Instructor: Bo Zhao | zhaobo@uw.edu | Office Hour: Thursdays 1:00 to 4:00 PM by appointment
Web-based Geographic Information Systems (Web GIS) combine web, mobile technology, and GIS. It's a growing field in academia and industry, expanding GIS capabilities from local servers to the cloud. This makes online maps and geospatial data more accessible to fields like geography, transportation, and oceanography. The integration of web and GIS has led to advancements like smart cities, location-based services, and pandemic dashboards. This course teaches students to manage web GIS projects, use the latest geospatial cloud technologies, and provides real-world case studies.
This summer course will explore using ChatGPT to assist in Web GIS development. ChatGPT can simplify development, enhance productivity, and reduce the learning curve with its natural language interface. It helps with error analysis, data analysis, and producing GeoJson data for story maps, making web GIS applications more engaging. ChatGPT's user recommendations can personalize and improve the user experience.
All Web GIS applications in the course can be used on both Windows and Mac OSX, with all required software being open-source or free. The course includes lectures and lab exercises. Lectures cover Web GIS theories like web architecture, front-end coding, responsive design, and web-based spatial analyses. Labs provide hands-on practice in web programming and web GIS development.
This web page is the syllabus. The schedule might change during the quarter, so check it frequently. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the instructor._
- Understand the basics of web architecture, GIS project management, geospatial data clients, servers, and web-based spatial analysis.
- Learn to build web-based GIS applications using open-source or proprietary frameworks.
- Gain hands-on experience in web server management, coding with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and using geospatial cloud technologies like MapBox and OpenStreetMap.
- Evaluate the user experience and social implications of real-world web GIS applications, including issues like geo-privacy and data authenticity.
- Use ChatGPT to assist in the design and development of WebGIS applications.
To get started, you need to Gear up the working environment. Over this quarter, you are expected to read all the assigned reading materials by the end of the Wednesday of each week and complete the lab assignment and quiz by the due day.
This week introduces you to the fundamentals of Web GIS. To test how well you are familiar with the reading materials and the handouts, you are required to complete the Quiz all by yourself before the due day. Over this quarter, you will frequently use GitHub for synchronizing course material and managing Web GIS project. So, in Lab 1, you will learn to manage a web-based project using GitHub.
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Quiz 1: Web Basics
Due by the Thursday, June 20, 23:59 pm PST) -
Lab 1: Project management using GitHub
Due by Sunday, June 23, 23:59 pm PST) -
Thinkpiece 1: Compare ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot
Due by Monday, June 24, 23:59 pm PST) -
Readings: To help you grasp the gist of the reading material, you can refer to the study questions 1 and study questions 2.
- Intro to Web GIS.
- Technical basics of Web GIS.
- Getting started with the web. This document introduces you to the practicalities of web development.
- The web, web standards and web mechanics.
- Git Handbook
Optional. Git is an example of a distributed version control system (DVCS) commonly used for open source and commercial software development. With Git, Developers can work anywhere and collaborate asynchronously from any time zone. - Mastering Markdown
Optional. Markdown is a lightweight and easy-to-use syntax for styling all forms of writing on the GitHub platform. You control the display of the document; formatting words as bold or italic, adding images, and creating lists are just a few of the things we can do with Markdown.
This week will introduce you to Front-end coding. You will learn the basics of HTML, CSS and Javascript. HTML is the fundamental technology used to define the structure of a webpage, CSS is used to style the web page, and JavaScript takes the charge of the behaviors of the Web. For web applications, geographical data are stored in the JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format, or namely GeoJSON. This week will aos introduce you to GeoJSON. Similar to the previous week, we offer a quiz on Front-end coding, and a new lab on how to do responsive design.
- Handouts: Part 1 and Part 2.
- Quiz 2: Front-end Coding
Due by Thursday June 27, 23:59 pm PST. - Lab 2 : Responsive web page design
Due by Sunday June 30, 23:59 pm PST) - Thinkpiece 2: Responsive Design with ChatGPT
Due by Monday July 1, 23:59 pm PST) - Readings: To help you grasp the gist of the reading material, you can refer to the study questions 1 and study questions 2.
- HTML basics (The section on "Debugging HTML" and the two following assessments are not required) and Work with Multimedia. (The section on the assessment is not required).
- CSS basics, selectors and layout.
- JavaScript basics and building blocks.
- Working with JSON.
- Introduction to GeoJSON.
In this week, we will learn the server side of Web GIS. First, we will study geospatial web servers. A geospatial web server plays a significant role in maintaining web based geospatial application. It stays in the cloud and provides multiple services relevant to geospatial data, such as geospatial data indexing, data format conversation, reprojection, and even spatial analyses. In this week, two geospatial web servers are introduced, including Mapbox (Proprietary) and GeoServer (Open Source). In addition, we will introduce how to make basic thematic maps on the web, also practice how to load geospatial data on the web asynchronously.The web based interactive map is built upon MapBox, which is a popular map library. It not only contains fundamental map related functions, but also offers a lot of cool map features for your use and further explore.
- Lab 3: Asynchronous GeoJSON data loading and visualization
Due by Sunday, July 7, 23:59 pm PST - Thinkpiece 3: Generating GeoJSON Data with ChatGPT
Due by Monday, July 8, 23:59 pm PST - Readings: To help you grasp the gist of the reading material, you can refer to the study questions 1 and study questions 2.
- Web map service from GeoServer.
- Publish geospatial data on GeoServer.
- Instructions for GeoServer Installation on Windows and Mac If you are using Windows, please download the MSI file for the stable version of GeoServer and proceed with the installation. For Mac users, download the Platform Independent Binary version instead. Regardless of your operating system, it's essential to install Eclipse Adoptium's OpenJDK beforehand to ensure a successful GeoServer installation. Please ensure you download version 11 of OpenJDK, as the latest version (version 2*) is not compatible. Mac users can follow this tutorial for detailed instructions on installing GeoServer, as well as starting and shutting it down.
- Making asynchronous programming easier with async and await More recent additions to the JavaScript language are async functions and the await keyword, added in ECMAScript 2017. These features basically act as syntactic sugar on top of promises, making asynchronous code easier to write and to read afterwards. They make async code look more like old-school synchronous code, so they're well worth learning. This article gives you what you need to know.
- Making thematic map on the web.
- Add interactive makers to web maps.
In this week, we will introduce you to a series of GIS analysis, including geographical measurement, nearest neighbor analysis, buffer, and isochrone analysis. These analysis are widely used in GIScience and GIS applications. In addition, we will introduce you to the concept of web mapping application programming interface (API). A web mapping API is a set of programming instructions and standards for accessing web based geospatial data and services. It is a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software and applications. In this week, you will learn how to use the Mapbox API and Turf.js to perform GIS analysis on the web.
- Lab 4: Interactive web mapping
Due by Sunday, July 14, 23:59 pm PST - Thinkpiece 4: Spatial Analysis with ChatGPT
Due by Monday, July 15, 23:59 pm PST - Readings: Please walk through the tutorials below.
GitHub: This course material will be hosted on GitHub instead of UW Canvas. On this dedicated GitHub repository, you can find most of the course material, participate in group discussions by submitting GitHub issues, and create new GitHub repositories to turn in the lab deliverables. By the end of this quarter, you will be more proficient in operating a cloud-based coding environment and able to host your work online as a way to gain public and peer attentions.
Participation: You should participate in the ad-hoc discussion items and complete all assigned readings and get familiar with the lab instructions before class meetings.
Quizzes: There will be two quizzes in this quarter. Each quiz is designed to test your comprehension of new material. Questions may include multiple choice questions, matching questions, fill-in-the-blank questions, and short answer questions. Before you answer the questions, please read the following instructions carefully:
- Please do not use ChatGPT or any other AI tools to answer the questions.
- You’ll have unlimited time.
- You are welcome to use your notes, course material, and online resources, but you are asked to work alone (not in consultation with your classmates).
- You will be given only one attempt at each quiz.
- After completing the quiz, the first time, you'll see which questions you got right and wrong and get feedback on your answer selections.
Lab Assignments: You need to finish all four labs by the due date. You are encouraged to work on the lab assignments in groups, However, each student should submit their own work. In addition, you are encouraged to use ChatGPT to code or debug your program, but please do not use ChatGPT to create textual content that is required in your Lab Assignments. If you have any questions about the lab further, please refer to the troubleshooting section below.
Thinkpieces: Your weekly thinkpiece should be at least 350 words and share it on the Canvas discussion board. Your thinkpiece should delve into your utilization of AI tools such as ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, or any other relevant tools in completing the lab assignment.
- While you are encouraged to use ChatGPT for coding or debugging your program, do not use ChatGPT or any other AI writing-assistant tools to draft your thinkpiece. This piece should be completed by yourself.
- Once you have posted your thinkpiece, engage with your classmates' contributions by commenting on or liking at least two of their thinkpieces. To grade your work, I will divide the students into three groups based on the number of likes and comments they receive by the end of the following week. For instance, the thinkpiece submitted in the first week will be evaluated at the conclusion of the second week. Self-generated likes and comments will not be considered in the assessment.
- Students who receive the highest number of likes and comments will be awarded 7 points, while those who secure the second-highest number will earn 6 points. The remaining students who submitted a thinkpiece will receive 5 points.
| Grading Items | % |
|---|---|
| Participation | 2% |
| Lab Assignments | 40% |
| Quizzes | 30% |
| ChatGPT Experience Sharing | 28% |
For course-related issues, please first check the syllabus. If you still have questions, email me directly.
If your issue is related to coding and debugging, please follow these steps before reaching out:
- Ensure you have carefully read the course requirements.
- Verify that your code follows basic syntax and rules.
- Use the inspector or your development environment to check for system errors or warnings.
- Search for solutions on Google or other search engines. If you find any, try implementing them.
- If the issue persists, use ChatGPT to seek a solution.
- If you have tried all the above steps and still cannot resolve the problem, email me. In your email, describe the issue and include:
- The source code or a link to your GitHub repo.
- System errors or warnings from step 3.
- Links to solutions you found through Google (step 4).
- Screenshots of ChatGPT's responses (step 5).
- A subject line summarizing your email (e.g., "Question regarding Web Map Stylesheet of Lab 4").
Our very highest priorities include creating a brave and supportive class environment where each of us contributes, we can ask big questions, we give and receive critiques in a supportive way, we notice and engage the ways that we are differently situated within past and present relationship of power, privilege and oppression. I invite you to think hard about how race, gender identity, religion, age, citizenship status, first language, ability, sexuality, class, and other axes are at work in our interactions, and what this might mean in terms of when to speak up, when to step back, how to listen, and much more. Each of you is a welcome and invaluable part of our collective whole.
We welcome the opportunity to work with any students with disabilities in this class to ensure equal access to the course. If you have a letter from Disability Resources for Students (DRS) outlining your academic accommodations, please present the letter to me (or email us, to confirm, if the letter is electronic) as soon as possible so that we can discuss the accommodations you may need for this class. Any discussions between student and professor need to occur as early as possible in order for adequate arrangements to be made. If you do not yet have a letter from DRS, but would like to request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact DRS here (Links to an external site.), or in-person at 011 Mary Gates Hall, or at 206-543-8924 (Voice & Relay), mailto:uwdrs@uw.edu.
Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.
It is important that you take care of yourselves inside and outside of class as you work through stress and other obstacles. There are many different support services on campus that can help, such as the Counseling Center, Hall Health, and the IMA. UW’s Student Care program can help you connect to these and other resources. Learn more an contact them directly: http://depts.washington.edu/livewell/student-care/, livewell@uw.edu, or 206.543.6085. If you are concerned about yourself or a friend who is struggling SafeCampus is a helpful resource. Please add 206.685.7233 to your phones
This course advocates for the open culture. The course materials are open source for both students and open source community to access. This course also builds on the work of Bo Zhao, Xiaoqi "Steven" Bao, Liz Peng, among many others, who have designed and taught or TA-ed previous iterations of this course.
Notably, students are not allow to videotape or audio-tape (record) this class in any form, and sharing recordings outside of class without the written consent of each student in the class is not permitted by FERPA. However, I will try to record most of the classes via Zoom and share them via Canvas. Even so, I still encourage each of you attend the lectures instead of watching the recorded videos afterwards. Your in-class participation is a key factor to yield the best learning outcome. The instructor determines if their class can and cannot be recorded. This decision should be clearly communicated by the instructor at the beginning and throughout the quarter. In Zoom, the recording feature can be controlled by the instructor, as the meeting host.