FNRM 3131 (On-line) - GIS For Natural Resource Management

Resources

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Course schedule

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Course schedule

Week 1 - Jan 19, 2026 Introduction to GIS, Data Models

For Lecture:

Topics: Introduction, Data Models

Lecture Resources

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Supplementary Materials

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  • Read Chapters 1, 2

  • Take Reading Quiz

     

(Note: most of our videos are on YouTube. They work correctly on a computer but on a phone the links sometimes are not passed from the webpage to YouTube correctly. 

If you get a "girl playing guitar", copy the link from the website and paste it into your YouTube App on your phone to view the correct content)

 

For Lab:

Lab 1: Introduction to the software

Assignment

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Lab Videos

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See Course Mechanics and PDF links in upper left of this Webpage

 

Week 2 - Jan 26, 2026 Geodesy and Map Projections

For Lecture:

Lecture Topics: Geodesy and Map Projections

Lecture Resources:

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Supplementary Materials:

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  • Read Chapter 3

  • Take Reading Quiz

 

 

 

Videos: 

Intro, Horizontal Datums

Vertical Datums

Map projections

Lecture PDFs: 
Part 1
Part 2
 

Understanding Map Projections,
Minn. Projections,
NADCON,
HTDP,
MNCON, 
Spheroid , 
Interesting 3D Projections - Jason Davies  

Great Circle Calc
Arc Second
DMS to DM to DD
 

 

For Lab:

Lab 2: Coordinate Systems

Assignment

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Lab Videos

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  • Do Lab 2, Projections/Coordinate Systems

 Lab 2 Instructions

Summary Overheads for Lab exercise

Lab 2 Data

 -On the Fly Projection
-Coordinate Query and Labels
-Set the Map Window Projection
-Set Layout Scale
-Rename Map & Set Measure Units

 

Week 3 - Feb 2, 2026 Getting Data Into a GIS

For Lecture:

Topics: Digitizing, Data Entry, Topology

Lecture Resources:

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Supplementary Materials:

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  • Read Chapter 4

  • Take Reading Quiz

 

 

Videos: 
Data Entry, Image & Registration

Lecture PDFs:
Data Entry,  Layer Registration


 

Open Streetmap - crowdsourcing

 

 

 

 

 

For Lab:

Lab 3: Data Entry

Assignment

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Lab Videos

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  • Turn Lab by 11:55 p.m. Friday (see Canvas for Lab dates and submission details)

  • Start Lab 3, Data Entry, Basic Digitizing

 

 

Lab 3 Instructions

Summary Overheads for Lab exercise

Lab 3 Data

 

 

 Create Feature Classes
-Digitizing Points
-DigLines
-DigPolys & Autocomplete
-Merge Polys
-Split Polys

Week 4 - Feb 9, 2026 Data Topology, Global Positioning, and Data from Images

For Lecture:

Topics: GPS and Images

Lecture Resources

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Supplementary Materials

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  • Chap 5 & 6 up to pg. 273
  • Take Reading Quiz

  • Make sure to take On-Line Exam 1, Chapters 1-3
    Friday - Sunday

 

 

Videos:
GPS-GNSS, COGO, COGO worksheet
Images1 Images2
Images3

PDFS of Lecture slides:
GPS-GNSS
COGO, COGO worksheet 
Images

 

 

GPS by Trimble

A LiDAR Primer
Electro-Magnetic-Radiation
NASA video - useful
 

 

For Lab:

Lab 4: Digitizing, Topology

Assignment

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Lab 4 Videos

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  • Turn Lab by 11:55 p.m. Friday (see Canvas for Lab dates and submission details)

  • Start Lab 4, Digitizing with Topology

 

 

Lab 4 Instructions 
-watch Lab4 intro video 1st!

Summary Overheads for Lab exercise

Lab 4 Data

 

Lab 4 intro video

-AddAttribute 
-Clip digitize
-Create Topology
Hatch & Transparent Fills
-Validate Topology

Week 5 - Feb 16, 2026 Digital Data

For Lecture:

Topics: Images, Digital Data

Lecture Resources

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Supplementary Materials:

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  • Remaining Chap 6, & Chap 7

  • Take Reading Quiz

 

 

Videos:
Digital Data
 

Lecture PDF:
Digital Data

 

MnGeo - MN airphotos,
Borchert - Old MN airphotos,
Example Campus GeoPDF
Example of St Paul GeoPDF
Geospatial PDF's
GeoPDF Videos 1, 2, 3

 

For Lab:

Lab 6: Digital Data, and 5 (optional) GNSS

Assignment

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Supplementary Material:

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  • Turn Lab by 11:55 p.m. Friday (see Canvas for Lab dates and submission details)

  • Start Lab 6, more skills, table intro

  • Start Homework 1(due end of Week 9)

  • Do optional Lab 5, if interested

 Lab 6 Instructions

Summary Overheads for Lab exercise

Lab 6 Data

Homework 1

Lab 5 Data
Optional Lab 5, GPS instructions, Off Campus

Lab 6 discussion - tips video

-Lab 5 Waypoints, 
-Lab 5 Tracks, 
-Basic Tables
-Calculate Fields
-Manual Feature Select 
-Color Ramp & Basic Symbology
-Select by Location
-Field Delete
-Shaded Relief & More Symbology

Week 6 - Feb 23, 2026 Tables, Relational Databases

For Lecture:

Topics: Attribute Tables, Introduction

Resources

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Supplementary Materials

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 Chap 8 thru pg. 347

  • Take Reading Quiz

  • On-Line Exam 2, chaps. 4 - 6.
    (Friday - Sunday)

 

 

 

 

Video (this week and next):
Basic Tables
Joins
Normal Forms

Lecture PDF: 
Tables

 

Simple guide to Normal Forms

 

 

 

 

For Lab:

Lab 7: Tables

Assignment

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Lab Videos

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  • Turn Lab by 11:55 p.m. Friday (see Canvas for Lab dates and submission details)

  • Start Lab 7, Tables

  • Start Homework 2 (due end of Week 10)

Lab 7 Instructions,
Summary Overheads for Lab exercise,
Lab 7 Data

Homework 2 instructions,
Homework2.zip

 

Lab 7 discussion - tips video
Lab 7 common mistakes video

-Create New Table
-Join Tables
-Select by Attribute
-Table in Layouts

Week 7 - Mar 2, 2026 More Tables

For Lecture:

Topics: Attribute Tables, Introduction

Resources

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Supplementary Materials:

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  • Chap 8 pg. 348 to end
  • Take Reading Quiz

 

Video: 
Normal Forms Example: Order/inventory

Normal Forms: Worm Field Sampling

Lecture PDF's:
-Norm Forms Example
-More Norm. Forms,
-Foreign keys, ER diag.

 

 

Simple guide to Normal Forms

 

For Lab:

Lab 8: More Tables

Assignment

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Lab Videos

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  • Turn Lab by 11:55 p.m. Friday

  •  (see Canvas for Lab dates and submission details)

  • Start Lab 8

 

Lab 8 Instructions

Summary Overhead for Lab exercise

Lab 8 Data

 

Lab 8 discussion-tips video

-Calc Nums & text
-Convert Excel Table
-Select By Location
-Summarize
-Many To One Fix

Week 8 - Mar 9, 2026 Spring Break Week

Spring Break Week  -  No Quizzes or Assignments

Week 9 - Mar 16, 2026 Basic Spatial Analysis

For Lecture:

Topics: Intro to Spatial Analysis

Resources:

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Supplementary Materials:

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  • Chap 9

  • Take Reading Quiz

    Homework 1 due

     

     

     

 

 

Videos:
-Basic Analysis,
-Reclass/Dissolve,
-Buffer,
-Overlay,
-Set Algebra    

and

Lecture PDF on
Basic Analysis

 

 

 

ESRI Examples,

Windsite example

Blobs example

 

For Lab:

Lab 9: Basic Vector Analysis

Assignment

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Lab Videos

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  • Turn Lab by 11:55 p.m. Friday
     (see Canvas for Lab dates and submission details)

  • Start Lab 9

 

Lab 9 Instructions

Summary Overheads for Lab exercise

 

Lab 9 Data

-Lab 9 overview video


-Erase             
-Union 
-Area             
-Calculate Geometry
-Buffer         
-Summarizing for Total Area
-Multi2singlepart

Week 10 - Mar 23, 2026 Raster Analysis

For Lecture:

Topics: Raster Analysis

Resources:

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Supplementary Materials:

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  • Read Chapter 10

  • Take Reading Quiz

    Homework 2 due

    Take On-Line Exam 3
     covers Chapters 7 & 8
    (Friday - Sunday)

     

 

Videos:
-Basic Raster Analysis,
-Moving Windows,
-Tables, Cost Surfaces 

Lecture PDFs:
Raster 1
Raster 2 

 

 

 

None

 

 

For Lab:

Lab 10: Raster Analysis

Assignment

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Lab Videos

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  • Turn Lab by 11:55 p.m. Friday
     (see Canvas for Lab dates and submission details)

  • Start Lab 10
     

     

     

     

     

     

 

Lab 10 Instructions

Summary Overheads for Lab exercise

Lab 10 Data

 

Lab 10 overview video

-Resample
-Raster Calculator
-Reclass
-MapSize&Scale
-Distance
-Custom Ramp

Week 11 - Mar 30, 2026 Terrain Analysis

For Lecture:

Topics: Terrain Analysis

Resources:

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Supplementary Materials:

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  • Read Chapter 11

  • Take Reading Quiz

 

 

Videos:
-Slope/Aspect,
-Watersheds 

Lecture PDFs: (continued from Week 11)
Slope calculations

 

 

-Whitebox, 
-Manual watershed delineation 
-NRCS topos/sheds 
-Kernel slope calcs

 

 

For Lab:

Lab 11: Terrain Analysis

Assignment:

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Lab Videos:

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  • Turn Lab by 11:55 p.m. Friday
     (see Canvas for Lab dates and submission details)

  • Start Lab 11

  •  

 

Lab 11 Instructions

Summary Overheads for Lab exercise

Lab 11 Data

-Raster Transparency
-Viewshed & Line of Sight
-Profile
-FAC2Streams
-Watershed
 

Week 12 - April 6, 2026 Interpolation

For Lecture:

Topics: Interpolation

Resources:

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Supplementary Materials:

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  • Read Chapter 12

  • Take Reading Quiz

 

 

Videos:
Interpolation

Lecture PDF:
Interpolation

 

 

GeoDA  
Using GIS to Map an Individual Animal's Home Range

 

 

For Lab:

Lab 12: Interpolation

Assignment

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Lab Videos:

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  • Turn Lab by 11:55 p.m. Friday
     (see Canvas for Lab dates and submission details)

  • Start Lab 12

 

Lab 12 Instructions

Summary Overheads for Lab exercise

Lab 12 Data

Lab 12 overview video
Lab and ArcGIS Pro tips  (note use Desktop not L:\home as mentioned in this older tips video)
Lab 12 second Map tips

-AddGeomAttributes
-ExtractRasterToPoints
-Geo Stat Wiz
-InXY&Thiessen (note part at :10 minute point in video on Converting Excel sheet to ArcGIS Table)
-Random Sample
-ReclassHints
-RemoveRasterSpeckle
-StratifiedRandom
-SystematicSamples

Week 13 - April 13, 2026 Cartographic Modeling

For Lecture:

Topics: Interpolation

Resources:

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Supplementary Materials:

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  • Read Chapter 13

  • Take Reading Quiz

  • Take On-Line Exam 4, Chapters 9 - 11
    (Friday - Sunday)

 

 

Videos:
Cartographic Models 

Lecture PDFs:
Cartographic Models

 

 

Wind Site Example
Video
PDF

Placer Co. Example
Video
PDF

Stormwater Mitigation PDF

 

 

 

For Lab:

Lab 13: Cartographic ModelingAssignmentLab Videos

  • Turn Lab by 11:55 p.m. Friday
     (see Canvas for Lab dates and submission details)

  • Start Lab 13

 

Lab 13 Instructions

Summary Overheads for Lab exercise

Lab 13 Data

Refer to videos in previous labs as needed

Week 14- April 20, 2026 Spatio-temporal Modeling

For Lecture:

Topics: Spatiotemporal Models, Errors

Resources:

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Supplementary Materials:

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  • Read Chapter 14

  • Take Reading Quiz

 

 

 

Videos:
Modeling


PDF:
Spatio-temporal models

Data Quality

 

 

Video on Data Errors                                 

 

 

 

 

For Lab:

Lab 14: Cartographic Modeling

Assignment

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Lab Videos

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  • Turn Lab by 11:55 p.m. Friday
     (see Canvas for Lab dates and submission details)

  • Start Lab 14

 

Lab 14 Instructions

Summary Overheads for Lab exercise

Lab 14 Data

Lab 14 Tips video 

 Flowchart Video

Refer to videos in previous labs as needed

Week 15 - April 27, 2026 The Future (GIS)

Read Chapter 15 Future Directions (this content not included on Final Exam)

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Supplemental Slides       Supplemental Slides video

See/Contact Instructor if questions in preparation for the Final

Remember to take On-Line Final Exam (Chapters 2-14; two hours)
(Friday - Monday;  12/12/2025 through 12/15/2025)

Week 16 - May 4, 2026 Final Exam Week

Remember to take On-Line Final Exam (Chapters 2-14; two hours)
(Friday - Monday;  4/8/2026 through 4/11/2025)

Extra credit

Extra Credit #1: Optional Lab

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Extra Credit 2: Optional Homework

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Lab Instructions

Extra Credit Lab Data

Video on Adding directional arrows

Extra Credit Homework Instructions                             

Extra Credit Homework Data