Geography 4427
 
Advanced Geographic Information Systems II
 
- Fall 2008 -

Geography 4427, Advanced GIS II is the capstone undergraduate GIS course at Texas State University-San Marcos.  In this course students worked as teams on real-world GIS projects. These projects were designed and conducted by the students under the direction of Dr. Giordano and Michele Tucci. This course helped students develop and demonstrate competence in applying GIS techniques to actual geographic questions. Click on the links below to find detailed information about each of the groups and their projects.

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The main objective of this study is to identify at least 10 parcels of land either within or adjacent to the city limits of San Marcos that are a minimum of 15 acres, and would be most suitable for large industrial or commercial businesses to be developed in the city.

The idea behind our study of the Hill Country watersheds and streams is to better preserve their natural beauty and to keep the water clean.  Our recharge zones, streams, and watersheds hold some of the most rare flora and fauna and to lose those would mean that we would be losing a big part of the Hill Country. 

With our deliverables people will be able to decipher for themselves how to use their land properly while keeping an eye out for the environment around them.  Helping them make informed decisions on whether or not to build or dump in certain places that might affect the watershed that they reside in.  Our plan is to create multiple static maps that help illustrate the importance of conserving the Hill Country’s water sheds and streams.

Loma Environmental Strategies been assigned to work with the Hill Country Alliance (HCA), a non-profit advocacy group for preservation of the Texas Hill Country, to participate in developing informational resources related to the region. Ultimately the goal of our work with HCA is to facilitate the responsible growth and cost effective expansion of infrastructure and residential and commercial development in the region, while promoting conservation, maintaining the quality of our water resources, and preserving the aesthetics of the Hill Country. Texas is in the unique position of having limited land use planning tools in place which limits the ability of local governments and organizations to monitor zoning of properties. Our project involves the creation of land use information and corresponding maps to provide the tools necessary to promote land use awareness.

The Texas Hill Country is well known for its beautiful landscapes and friendly people. Current predictions estimate that the hill country's regional population will double in the next 20 years. Proper planning is required to ensure that this land will not lose its unique cultural and physical identity. A demographic profile reveals characteristics of the people living in the region and various changes that occur over time.

The implementation of GIS and census analyses provide a much better understanding of the inhabitants of the hill country. The use of current and past census data in a GIS provides the ability to create maps that show the change in demographics throughout the Texas Hill Country over time. Understanding past and current spatial trends can assist planners who are working to preserve this wonderful part of Texas for generations to come.