Community Geography: GIS in Action

Description:

Community Geography: GIS in Action is a great way for middle and high school students and active citizens to use geographical information systems (GIS) to make a difference in your own communities. With this book, you can integrate learning, GIS technology, and real-world experiences. Community Geography: GIS in Action contains real case studies to inspire you, hands-on exercises to help you hone your GIS skills, and practical tips for undertaking GIS projects on your own.

Pioneering Case Studies:

Seven case studies describe innovative community GIS projects undertaken by students, teachers, and community partners in the United States and Canada.

The case studies encompass issues that matter – discovering and mapping landfills in residential neighborhoods, helping police to monitor hot spots of criminal activity, taking inventories of community trees, and more.

Step-by-Step GIS Exercises:

The companion exercise for each case study offers hands-on experience with data and GIS analysis using ESRI ® ArcView ® 3.x software.

Well-placed screen shots provide visual references to the software.

A data CD–ROM included with the book contains all the data and ArcView 3.x projects necessary to complete the exercises. Runs on Microsoft ® Windows ® and Macintosh ® platforms.

Note: A licensed copy of ArcView 3.x software is required to complete the exercises.

On Your Own Sections:

These special sections in each module detail how to approach a similar project in your community.

Tips and suggestions on the GIS inquiry process provide a framework for your own GIS project.

Information on how to build community partnerships, acquire geographic data, perform analyses, and present results is also included.

Note: A licensed copy of ArcView 3.x software is required to complete the projects.

 

Part 1: Community mapping projects

Module 1: The GIS basics

Exercise: Explore and label community features data for a city visitors map

Module 2: Reducing crime

Case study: Deciding where to increase neighborhood police patrols

Exercise: Geocode crime data to map and analyze robbery hotspots

On your own

Module 3: A war on weeds

Case study: Mapping noxious weeds

Exercise: Use GIS to map a leafy spurge infestation and compute its area

On your own

Module 4: Tracking water quality

Case study: Monitoring seasonal changes on the Turtle River

Exercise: Analyze Turtle River data to identify locations for fish habitat restoration

On your own

Module 5: Investigating point-source pollution

Case study: Identifying potentially harmful landfills

Exercise: Map, query, and analyze neighborhood data to identify high-risk landfills

On your own

Module 6: Getting kids to school

Case study: Who walks and who takes the bus?

Exercise: Use buffers to identify eligible school bus riders

On your own

Module 7: Managing the community forest

Case study: One, two, tree: taking a tree inventory

Exercise: Map and query a tree inventory to find hazardous trees

On your own

Module 8: Selecting the right location

Case study: Using site analysis to develop a wildlife area management plan

Exercise: Perform site selection for a state wildlife area

On your own

Part 2: On your own: project planning

Ask a geographic question

Acquire geographic resources

Explore geographic data

Analyze geographic information

Act on geographic knowledge

《社區地理學：GIS實踐》是一本讓中學和高中學生以及積極公民利用地理信息系統（GIS）在自己的社區中產生影響的好方法。這本書可以讓你整合學習、GIS技術和實際經驗。《社區地理學：GIS實踐》包含真實案例研究以激發你的靈感，實踐性的練習幫助你磨練GIS技能，並提供自行進行GIS項目的實用技巧。

先驅性案例研究：七個案例研究描述了在美國和加拿大由學生、教師和社區合作夥伴進行的創新社區GIS項目。這些案例研究涵蓋了重要問題，如發現和繪製居民社區中的垃圾填埋場、幫助警方監控犯罪活動熱點、進行社區樹木清點等等。

逐步GIS練習：每個案例研究的相應練習提供了使用ESRI® ArcView® 3.x軟件進行數據和GIS分析的實踐經驗。適當的屏幕截圖提供了對軟件的視覺參考。隨書附帶的數據CD-ROM包含完成練習所需的所有數據和ArcView 3.x項目。適用於Microsoft® Windows®和Macintosh®平台。注意：完成練習需要ArcView 3.x軟件的授權副本。

自行進行部分：每個模塊中的這些特殊部分詳細介紹了如何在你的社區中進行類似的項目。關於GIS調查過程的提示和建議為你自己的GIS項目提供了框架。還包括建立社區合作夥伴關係、獲取地理數據、進行分析和呈現結果的信息。注意：完成項目需要ArcView 3.x軟件的授權副本。

目錄：
第一部分：社區地圖項目
模塊1：GIS基礎知識
練習：探索並標記城市遊客地圖的社區特徵數據
模塊2：減少犯罪
案例研究：決定在哪裡增加社區警察巡邏
練習：對犯罪數據進行地理編碼，繪製和分析搶劫熱點
自行進行
模塊3：對抗有害雜草
案例研究：繪製有害雜草地圖
練習：使用GIS繪製葉子斑駁的入侵地圖並計算其面積
自行進行
模塊4：監測水質
案例研究：監測烏龜河的季節變化
練習：分析烏龜河的數據，確定魚類棲息地恢復的位置
自行進行
模塊5：調查點源污染
案例研究：識別潛在有害的垃圾填埋場
練習：繪製、查詢和分析社區數據，識別高風險垃圾填埋場
自行進行
模塊6：讓孩子上學
案例研究：誰走路，誰坐公車？
練習：使用緩衝區識別符合資格的校車乘客
自行進行
模塊7：管理社區森林
案例研究：一、二、樹：進行樹木清點
練習：繪製和查詢樹木清點，找出危險樹木
自行進行
模塊8：選擇最佳