Lab 4 - Introducing ArcGIS

 

In this lab, our main objective is to learn how to use the ArcGIS. ArcGIS is a complete system for designing and managing solutions through the application of geographic knowledge. Once we have acquired the skill to master this system, it would be very helpful for us to understand and analyze geographic information in a much more effective way, comepare to the traditional methods prior to the inventions of softwares like ArcGIS.

My experience with this lap is a little mixed feelings. Overall, I find the tutorial very helpful. It gives out detailed explainations and even screen shots for instructions. The visualization part of the tutorial saves me a lot of time, and preventing any rooms for confusion. However, since the version of the ArcGIS is actually the updated one, it does not strictly follow the tutorial. Or, in a better wording, the tutorial is a little outdated. This creates a lot of frustration for me personally, because I feel like when I am totally "enjoying" the lab and following the instructions like in a easter egg hunt, I was forced to stop due to the human error, such as a clue is missing. Luckily, the forum was really helpful, where students and TAs have all been posting answers to the questions, helping everyone to finish the project. Lastly, I love this week's lab assignment very much, because it helps me to give a real life example on how the ArcGIS has been used, how it has been used, and how effectively it helps people at work.

In this lab, we have walked through a possible city proposal of expanding an airport, using GIS. This allows us to study the possible noise pollution, the affected population density, the required land use, and the proximity to schools. This is essentially a detailed research project. However, instead of the traditional way - which is done everything in paper, GIS allows us to present the paper in the computerized method, bringing the instant visualization of effects while we are constructing the report. It allows us to provide much more extensive information, such as the needed zoom on areas, the road names, and each variables.

GIS is integrating into our daily lives so quickly that it is hard for us to recognize that we have ever lived without it. GIS has various purposes, and could be used into various fields, such as transportation, population, wildlife population, deforestation, architectural planning, and much more. This great versatility, which is one huge advantage or potential. People not only can study current phenomenons with GIS, but also can study and predict the future effects of the same phenomenons. One familar example for a lot of people in showing the potential of GIS is the reports on global warming. You often see the global map with various intensity of color, typically green in hundreds of years ago, indicating the gloabl temperature then at various continents on the globe. Then, there would be a scroll bar on the bottom of the presentation where you can visually "travel through time", showing how the global temperature has been rising over the years. Not only presentations done with GIS saves the general population from the boredom of reading or listening to the typical research reports, they attract audiences' attention, with easy and colorful graphics. Besides, researchers can convey more effectively regarding their research results with the general population, who may not have an extensive knowledge background to understand such concepts instantaneously.

Even though GIS is so critical in our daily lives now, it still has its own pitfalls. One obvious pitfall is that even though GIS allows us to explore the world and study many possible effects in various academic fields, we must rely on one assumption that the data we gathered in the process, are precisely done with accurate information. If the data provided in the study is biased, then the GIS would only go ahead and work on the false information, since it does not have the ability to detect such errors. Also, as a beginner who is just learning how to use related GIS software, the other pitfall is that the software are not as easily accessible, (exclude similar ones like Web 2.0, google map etc.), thus not easily learned on how to use. It is understandable that GIS is such an engaging field with updates everyday. If information on how to use such tools at this stage are not neatly organized, it will create tremendous difficulties for people to use it correctly, or even, lose its appealing to people. One clear example is that while we have tutorials to guide us through the exercises, the version of the tutorial was not updated on time, thus there is are difficulties for new learners to master such program.

Overall however, GIS is still helpful at our everyday lives now, as it is more easily accessible to the public, and the easing restriction of the high officials in the government. The guaranteed access of such a mass information might be alarming to those who fear about the national security, but the overall benefit to the entire population is tremendous. While technology is continuing on its advancement, I am sure GIS would be developed much more sophisticated ways, continuing on building greater potentials, and gradually eliminating pitfalls that we currently have now.