuurman makes the point that some see it as “unscientific”, I believe that visuals are the best evidence to draw conclusions. This chapter also introduced the “behind-the-scenes” of GIS with GIScience and GISystems. GIScience looks at how the GISystems are used and GISystems looks at what data is needed and how it will be analyzed and coded. The end of the chapter provides us with a multitude of examples of how exactly GIS is woven into our lives. It is surprising how every little detail of our lives, down to what flyers we get in the mail, is influenced by GIS.

3A. GIS Application #1

I am an astrophysics major so I researched how GIS is used in astronomy. The most common use is selecting a site for radio astronomy. This source describes how GIS was used to determine the site for radio astronomy testing in Portugal. They determined that Herdade da Contenda was the location with the lowest risk factor of fire, flooding, impact on flora and fauna, and many other factors.

Source: https://www.mdpi.com/165092

3B. GIS Application #2

I travel to Colorado yearly to hike in the mountains, so the forest fires have had a high impact on our ability to go. This research used GIS to identify areas with a higher fire risk and to determine the factors that influence the intensity of wildfires.

Source: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsase.2022.100872

4. Quiz

I have completed the quiz.

 

My name is Claire Evans, and I am a second year Environmental Science and Art History student. 

Something within the chapter that caught my eye is the idea of data within GIS being biased due to human biases and choices that must be made to convert data into something  usable within GIS. Uncertain data being difficult to represent and share is true regardless of what a person is using, visual or verbal, GIS or physical papers. The chapter mentioning that GIS can’t work well with uncertain data is then interesting in that it is not a fault only of GISystems. Because it doesn’t have a large impact on how the systems are used, the inclusion of the arguments pertaining to the origins of GIS in an introduction chapter to the systems surprised me. I’m currently taking Urban Geography, and the point made about how a neighborhood looks on a map and how a route may not actually be the most effective based on the data given being incomplete or in favor of a certain area reminded me of the idea that a city looks very different from a map view to a street level view. Dr. John Snow having both mapped out the cases of cholera, but also having to get extra information via speaking to people who lived in the area in order to figure out what wells were causing the cholera outbreaks reminds me of this as well. It’s also similar to looking at a piece of art in a setting other than where it was intended to be; you lose context and surrounding features, such as lighting and sound, when looking at a piece in a museum rather than where it is from, just as you lose some information when looking at a map of data rather than being in the area and community that you are examining.

MSF (Doctors Without Borders) uses MSF to create maps of common needs in communities they are stationed in, and they use a simple form of GIS through MissingMaps to make maps of constantly changing refugee camps that volunteers can help create. 

This study used GIS to examine the number, size, and make-up of Buddhist organizations in the 4 corner states. They examined factors such as race, age, and political leaning to see if there was a potential correlation between these things and the practice of Buddhism in the 4 corner states.

Introduction: My name is Ava Johnson and I am a senior! My major is East Asian studies and I have recently come back to the U.S. after being in Japan for the second time since I have been in college (once to study abroad, and the most recent time for a TPG). I actually took GIS 292 in the fall of 2024, but I truly do not remember most of the things that I learned since it’s been a year and a half. I am excited however to get back into the swing of things for my last semester here at OWU!

Chapter 1: As someone who has mistakenly already taken GIS 292, this chapter was a very nice refresher to be able to go over the ropes again as it has been nearly 2 years since I have done anything remotely related to GIS. Nadine Schuurman introduces Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, by showcasing the many ways that GIS has been used, and can be used in order to peak a person’s interests. In other words, explaining there is no singular way to utilize GIS, and uses examples of college students, epidemiologists, and even corporations like Starbucks utilizing it all in different ways. She argues that GIS can be understood simultaneously as a tool, a science, and a socially embedded practice, and that debates over its identity reveal deeper tensions about knowledge, power, and representation. I appreciated how Schuurman explained GIS first as a technical system designed to capture, store, analyze, and visualize spatial data to then lead to how it has transformed over time.  This instrumental view highlights GIS as software and hardware used for mapping and spatial analysis. However, she also makes note to mention that there are in fact many limitations of this definition, noting that it ignores the theoretical assumptions built into GIS models, such as the simplification of complex social realities into discrete data layers. I also really appreciated how Schuurman introduced critical perspectives that view GIS as socially constructed and politically charged, not solely biased towards positive outcomes of utilizing GIS. This section really takes a step back from the exciting possibilities that come with using GIS to showcase realistic concerns and how these thoughts can oftentimes challenge the assumption that GIS is neutral or objective. With that being said, Schuurman’s chapter encourages readers to see GIS as more than a technical tool. This chapter shows us as readers, and relatively new or unfamiliar with the tool, how GIS shapes knowledge, whose interests it can peak, and how it might be used depending on what a user needs it for.

 

Application 1:Since I studied abroad in Japan, I thought it would be cool to find something related, and I did! I found this application of the different borders of Japan, specifically different prefectures. Along with this, specific kinds of data such as area in square kilometers, as well as population rates were also on the map once a specific prefecture was selected.

Source: Michael Bauer Research GmbH   

 

Application 2: Similar to the first application, I searched up “recent earthquakes near Japan”, and an application came up with different hotspots, deaths, injuries, and overall popular locations.

Source: Maria da Conceição Neves

Intro: My name is Rio Obenauf, I am a sophomore majoring in Sociology and Environmental Studies. I work in the costume shop for the Theater department. I plan to go to grad school for Environmental Sociology after graduation and figure out what I want to do from there, likely studying social vulnerability or biodiversity conservation. I took GEOG 347 in the fall and we worked a lot with ArcGIS. I struggled with this class because I had no background knowledge or experience with GIS so I am excited to learn more about the software without the stress of trying to figure it out as I go. 

Schuurman Chapt

er 1: I had not heard of GIS before coming to OWU but it’s incredible just how many ways it can be utilize

d and how vast its reach is. I had no idea how much controversy surrounded GIS as far as how it’s regarded, whether as an extension of mapping or as a tool for quantitative analysis. I was previously unfamiliar with many of the terms used in this article including the terms GIScience and GISystems. Geographic Information Science is the science behind the GIS software and is the study of geographic information, focusing on theories, methods, and technologies. GISystems are the software and hardware used to collect, store, analyze, and display data. 

In GEOG 347 we used GIS to analyze rates of deforestation over an area in Guatemala. Our data went back to 1970 so it was cool to see the evolution in quality from then to 2025. Images from 1970 were nearly unusable because of how fuzzy they were. We also used GIS to analyze temperatures in central Ohio to study the Columbus urban heat island. I had no idea how wide the range of applications for this framework is and that it initially gained appreciation in the architectural community.  I greatly appreciate just how versatile GIS is and how many contexts it can be applied in. GIS has gained traction in so many disciplines and communities that I am sure I will have an opportunity to use these skills in my future career. I am grateful to have this opportunity to learn how to use this software as it is a great ability to possess for the field I plan to go into.

GIS Application 1: GIS can be used to analyze flood prone areas to aid in disaster mitigation and predict future flooding events. This study researched flood preparedness in Thailand, specifically in the elderly population. 

https://doi.org/10.3390/w14081268 

 

GIS Application 2: This study used GIS to monitor animal and habitat biodiversity. They used GIS because it accommodates large varieties of spatial and attribute data. Data on species and habitat distribution from different dates allow monitoring of the location and the extent of change.

https://doi.org/10.1006/jare.2001.0887 

Hello my name is Jack Payne, I am a senior here who is hopefully graduating in the spring! I am a business management major with a environmental studies minor with more of my personal interests laying in the envs minor. I am from Clintonville in Columbus, Ohio and have lived there my whole life but I have traveled a good bit through school to Italy, Patagonia in Chile, and out west on backpacking trips. Im excited for this class so I can learn the skills necessary to understand and use GIS incase it ends up being something I use in my post grad years.

 

Schuurman Chapter 1

I found this reading very engaging and insightful into the history and development of GIS programming. I have little to no prior experience with GIS and so my initial understanding of it was that it was used as a mapping software to create physical maps that represented various data inputs for geography and similar fields of study. However, from reading this chapter I now know it is so much more than just this. I liked that the author gave much of the theoretical processes behind why GIS came to be and what struggles and innovations allowed for GIS to evolve from hand done cartography which helped me understand why and how GIS software should be used. I learned that GIS software alone is not a one stop shop for theoretical problem solving but rather a tool to pair with human understanding of all the other nuances that affect a given issue. I also learned that GIS has an almost infinite amount of applications in our life, with the most interesting to me being its uses in agricultural transportation mapping as I would never imagine this being an application of GIS. I feel that the author in this chapter clarifies a lot of confusing topics about what GIS is effective for and what it should be used for and draws a sort of framework for its capabilities of data representation. The examples of GIS’ implications in farming are good examples of this as it shows many small areas where GIS can help such as identifying areas of a field that are not growing, but it has its limitations in these applications too which often is the point when human understanding and problem solving comes in to create a solution. Overall I found that this chapter gave me a very strong baseline understanding of what GIS is and how it can be used which will be crucial for this class.

 

The first application of GIS I looked into was its use in Paris during Covid to create a “15 minute city” bike network that allows people in the city to have safe bike transport anywhere across the city. I personally have used this network and it is an amazing feat of urban transportation in a city with a massive population. GIS was used in this to over lay cycle path data with subway data and road ways to create a map that is fast, safe and effective for urban transportation via bike or scooter or other wheeled transportation.

This image is slightly smaller than the one I found as I could not zoom out on the website to get the whole picture but this represents the bike ways overlayed with subway lines (https://www.apur.org/en/open-data-maps/open-data/cycling-facilities-paris-and-greater-paris#:~:text=By%202023%2C%20the%20metropolitan%20cycling,de%20rencontre%E2%80%9D%20and%20pedestrian%20areas.)

 

The second application I chose to look into was the use of GIS mapping in Patagonia to understand and help with wildlife movement, I chose this as I have worked with rewilidng chile and some of these things were things we talked about but GIS was never mentioned so I wanted to see how it was used. What I found is that GIS was used to help create the Ruta de los Parques which is a 1,700 miles of connected wilderness that spans across 17 national parks. This is a “route” that insures that wildlife that move across these areas can do so safely without reaching dead ends or man made blockages. I found this super interesting because some of our volunteer work we did in Patagonia was removing barbed wire fences from old farmers had put in place for livestock grazing which is now inhibiting the movement of native species that migrate from valley to valley such as the Guanacos. It is super cool to know that GIS mapping is almost like the over arching program used to put all these small plans into place to solve this issue.

(https://rewildology.com/chiles-route-of-parks-of-patagonia-how-1700-miles-of-connected-wilderness-is-revolutionizing-conservation/#:~:text=I%20had%20all%20these%20maps,way%20down%20to%20Cape%20Horn.) website used to get some of the genral info along with using meta to help me understand the application of GIS with this issue.

I also finished the quiz.

 

Introduction: Hello, my name is Henry Uible. I am from Jupiter, Florida, and Dothan, Alabama. I am majoring in history and minoring in geology. With a background in history and geography, I plan to teach or work in national parks; hopefully, this class and working with GIS will give me an advantage in getting jobs in these areas. I am new to using GIS and all that entails, but I am very eager to learn and get started.

 

 

Reading: It’s interesting to see that college students are lining up to take GIS classes, and that GIS software is generating significant revenue. It’s also interesting how GIS got started in the 60s by some dude using a map to figure out how to build a road that would help his community. It’s interesting to see that when GIS was first being developed, people doubted its usefulness and questioned whether it would benefit many. Sounds like every government around the 1980s wanted to build a GIS system to compile data. It is interesting to see how GIS is used, especially in the modern day. It’s also interesting that it’s not just scientists and students who are studying geography or using GSI for. In the reading, it stated that even farmers and. People doing landscaping use GSI to make sure they’re not damaging the environment by cutting down trees and that they’re growing their crops in the right place to ensure continued crop growth. One of the figures in the reading shows the historical context of cholera breaking out in London in 1854, which is really interesting to see because you can point out where major outbreaks occurred, where specific outbreaks could have been sealed off to save more people, and where particular wells were found to contain cholera, with this diagram. I think I’d also be able to show us many things for medical research, including where major outbreaks could occur and where we could quarantine specific areas. A map like this might also help paramedics and police officers determine where more medical assistance is needed in a city or town, as well as the fastest route to the area that needs it most. One of the takeaways from this was that GIS is not just for scientists; it is for everyone, and everyone can use it.

Historians are using GSI to understand better how battles unfold and why specific tactics were used, particularly when they occurred a couple of hundred years ago, when the terrain around them was destroyed by erosion or other Means. Well, GSI is also used to determine distance by looking at travel-related items from the ancient world shown in the first image. It shows how long a trip from Rhodes to many other parts of ancient Greece and the Mediterranean would have taken. Second image, they’re showing off the bombing of London from the German attacks, specifically during World War 2 of, where all the bombs were explicitly dropped on London. 

I also took the quiz

 

Using Landsat Imagery to Find Shipwrecks – Geography Realm

About: Bomb Sight – Mapping the World War 2 London Blitz Bomb Census

My name is Mia Butte, I am a freshman at OWU who is planning on doing a double major in Film and Biology (possible to change to Environmental or Earth Science). I am highly interested in Paleontology so I wished to study Geology- but as it’s not offered anymore, I plan on taking similar courses with an alternate major to fulfill this interest. I am a commuter from Lewis Center, and have a passion for all creative arts as well as evolutionary and paleosciences. I hope that I can find ways to bridge art and science during my time at Wesleyan.

After reading the chapter the biggest takeaway for me, in connection with my interests, is the direct use for archeological sites and research. This was both something I knew about when entering the class, and the main reason why I decided to learn the skill. That being said, the reading provided much more information as to what GIS actually is and how it’s used as a tool. I learned that GIS sort of developed through technological evolution- that GIS was developed as a collective of similar research from many different locations. It also wasn’t initially made with Geography in mind, but rather for Architecture and population censuses, which I thought was interesting. One thing that surprised me was how many different uses the system has, spanning across all kinds of fields and daily encounters. I didn’t realize it was something that was actually used every day rather than for specialized projects/ research. For example, city development plans have to account for where certain buildings and facilities are built, using GIS and data points to map out the best areas for construction. But it can also be used to map out GPS and routes on everyone’s phones/ vehicles. It’s also interesting that there are so many different interpretations of GIS, between being GISystems vs. GIScience (and viewing it with a scientific approach), and many opinions on the “correct” definition or use. Whatever the opinion is, it remains the fact that GIS has many different levels to it, varying between each field of use. To put it simply, GIS is the visualization of data, turning tables and numbers into easily understandable maps. Most people I told about this class were confused and said GIS was something that they had never heard of before. They might recognize a map or GIS application, without understanding its meaning or use towards their lives. This chapter helped me develop a deeper understanding of these systems myself so that I can better explain its concept and uses to those who are initially confused, but interested in learning more.

GIS Applications:

I have always found it interesting that there have been bear sightings in Ohio, considering the landscape here. This GIS map report shows the amount of sightings since 1993, and the regions they can be found in.

Link: https://dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/ohiodnr.gov/documents/wildlife/wildlife-management/blackbearreport.pdf 

Similar to the last application, this map follows sightings of an animal thought to have been extinct in Cleveland since the 1800s, but has recently made a comeback.

Link: https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/fisher-spotted-on-cleveland-metroparks-trail-camera-animal-hasnt-been-seen-in-cuyahoga-county-in-200-years 

Lastly, I completed the quiz!