GISC6301: Geo-spatial Data Analysis Fundamental 1

Course GISC6301: Geo-Spatial Data Analysis Fundamentals

ProfessorMichael Tiefelsdorf
Term Fall Semester 2010
Lectures Monday & Wednesday, 7:00-8:25 pm in GR3.602
Lab Wednesday, 8:35-9:45 pm in GR3.602

Contact Information
Office Phone (972) 883-4954
Office LocationGR3.120
Email Address tiefelsdorf@utdallas.edu (please use eLearning for email communications
in this course)
Office Hours After class, by appointment or when office door is open
Other Information Please check the eLearning site for this course on a regular basis for
lecture notes, announcements etc.

Teaching Assistant Harini Sridharan,

Office Location GR3.414
Email Address hxs065100@utdallas.edu
Office Hours Tuesdays 2:00-4:00 pm

General Course Information

Pre-requisites, Co- A prior undergraduate course in basic statistical analysis is highly
requisites, & other recommended (e.g., SOCS 3405)
restrictions Ability to operate a personal computer, data handling skills, ability to use
the University Library, eLearning and internet resources is required.
Course Description This service course lays the methodological foundation for several
technical and analytical courses in the Geo-spatial Information Sciences
program. It provides an introduction into the special nature of spatial data
that describe our underlying spatial objects. Spatial observations combine
locational with attribute information and are therefore multidimensional.
Furthermore, inherent in spatial observations is some degree uncertainty.
However, exogenous relationships among spatial objects usually constrain
observed uncertainties.
 This course provides on a technical level a basic introduction into
spatial data handling and analysis operations and the design of
numerical algorithms. Scripts in the open source statistical
programming language of the R-project are used to illustrate these
operations.
 This course introduces on a methodological level statistical concepts
[a] to measure the inherent uncertainty within spatial data, [b] to
address spatial research questions from a statistical perspective and [c]
to model simple spatial processes. The spectrum of analytical methods
covers descriptive statistics, data visualization and exploratory
methods, variability and study designs, probability and sampling
theory, statistical inference and decision making, as well as correlation
and regression analysis for geo-referenced data. Spatial autocorrelation
analysis is used to illustrate the constrained disposition of spatial
uncertainties.
GISC6301: Geo-spatial Data Analysis Fundamental 2

Underlying statistical concepts are emphasized, which allows deriving

analysis instruments to answer specific research questions. Examples with
spatial data illustrate the application of these instruments. The focus on
concepts provides a framework of finding appropriate analysis
instruments for emerging research questions.
Learning Outcomes Upon completing this class, students will:
 Handle data manipulation and exploration tasks within the R-
environment through scripted code;
 Understand the nature of spatial data and its implications for
statistical data analyses;
 Perform spatial data collections and statistical analyses to answer
spatial research questions;
 Select appropriate statistical tools specific research questions;
 Be able to follow the arguments in research articles and prepare for
more advanced courses in spatial data analysis.

Required Texts & Burt, James E., Gerald M. Barbar, and David L. Rigby (2009).
Materials Elementary Statistics for Geographers. 3nd edition. New York: The
Guilford Press. ISBN 978-1-57230-484-0

Supplemental Texts, Norušis, Marija J. 2008. SPSS 16.0 Guide to Data Analysis. Upper Saddle
Readings & River: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-606136-2 or earlier editions
Materials (A benign introduction to data analysis on a conceptional level and
subsequent interpretation of results)
One of several online textbooks to learn R is MaindonaldUsingR.pdf. It
and other material can be found on the eLearning website.
Additional reading material will be made available as required on the
eLearning website.
Software The free open source R-environment for Windows and Apple computers,
which is implemented in either 32- or 64-bit versions, can be found at
www.R-project.org .
Alternatively, a currently free academic version of REvolution Analytics R
Enterprise, which makes use of more than one core on multiple-cores
processor and supports large data objects for 64-bit operation systems,
can be downloaded at http://info.revolutionanalytics.com/free-
academic.html.

Assignments & Academic Calendar

[Topics, Reading Assignments, Due Dates, Exam Dates]
Date Topic Reading Lab Handout
Burt, Barber Dates (due dates
and Rigby are the
following week)
Aug. 23 INTRODUCTION / Installing R Handout
Aug. 25 Exercise: Getting started with R Handout
Aug. 30 EMPIRICAL RESEARCH, RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND
GISC6301: Geo-spatial Data Analysis Fundamental 3

STUDY DESIGNS
READ: DISEASEATLASHAGGETTCHAP01. PDF AND
AMJOURPUBLICHEALTH1998.PDF
Sep. 01 STATISTICS AND SPATIAL DATA BBR01 Lab01: Working
Exercise: Mathematical typesetting with R. Equation
Editor.
Sep. 06 LABOR DAY
Sep. 08 DISPLAYING AND INTERPRETING DATA BBR02
Exercise: Basic graphs and maps
Sep. 13 DESCRIBING DATA WITH STATISTICS I BBR03
Sep. 15 DESCRIBING DATA WITH STATISTICS II
Exercise: Descriptive statistics
Sep. 20 STATISTICAL RELATIONSHIPS I BBR04
Sep. 22 STATISTICAL RELATIONSHIPS II Lab02:
Exercise: Scatterplots and contingency tables Descriptive
univariate and
bivariate
Statistics
Sep. 27 CLUSTER ANALYSIS I Handout
Sep. 29 CLUSTER ANALYSIS II
Exercise: Cluster Analysis
Oct. 04 RANDOM VARIABLES AND PROBABILITY BBR05 Lab03: Cluster
DISTRIBUTIONS I Analysis
Oct. 06 RANDOM VARIABLES AND PROBABILITY
DISTRIBUTIONS II
Exercise: Working with probabilities and distributions
Oct. 11 REVIEW
Exercise: Spatial uncertainty and basic programming
Oct. 13 Exam I (Descriptive Statistics)
Oct. 18 SAMPLING I BBR06
Oct. 20 SAMPLING II
Exercise: Data manipulations
Oct. 25 POINT AND INTERVAL ESTIMATION I BBR07
Oct. 27 POINT AND INTERVAL ESTIMATION II Lab04:
Exercise: Estimation and sampling distributions Sampling and
Estimation
Nov. 01 SELECTED PARAMETRIC STATISTICAL INFERENCE I BBR08
Nov. 03 SELECTED PARAMETRIC STATISTICAL INFERENCE II BBR09
Exercise: Statistical tests and their power
Nov. 08 SELECTED NONPARAMETRIC METHODS I BBR10
Nov. 10 SELECTED NONPARAMETRIC METHODS II Lab05:
Exercise: Nonparametric Methods Statistical Tests
Nov. 15 BIVARIATE REGRESSION ANALYSIS BBR12
Nov. 17 INFERENTIAL ASPECTS OF REGERSSION ANALYSIS
Exercise: Bivariate regression analysis
GISC6301: Geo-spatial Data Analysis Fundamental 4

Nov. 22 EXTENDING REGRESSION ANALYSIS I BBR13

Nov. 24 EXTENDING REGRESSION ANALYSIS II
Exercise: Multivariate Regression Analysis
Nov. 29 REVIEW / INTRODUCE TAKE-HOME EXAM Take-Home
Exam
(due Dec. 13)
Dec. 01 EXAM II (INFERENTIAL STATISTICS)
Dec. 06 SPATIAL RESIDUAL ANALYSIS BBR14
(3 hours) Exercise: Spatial Autocorrelation Analysis

Course Policies
Grading (credit) Policies:
Criteria  Labs, quizzes, exams and the take-home exam need to be solved
individually.
 Exams I and II are open notes including the BBR text book. Some
software issues may be included. Please bring a pocket calculator.
 You will select in the take-home exam a theme from a given set themes
and investigate this theme with a provided data set and regression
analysis techniques.
 Participation is highly encourages but not graded. Engagement with the
course material will lead to participation and indirectly to an increased
comprehension of the course material.
Requirements Percent
Open Book Exam I (BBR01 to BBR04 and Cluster 15 %
Analysis)
Exam Book Exam II (BBR05 to BBR12, excluding 25 %
BBR11)
Take-Home Exam (BBR12 to BBR14) 20 %
5 Labs @ 4 % (weakest lab will be upgraded to 4 %) 20 %
10 closed book multiple choice pop-quizzes (2% each). 20 %
Based on weekly reading of chapters in BBR (the two
weakest quizzes will be upgraded to 2 % each)
Late Work Work that is late by one day will lead to a deduction of 10% of its grade.
Work that is late by two days will lead to a deduction of 20 % of its grade.
Later work will not be accepted unless special circumstances can be claimed.
Preferably contact the instructor before the deadline if you think that you may
need to hand your assignment in late.

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.