Week 2 — GIS Data Models¶

Presentation Slides¶

Tuesday — GIS Data Models & File Formats — Model = abstraction of reality; Data model vs. file format; Vector data models: point, polyline, polygon; Raster and TIN data models; Encoding a state boundary with numbers: Cartesian, polar, TIN, raster

Press F for fullscreen and P for presenter view with speaker notes.

In-Class Practice¶

Tuesday — Polygon data model activity: encode a state boundary using only numbers. Record your completion on Learning Suite. Activity guide

Hands-On Practice

First Map in QGIS

This session has its own step-by-step guide: what you need, an overview, the click-by-click QGIS walkthrough, what to hand in, and the snags that usually come up.

Open the Week 2 hands-on guide →

Self-check quizzes — not graded; open them on a phone or laptop as often as you like:

Model, Format, or Reality? — Telling a data model from reality and from the file format it is stored in, naming vector, raster, and TIN, and what each one costs.

Lab Assignment¶

Lab 1 — Getting Started with GIS

Due Saturday at 11:59 pm on Learning Suite.

Reading Quiz¶

This week's reading: GIS Fundamentals, Chapter 2 (Data Models).

Quiz 1 — Intro to GIS & Map Design Fundamentals on Learning Suite: open book. Due Saturday at 11:59 pm. See Reading Quizzes.

Note

If you see a discrepancy between Learning Suite and this page, please let us know so we can rectify it.

Version 2026.10.1 · Last updated October 15, 2026