Graduate students are required to complete a 12 – 15 page term paper (12 – 15 pages of double

spaced text in addition to any graphics) and make presentation to the class at the end of the semester. There are three term paper options:

Option 1: GIS Application

If you choose this option, you are expected to perform a GIS analysis with ‘real’ data and meaningful results. GIS should play an integral role in the analysis and not serve merely as a data management tool, although other analytical tools and approaches may also play a prominent role in the analysis (i.e. cartography, statistics, etc.). This option is for those students who have a specific research question in mind and are prepared to apply GIS to that research question. This option is particularly challenging, however, because you must define a research question and methodology that fully incorporate GIS and yet may also be completed within the confines of the semester.

Option 2: GIS Representation and Methodology

This option takes a technical perspective on GIS. If you choose this option, you are expected to focus on some representational or methodological aspect of GIS, and experiment with, and/or compare different approaches to this aspect. Examples of this option include experimental comparisons of different interpolation techniques and the propagation of spatial error in GIS analysis. This option is geared toward those students who have some background in information systems or spatial analysis and wish to focus on these aspects of GIS as part of their graduate research.

Option 3: Literature Review

If you choose this option, you are expected to complete a literature review paper about a specific application of GIS. For example, one could focus on GIS in hydrology, archaeology, utilities, urban planning, and so on. There are obviously many topics available. This option is for graduate students who are beginning to investigate how they can use GIS in their research and would like to get a broad overview of how GIS is used in their field. The literature review paper should provide not only a description (including many references, of course) of how GIS is used in a given field, but should also provide a discussion or interpretation of the issues in using GIS in that field. For example, if you choose to focus on GIS and hydrology, you should address the challenges facing the use of GIS in hydrology – which techniques are successful, which are not, and why.

Presentation

The presentation should be approximately 10 minutes (depending on how many graduate students will be presenting), including time for questions. I suggest using Powerpoint or other presentation software. If you have a Powerpoint presentation, you must email me the .ppt file by 9:00 am the morning of the presentation so that I can load it onto the teaching station and have it available for you.

A Topic Proposal

You must turn in to me a one page proposal describing your proposed topic, justification (why study this topic), methods, and data (if appropriate). I will return the proposal to you with comments and may ask you to turn in a revised proposal.

Grade

The term paper is worth 20% of your total course grade. Of that 20%, the proposal is worth 10%, the presentation is worth 30%, and the paper is worth 60%.

DUE DATES

Tuesday, January 30: The proposal is due to me in class.

Tuesday, April 24: Presentation in class

Friday, April 27, 5 pm: Paper turned in to my mailbox or under my office door.