Field Practicum 1: Projects

 

                             URL:    http://www.angelfire.com/mo/yagoub

  URL:      http://faculty.uaeu.ac.ae/~myagoub

 

General guidelines for the projects

 

In order to address any project a series of steps must be followed. These steps are:

·        Identifying the problem (user needs and requirements).

·        Setting the objectives (criteria).

·        Preparing data to satisfy the criteria (sampling, spatial, attribute).

·        Performing analysis (statistical, spatial).

·        Producing results (models, maps, tabular reports, and charts).

·        Evaluating and interpreting the results.

·        Discuss how GIS helps the user to address his problem.

 

 

A team of 2 to 4 students is required to execute one of the following projects before the end of the semester. The projects are classified broadly into environment, Facilities Management (FM), transportation, integration of GIS and remote sensing, and technology. However, students who have interest in projects that are not listed below can also submit their proposals.

 

Environment

 

1. GIS for environment (large scale applications, meteorology, pollution).

2. GIS for population studies (density, clustering of locals and expatriates and    why, distribution of facilities-water, electricity, schools, hospitals, income,            cars).

3. GIS for desalination plants in the UAE (why desalination, history, location of  plants, pipes, water, electricity, capacity, topography).

4. GIS database for agricultural farms in Al Ain (name, legal area, type of crop).

 

Facilities Management (FM)

 

1. GIS for petrol stations (ADNOC) (name, capacity,  company, personnel, service     area).

2. GIS for schools (name, number of students and staff, type).

3. GIS for mosques (name, capacity, facilities, personnel).

4. GIS for telecommunication (Etisalat) (telephones, switches, network).

5. GIS for health facilities (hospitals, clinics, number of beds, specialists, services available, disease spread, etc.)  see: http://www.terraseer.com/CaseStudies/LongIsland/default.html.

6. GIS for tourism (detailed maps accompanied with photos for parks e.g. Hili,     Zoo, Ain Al Fayda, the Oases).

 

 

              

 

Transportation

 

1. GIS for transportation (fleet management, road - name, width, length, direction, type, mapping accidents, traffic volume, radar cameras, optimum routes).

2. GIS for UAE University's students (road flow map, best routes, distribution).

3. GIS for UAE University's staff (residence, thematic maps, travel maps).

 

Integration of GIS and remote sensing

 

1. Integration of GIS and remote sensing for urban change detection (temporal     imagery and aerial photographs, image classifications, land use maps, rate of change- e.g. UAE University and Al Ain between 1980 and 2000).

2. Application of remote sensing and GIS for petroleum (exploration, detection,   management, wells, pipes, routes).

3. Integration of GIS and remote sensing for desertification creep detection.

4. Integration of GIS and remote sensing for coastal management (mapping, oil    pollution, oil slick detection).

 

Technology

 

1. Customization of GIS software (developing a user interface for no-GIS users,   using AVENUE, Visual Basic, or C++).

2. Multi-media GIS (integration of text, table, image, sound, and video). For example, (Al Ain to Abu Dhabi and to Dubai roads) (history of these roads, their

significance, villages, facilities along roads- petrol stations, clinics, hotels,

cafeterias, toilets, etc.).

3. Web-based GIS (design a site that provides map services, types of services,      FrontPage, HTML, JAVA).

4. Mobile-GIS (using handheld computers with built-in GPS receiver to update          maps).

 

 

Examples of GIS projects summary

1. Landmark and Historical Sites in Al Ain

 “A country without a past has neither a present nor a future”

His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan

 

The objective of this project is to identify landmarks and historical sites in Al Ain, for example, academic, hotels, airport, and forts. Students will be directed to use both primary and secondary methods of data collection. Data include location, name, history, photo, multimedia, and description of landmarks and historical sites in Al Ain. Students can apply what they have learned about photography in a real project and expose to the new technology of documentation (digital photography, video clips, animated records). Students have to carry out spatial analysis on landmarks and historical sites (spatial autocorrelation with oases, valleys, routes, etc.).

 

Data Required: Location of landmarks, roads, land use, description, and photos.

Source of data: Literature, Al Ain Town planning Department, and AL Ain Museum. 

Output: Multimedia system, tables, reports, and maps.

 

 

2. The Status of Maternal and Child Health in Al Ain

 

The Maternal and child population in Al Ain is diverse and geographically unique. Providing nursing services to this population requires analysing the geographic distribution of services and their demographic characteristics. Birth-records geogoded to administrative districts provide away to assess the target population. The end product from the project may help public health nurses and administration to assure appropriate service delivery at the neighborhood level.

Data Required: Childbirth records, infant death, mothers’ age, and maps.

Source of data: Literature, hospitals (government, private), annual statistical reports.

Output: Tables, reports, and maps.

 

Reference:

ESRI MAP Book,1999. Implementing Concepts of Geography. ESRI Printing Press, CA, USA, Vol 14. p.56-57.

See: NCGIA Core Curriculum in Geographic Information Science URL: "http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/giscc/units/u133/u133_f.html"

 

Example of GIS project organization

Project Title: GIS  database for the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU)

Name of students and their IDs

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