Sweet Summertime @ GIS Online

Summer is here and the GIS Online team has hit the ground running, with no intention of slowing down!

Certificate program students have enrolled in GIS Programming (GIS 4103/5103) with Dr. Derick Morgan and GIS Applications with Dr. Paul Zandbergen (GIS 5100) and Ms. Penelope Mitchell (GIS 4048). Summer also marks the beginning of our graduate level certificate courses and a great time for all students to start thinking about internships.  We are happy to report that we have an outstanding bunch of students registered and we can’t wait to share their hard work and growth through the student spotlights. You will begin seeing weekly spotlights starting next week. In addition to spotlights, we plan to also post MOOC updates for the next few weeks. It’s nice to be back blogging – we’ve missed you!

You may have heard that UWF and GIS Online launched the university’s first MOOC (Massively Open Online Course) on May 18, 2015. This Introduction to GIS project has been in the works for the last 12 months and we are all quite pleased with the final product. As of today, we have just over 3000 registered in the course. As part of the orientation process students were asked to complete a demographic survey. So far, just shy of 1000 students have completed the survey and left us with the following tidbits of information.

• Most participants are between the ages of 24-34 and more than half have some experience with GIS whether through a classroom setting, online course, or their job.
• Many of the participants are taking this course with hopes to earn a promotion or work towards a career change. 
• Close to 40 % of the respondents live in North America but it is so very exciting to see people all over the world in our course. GIS Online @ UWF is truly a global name! 

There is still time to register if you are looking to refresh your GIS skills or simply find out what MOOC’s are all about. We welcome all current students, alumni and friends to join us! This is also a perfect time for your family and friends to get a glimpse of your passion for GIS – because we all know it gets old describing what we do as kind of like Google Maps but not really...

Student Spotlight - Cartographic Skills, 4/6/15-4/17/15

GIS 3015/L Cartographic Skills
Penelope Mitchell, Instructor

Congratulations to Lucas Milheiser  for being selected as this week's student spotlight!  Check out Lucas' blog here - Adventures in Cartography.   Lucas is originally from Wisconsin, but currently lives in Nebraska. He works for the Bureau of Reclamation as a Natural Resource Specialist were his job duties primarily involve land management of the Federal Estate in both Nebraska and Kansas (Permits, trespass resolution, agricultural land classification, etc.) In addition to that, Lucas also works a few days a month as a Geospatial-Intelligence Analyst in the Air Force Reserves. While this position has given him a basic understanding of GIS, the exposure to civilian software such as ArcGIS is a new topic.

Away from the Bureau and Air Force Reserves, Lucas is a proud dad to 4 children, ages, 4,3,2, and a newborn.  Whew ~ Lucas, you are one busy guy!!  Welcome to the spotlight and congratulations on being the best of best this week.  You rock!!


Module 9: Flow Line Mapping

Module 9 required students to undertake Flow Line Mapping.  Flow maps utilize lines of varying width to depict the movement of phenomena between geographic locations.  Students utilized Corel draw to create a distributive flow map to illustrate global immigration figures into the United States.  Lab materials provided base maps produced in ArcMap, and left students with the task of rearranging continents and creating proportional flow lines and corresponding legends in accordance with design principles.

Lab Learning Outcomes:

• Assess design issues for flow line mapping
• Calculate proportional line widths using excel
• Construct flow line map using proper design techniques
• Apply style and visual effects in CorelDRAW

Lucas stood out as a spotlight due to the originality in his work.  He demonstrated proficiency with graphic design software CorelDraw by fully utilizing the software capabilities to leverage the geographic content of his map.  You may already notice the difference in his map--he strayed from the conventional globe layout, moving far Eastern continents to the left side of the map page to allow preferred placement of the flow lines.  To clarify the augmentation, two ellipses were placed beneath the continents.  Lucas also did an excellent job creating smooth, curving, proportional lines without concealing any geographic information.  The color schemes chosen and drop shadow implemented work to promote figure ground distinction and establish proper visual hierarchy.  Nice job Lucas!

I would also like to give props to former spotlight, Alicia Lindbom, for a textbook perfect Flow Map--great effects, great lines, excellent design choices!  As well as to, Brandon Deusenberry for a great page layout, legend design, and beveling effects!

Student Spotlight - Introduction to GIS

GIS 4043/L Introduction to GIS
Amber Bloechle, Instructor

Congratulations to Kelly Broomfield for being selected as this week's student spotlight!  Check out Kelly's blog here - Kelly's Blog .  Kelly works at Hurlburt Field, Florida and serves with the United State Air Force.  He is a Geospatial Analyst who has a strong background in remote sensing.  By taking the GIS courses at UWF, Kelly hopes to increase his marketability and boost his geospatial skillset upon retirement from the service.  Welcome to the spotlight!  This was a doozy of a lab and you rocked it!!

Weeks 7 & 8 : Data Search Lab

The Data Search Lab brings all of the concepts that students have learned so far into one awesome project.  This lab can be quite stressful but in the end, students leave with a sense of pride that they have conquered the task of building a GIS project from scratch.  Here are the learning outcomes for the exercise.  


Learning Outcomes:

• Review and record metadata for data coming from multiple sources
• Select GIS data that meets the needs of a defined project (scale, attributes, geographic extent, time sensitive, software being used or required format)
• Download data from online sources
• Practice data management of GIS data coming from multiple sources
• Detect and correct data errors for use in a GIS
• Intelligently select a geographic projection to be used in a defined project
• Detect and correct geographic projection issues
• Reproject data from Albers to UTM 
• Utilize select by location and clip tools in ArcGIS to isolate a study area
• View selected records and create a new map layer from selected feature
• Create easy to interpret maps presenting multiple downloaded data layers using ArcGIS

Kelly did an amazing job of displaying and presenting the data for this project. I really like that he took the time to make all of his maps look like they came from the same project and help tell a story. 

Student Spotlight 3/9-3/13; Cartographic Skills

GIS 4043/L Introduction to GIS
Penelope Mitchell, Instructor

Congratulations to Nicole Crull  for being selected as this week's student spotlight!  Check out Nicole's blog here - Nicole's Adventures. Nicole lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and 5 yr old mini dachshund named Otis. Nicole moved to Oregon to get her bachelors at Oregon State University in fisheries and wildlife. Throughout school and after getting my bachelors she worked spring and summers doing wildlife surveys(spotted owls, marbled murrelets, and bats) for various local environmental companies and the National Park Service. In the near future, Nicole hopes to move from seasonal field work to a more permanent desk job with GIS helping to seal the deal!  When not in school or in the field, she is a bird watcher, hiker, baker, gardener, workout partner to her husband, dog lover, and avid knitter. Welcome to the program Nicole and we hope that you enjoy the spotlight.  You describe your self as very detail oriented - we can totally relate to that!  Congratulations and keep up the great work!

Module 7: Choropleth & Proportional Symbol Mapping

In the Choropleth and Proportional Symbol Mapping lab students were tasked with presenting European population data and wine consumption per capita on one map! Students used the choropleth thematic mapping method as well as their choice between proportional or graduated symbol mapping to get the job done. They also called upon their data classification knowledge to best present the data. Students also had the option for bonus points to create and import a picture symbol into ArcMap to use as their proportional or graduated symbol. Utilizing picture symbols is a slippery slope as they can be difficult to interpret if not effectively designed and applied--so the extra step could hurt or help one’s final map grade.


Laboratory Learning Outcomes:

• Utilize choropleth and proportional/graduated symbol thematic mapping techniques
• Choose an appropriate color scheme to best present data
• Implement suitable data classification scheme for 4 datasets
• Create effective thematic picture symbols
• Work with 3 data frames
• Compile map in accordance with cartographic design principles

Nicole did a great job presenting the 4 datasets. She opted to use the quantile data classification method for the population density map, thus giving a clear spread of population data across Europe. Wine consumption was represented using graduated symbology to ensure clear communication of symbol size. Nicole then took the extra time to utilize a thematic picture symbol to represent wine consumption. The choice of the round wine decanter was genius because it mimics the simplicity and clear communication of basic circle symbol, whilst incorporating the wine theme into the mix. Nicole used Corel draw to clean up the picture symbol and remove the white background, she then imported into ArcMap. Lastly, the map layout and design is clean and crisp in this map. Each dataset is presented at a size and scale to allow a clear visual, and maximum utilization of map space. Great work Nicole!

GIS Internships - Let's get to work!

GIS4944/5945, GIS Internship, Instructor, Mrs. Leah Lewis, GISP

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT AWARDS

The following student was chosen to highlight their current GIS internship experience.

Jose Falconett (click to check out his program blog)

Jose is a currently enrolled in the graduate extended GIS certificate plan.  He is on track to wrap up all courses in the next few semesters.  Jose resides in Ocala, Florida, and has a very diverse background ranging from management in the health care industry to work with the Florida Forest Service.   We are very happy that Jose has chosen GIS Online @ UWF to further his education.  

Internship Background - Jose is currently working with the City of Ocala's Public Works Department.  Types of projects he is working on include, map creation for city stormwater, FEMA analysis, and AutoCad conversions.  It sounds like Jose is a busy intern!  Congratulations on your achievement and keep up the good work!

Looking for an intern or partnership with UWF and GIS Online, please contact Leah Lewis at lewis@uwf.edu to find out how our students can help you!  

Student Spotlight - 2/23-2/27/15

GIS 4043/L Introduction to GIS
Amber Bloechle, Instructor

Congratulations to Lindsay Golden for being selected as this week's student spotlight!  Check out Lindsay's blog here - Lindsay's GIS Journey .  Lindsay currently lives in Destin, Florida, and enjoys spending time outdoors, with wildlife and maps.  She holds a BS degree in biology and is looking to combine her degree and interests into a position in the professional world.  Lindsay you have come to the right place with GIS Online!  Welcome to this week's coveted spotlight.  The time spent here is dry and warm and cozy.  See all that sunshine in your photo?  Can you share with us here?  We are waterlogged and so cold this week.

Week 5 - Projections Part 1

This week's lesson provides introductory information about geodetic datums, ellipsoids, geoids, and common coordinate systems. The global (spherical) coordinate system, based on latitude and longitude, is presented along with several of the more important projected coordinate systems such as the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM), Albers Equal-area, Lambert Conformal Conic, and State Plane Coordinate Systems. Tissot's indicatrix and its use for understanding the distortion associated with various map projections is also introduced. You should be able to use the information in this week's lecture to help select an appropriate map projection for a particular GIS project.

Why was Lindsay selected? 

Deidra and I always look forward to Lindsay's maps. She's done a great job consistently this semester. We are pleased to highlight her as a spotlight this week with her "Projections Part 1 Comparison Map"

We really like how she used primary colors to communicate counties and area measurements among the three different map projections. Additionally, the grey/white background contrast really makes the important info pop. The table makes that info easy to verify and smooth/curved data frames add a nice touch. She owned it... It's Golden!

Student Spotlight 2/16-2/20

GIS 3015/L Cartographic Skills
Penelope Mitchell, Instructor

Congratulations to Alicia Lindbom for being selected as this week's student spotlight!  Check out Alicia's blog here - Making Maps.  Alicia is a returning adult learner currently completing the GIS Online Graduate Certificate program. She has been an environmental educator and program coordinator for the past 7 years, as well as a scientific illustrator on a recent Mesa College laboratory manual.   Upon completion of the certificate, Alicia hopes that the new GIS skills paired with her outreach experience will move her into a higher level science education/research paired with field work.  Alicia is the wife of a Navy helicopter pilot, currently stationed in the Milton/Pensacola, FL area. She loves spending time outside in all weather and conditions and enjoys learning the natural history of any area she finds herself in.  Welcome to the spotlight Alicia - it's a great place to visit!  Stay warm!

Typography Lab

The typography lab tasked students with labeling a portion of the Florida Keys. That may sound pretty easy, but labeling a small island chain in accordance with typographic guidelines is anything but that! This lab was all about the little details. Students used graphic design software to get the job done.

Here's a short list of the Student Learning Outcomes for the Laboratory Section.  

• Demonstrate general typographic guidelines when making a map
• Choose appropriate type families, type size, type style
• Employ proper type place for different feature types (point, line, area)
• Organize map elements to achieve balanced final map layout
• Demonstrate competency with CorelDraw
• Summarize and present lab activities and objectives

Why was Alicia selected? Alicia’s map makes this lab look easy! She’s done a great job applying the cartographic design principles from module 3 and typographic principles from this module! All point and areal features are labeled in accordance with typographic guidelines; the island chain did not provide much room for labels so Alicia appropriately used leader lines to connect labels with their associated feature. She used two type families for her map, choosing an easy to read sans serif font for the majority of the labels and thematically stylized water feature labels by using a cyan color, italics, and fitting text on a path. The symbols chosen for point features are easy to interpret and do not overpower the map. The actual island landmass is sized as large as it can be on the page to make for easy viewing. A drop shadow was employed around the landmass to make it stand out against the background. The overall map color scheme allows for intuitive interpretation and is easy on the eyes. The remaining map elements were thoughtfully balanced within the remaining space of the map page. Alicia is also a superstar on the discussion boards and is a regular at the weekly Elluminate sessions. Way to go Alicia!

GIS Internship - Let's get to work!

GIS4944/5945, GIS Internship, Instructor, Mrs. Leah Lewis, GISP

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT AWARDS

The following student was chosen to highlight their current GIS internship experience.

Steve Hafner (Student blog)

Steve is currently enrolled in GIS Internship and has completed many of the certificate courses.  He will wrap up the certificate in December of 2015.   Steve previously earned his undergraduate degree from UWF in Marine Biology.  In addition to mastering GIS, Steve works full time at the Elbow Room in Pensacola.  If you haven't been there - you are definitely missing out!

Internship Background - Steve is currently working with the Marine Resources Division of Escambia County under the leadership of Shelly Martin and Robert Turpin.  Steve will spend his time with a mixture of office mapping and in the field recording seagrass habitat data.  In the end, Steve will be working with the team to create a interactive habitat map.  GIS Online and UWF's Environmental Science Department have sent many interns to work with Escambia County.  It's a great place to work and we appreciate their commitment to our program.

Welcome to the spotlight Steve.  It's pretty cold here in Pensacola today - perhaps this will warm up your weekend!

Heart-shaped (cordiform) map projection by French cartographer Oronce Finé, found in Recens et integra orbis descriptio (Recent and complete description of the world), published in 1536.  Happy almost Valentine's Day!

Bonus Spotlight Friday - GIS Internship

GIS4944/5945, GIS Internship, Instructor, Mrs. Leah Lewis, GISP

GIS Internship - Let's get to work!

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT AWARDS

The following student was chosen to highlight their current GIS internship experience.

Rena Lautzenheiser (Student blog)

Rena is in her final semester of the certificate program.  She is very interested in the using GIS for real estate and utilities along with all of the online applications.  Rena also works as a Montesorri teacher in Pensacola.  When not behind the computer or in front of the classroom, Rena's life revolves around family and two rescues (a senior Catahoula/lab mix and a 10-month old Australian cattle dog/German Shepherd/Lab/pit/keeshond (All-American mutt) which I hope to train for therapy work).  Rena you are a shining example of our student body and we welcome you to the spotlight!  We hope it's warm, because it's cold outside!  PS.  GIS Online loves dogs too - we have a puppy working in the office today.

Internship Background - Rena is currently interning with the West Florida Regional Planning Council under the supervision of Jessica Paul, GISP.  Rena is working on a variety of projects from online map development, spatial database record maintenance, spatial analysis, and even the fun stuff like planning for GIS Day.

Looking for an intern or partnership with UWF and GIS Online, please contact Leah Lewis at lewis@uwf.edu to find out how our students can help you!  

Student Spotlight 2/3-2/6/2015

GIS 3015/L Cartographic Skills
Penelope Mitchell, Instructor

Congratulations to Brittany Burdelsky for being selected as this week's student spotlight!  Check out Brittany's blog here - There and Back with GIS.  Brittany lives in Colorado and works as a barista and volunteers at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.  Brittney completed her BS (biology) and MA (anthropology) here in Florida and hopes that the certificate courses at UWF will help to switch gears from biological anthropology to bioarch/archaeology.  Brittany - welcome back to Florida (even if it's online)!  We welcome you to the spotlight and just like you, we also love everything about coffee, GIS and cats!!

Cartographic Design Lab

The Cartographic Design lab was deceptively tough! Students were provided with data and were instructed to create a carefully crafted map based upon Gestalt’s Principles of perceptual organization, focusing mainly on Visual Hierarchy, Contrast, Figure-Ground, and Map Balance. The mapped area of interest was Washington D.C., which is a difficult shape to map, the other challenge was the numerous layers to sort through and best present. I was impressed how students rose to challenge, and in turn I saw some great cartographic style begin to shine through, needless to say picking a spotlight was not easy! Well done everyone!

Here's a short list of the Student Learning Outcomes for the Laboratory Section.  

• Conceptualize and create maps according to need of end user
• Establish and implement visual hierarchy to emphasize important map features
• Apply contrast to map features to imply their relative importance
• Employ figure ground to make important map features appear closer to the end user
• Achieve map balance with the harmonious organization of map elements and empty space
• Symbolize layers by category
• Create an inset map and establish an extent indicator

Why was Brittany selected? Brittany did a great job of sorting through the data and creating a well organized map. The objective of the map was to communicate school locations and type in Ward 7 of Washington D.C. Brittany has done a great job implementing visual hierarchy so that the schools are the first thing that pop out to the map user. She also has a thoughtfully chosen and implemented color scheme that allows background information to be seen but not overpower, thus again pulling the eyes to the schools. The correct level of detail is provided for each region of the map. In Ward 7, she included finer detail with the DC Streets layer, as she moved out to the greater D.C. area, only primary transportation routes are included so as not to pull the eye away from Ward 7 and overcrowd the map with superfluous information. Intuitive symbology is applied so that the legend only needs to contain the School layer. Contrast and figure ground is implemented by making Ward 7 the lightest shade in the map, thus appearing closer to the reader. The extent of the map is clearly indicated in the Locator Inset. Map Balance is achieved by carefully taking advantage of empty map space, ensuring not to bunch elements together or place them in too small of an area. Stellar job Brittany!!!! Gestalt is proud of you :)