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By the mid-1990s, interest was growing in geographic information science as a discipline based on fundamental geographic concepts that could engage student learning from early childhood to a life-time interest in the infrastructural and intellectual developments required for advances in the modeling of complex environmental and social processes. Seeking to accommodate this need, NCGIA adopted a new approach for a revised core curriculum. It was organized around four major themes:

(1) “Fundamental Geographic Concepts for GIS"—enumerating the concepts and describing their role in human cognition;

(2)"Implementing Geographic Concepts in GIS"—discussing the implementation and handling of geographic concepts in digital computers;

(3) "Geographic Information Technology in Society"—examining the management of these technologies, their implications for society, and the social context in which they are used; and

(4) "Application Areas and Case Studies"—critically examining how GIS is used in various applications.

Each of these four groupings consisted of self-contained teaching units based on a one-hour lecture format of approximately 7 pages of point-form text, with inline sketches and graphics. By placing the materials on-line, the potential existed for instructors or subsidiary project teams to develop supporting structures (e.g., hypertext) to organize the lecture notes and other on-line materials into interactive tutorial systems.

Cover page of Introduction to the Core Curriculum in GIScience

Introduction to the Core Curriculum in GIScience

(2015)

This introduction provides context to the Core Curriculum in GIScience, including its design philosophy, organization of core concepts, editorial procedure, a development timetable, list of original developers and editorial notes. Note that hyperlinks are active only from the downloaded PDF document.

Cover page of Outline of the Core Curriculum in GIScience

Outline of the Core Curriculum in GIScience

(2015)

This outline gives an overview of the units that comprise the Core Curriculum in GIScience, along with hyperlinks to each. Note that hyperlinks are active only from the downloaded PDF document. 

Cover page of Unit 037 - Fundamentals of Data Storage

Unit 037 - Fundamentals of Data Storage

(2000)

This unit introduces the concepts and terms needed to understand storage of GIS data in a computer system, including the weaknesses of a discrete data model for representing the real world; an overview of data storage types and terminology; and a description of data storage issues.

Cover page of Units 090-091 - Natural Resources Data

Units 090-091 - Natural Resources Data

(2000)

These units provides a general overview of natural resources data, including types of data; typical applications; and common problems and limitations. Soil data are discussed in greater detail, including soil classification and mapping; types and contents of soil surveys; and the structure of soil data in GIS applications.

Cover page of Unit 057 - Quadtrees and Scan Orders

Unit 057 - Quadtrees and Scan Orders

(2000)

This unit covers topics including raster scan orders (Bostrophedon, Morton, Pi-order); an introduction to quadtrees and how they are constructed; applications of quadtrees; and quadtree addressing.

Cover page of Unit 148 - World Wide Web Basics

Unit 148 - World Wide Web Basics

(2000)

This unit explains the characteristics and the working principles of the World Wide Web as the most important protocol of the Internet. Topics covered in this unit include characteristics of the World Wide Web; using the World Wide Web for the dissemination of information on the Internet; and using the World Wide Web for the retrieval of information from the Internet.

Cover page of Unit 127 - Spatial Decision Support Systems

Unit 127 - Spatial Decision Support Systems

(2000)

This unit focuses on the concept of Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS). It covers the major characteristics of spatial decision problems; the decision-making process; a definition of SDSS; principles of SDSS; the dialog, data, model (DDM) paradigm; and technologies for developing SDSS.

Cover page of Units 158-160 - Teaching Geographical Information Systems

Units 158-160 - Teaching Geographical Information Systems

(2000)

This section is not typical of the other sections of the curriculum in that it is primarily directed at instructors intending to use the Core Curriculum as a resource in their own curriculum design, rather than as materials to teach with.  However, the materials might be used directly by instructors teaching the methodology of geographical education as part of an education elective within higher education. This section includes two units: Curriculum design for GIS (Unit 159) and Teaching and learning GIS in laboratories (Unit 160).

Cover page of Units 005-007 - The World in Spatial Terms

Units 005-007 - The World in Spatial Terms

(2000)

This unit has two primary segments: Unit 006 - Human Cognition of the Spatial World and Unit 007 - Asking Geographic Questions. The first section sets the scene by differentiationg between objects and processes and by  using fundamental understanding of the spatial world to provide a necessary knowledge  base for GIS. The second section builds on the knowledge base to demonstrate how specific  knowledge about objects and spatial relations among them can be unpacked by the  mechanism of asking geographic questions.

Cover page of Unit 130 - Process Modeling and Simulations

Unit 130 - Process Modeling and Simulations

(2000)

This unit covers the definition of process modeling and simulations; types of processes relevant to GIS; approaches to process modeling and simulations; calibration, error propagation and sensitivity analysis; integration of process models and GIS; and application examples.

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