Hi Thomas!
I like Dan's question - I talked with Tomlinson many times over the years and miss him. I show his Data for Decisions videos (now on YouTube in 3 parts) frequently to GIS students to foster some really excellent discussions (what is different about GIS now than in 1967? What is the same or similar?).
1. I would say in answer to your challenging question above that a datum is a set of reference points associated with a model that describes the shape and size of the Earth. It could be horizontal, vertical, or include elements of both. A GCS is just a way of casting coordinates on the Earth that allows for the data to be drawn in a GIS, but it is not modeled upon the true Earth shape, and therefore should be used with care.
2. I would say that some of my favorite T/F questions have focused on coordinates (35 deg 15' 27.4" is an example of Decimal Degree format: T/F?), the core of GIS (the table that you can open in a GIS is an example of the "G" part of GIS: T/F?), data in a GIS (a grid of land cover values in which every cell has a value containing a land cover type is an example of raster data in a GIS: T/F?), or definitions (location privacy refers to whether your GIS layer is on your computer vs. in the cloud: T/F?).
3. Below is Quiz #1 from my public domain GIS course, FYI.
- Define the term “public domain spatial data.”
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Question 20.4 pts
- What is the difference between data and information?
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Question 30.4 pts
- What is copyright, and what does it have to do with public domain spatial data?
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Question 40.4 pts
- Name 3 means by which you could be examining spatial data within a GIS environment by this time tomorrow.
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Question 50.4 pts
- Name 2 examples of X-Y public domain spatial data, and describe how these examples can be imported into ArcGIS Pro, Online, or ArcGIS Desktop (ArcMap). element is a more accessible alternative to drag & drop reordering. Press Enter or Space to move this question.
Question 60.4 pts
- Describe 3 differences between DLG files and TIGER files.
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Question 70.4 pts
- Name the site that you used to obtain the invasive species data in Lab 1, and list 1 advantage of the resource, and 1 limitation of the resource.
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Question 80.4 pts
- What did you have to do to the base vector (county lines, hydro, etc.) and the invasive species data before you could use it in ArcGIS Pro?
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Question 90.4 pts
- How did you determine the number of zebra mussels by state?
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Question 100.4 pts
- Name one way in which public domain spatial data is a part of everyday decision making.
--Joseph Kerski
