WebGIS as a teaching tool

Marco PAINHO1, Miguel PEIXOTO2, Pedro CABRAL3 and Ricardo SENA4

Institute for Statistics and Information Management
New University of Lisbon
Campus de Campolide – 1070-124 LISBOA – PORTUGAL
Telefone:+351-21-3870413; Fax:+351-21-3872140
email: 1painho@isegi.unl.pt, 2mpeixoto@isegi.unl.pt , 3pcabral@isegi.unl.pt and
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rsena@isegi.unl.pt
www.isegi.unl.pt/labnt

Abstract
This paper addresses the concept and process of using WebGIS as a teaching
tool in Higher Education GIS curricula. The use of WebGIS is becoming an
important tool to teach GIS concepts but most of the GIS core curricula available
in Higher Education still do not include this new way of using geographic
information. This situation leads to a gap between the GIS market expectations
and the skills of recently graduated students that start seeking for a GIS job. The
focus will be a proposal for a new topic to be included in Higher Education GIS
curricula and to review some of the WebGIS projects developed using ArcIMS by
the students at ISEGI-New University of Lisbon (Portugal).

1. WebGIS: What is it?

There are a lot of different definitions for GIS. This is due to the several different
fields of application of GI Science. To define WebGIS we can use the same
definition we use to define GIS but we need to add the web component to it. Our
proposal to define WebGIS is as follows: A complex system with access to the
Internet, for capturing, storing, integrating, manipulating, analyzing and displaying
data related to locations without the need of having proprietary GIS software. In
fact the Internet does not change the fundamental nature of GIS, it just gets it
online expanding its use (Harder 1998). But we cannot forget about the multiple
advantages of using GIS on the Web. The Internet and the growing number of
users all over the world in the last years made it possible to start using new ways
of information dissemination. It all started with the exchange of simple documents

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or data files but then evolved to the offer of several types of applications running
on the web. GIS data and technology also collected important benefits from this
evolution. Nowadays it is much easier to find and disseminate GIS data using the
web than it used to be some years ago. There are a lot of new websites that
facilitate the access to a great variety of data producers. What about GIS
applications on the Web? There are also a great number of WebGIS sites that
allow to perform GIS operations using only an internet browser. It all started in
1993 with Xerox PARC Map Viewer (still available at http://www.xerox.com/map)
but things have changed a lot since then, such as the Internet and GIS
technology did. WebGIS is not only displaying geographical data on the web but
also using some GIS functionalities (see WebGIS definition). With the recent
developments on WebGIS technology, Internet users are now able to access GIS
applications from their browsers without purchasing proprietary GIS software
(Figure 1 and 2).

Figure 1 Network analysis on the Web (http://www.geoweb.pt)

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Figure 2 Where to Dispose of Britain's Radioactive Waste? Open Spatial Decision Making on the Internet
(http://www.ccg.leeds.ac.uk/mce/mce-init.htm)

The strategies for delivering geographical functionalities using the Internet also
evolved from pure server-side applications to client–side applications with a
significant increase on the number and power of the available analysis tools to
the user. Both server-side and client-side strategies have advantages and
disadvantages. If on a pure server-side strategy we may have serious
performance problems because of the bandwidth and network traffic or the
server that is being used, on a client-side strategy the response from the server
may involve transferring large amounts of data as well as applets, causing
significant delays (Keneth & Kirvin, 1997). On the other hand if a high-
performance server is used on a server-side strategy, users can access large
amounts of data that would be difficult or impossible to transfer across the
Internet and process locally on the client. Although these applications take
advantage of the processing power of the user's own computer in a client-side
strategy and the user can be given greater control of the data analysis process
sometimes is very difficult for the user to be aware of those analysis tools and to
know how to use them effectively (Keneth & Kirvin, 1997). We also need to be
aware that most of the users do not want to wait several minutes for the
download and installation of plug-in software required to use this type of
applications. One of the biggest advantages is that once the server has delivered
its response, the user can work with the data without having to send and receive

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messages across the Internet. The ideal situation is a strategy that can optimize
the advantages of both client-side and server-side strategies and minimize their
disadvantages (hybrid strategy).

2. Why use WebGIS in Higher education

It is fundamental to teach WebGIS at all GIS courses. The technology that
underlyes GIS is permanently evolving and the internet is where GIS technology
is heading. GIS courses cannot neglect the potential of using WebGIS not only to
teach the advantages of using GIS and its principles but also to teach how to
implement a GIS using web technology. Maybe the biggest advantage of using
WebGIS in GIS courses is showing the potential of some professional WebGIS
applications and use them to communicate the advantages of using GIS. Of
course this is not enough. The GIS job market expects that students from GIS
courses know not only the principles of GIS and how to use GIS software but
also to know how to implement a WebGIS site. This is the main reason why we
have decided to include a WebGIS topic in GIS course at ISEGI-UNL.

3. The teaching of GIS at ISEGI-UNL

We started our work in this field back in 1991 with an annual GIS seminar. This
seminar evolved to a part of a unit of the two-year degree. It then became a
totally independent GIS unit included in the two-year degree and in the MSc.
Nowadays we have at ISEGI-UNL eight GIS-related units with the following
distribution:
• two GIS-related units for the two-year degree: GIS and Software Systems
for Statistics and Information Management;
• there are four GIS related units for the four-year degree: GIS,
Geographical Concepts for GIS, Informatics for Statistics & Information
Management and Remote Sensing;
• finally we have a specialization in Environmental, Demographical and
Geographical Information Systems for the MSc in Statistics & Information

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 Management that includes three units: GIS, Demographical Information
Systems and Environmental Information Systems.

Specifically for the four-year degree, some changes were made to the curriculum
in 1999. Now there is a GIS sequence that is composed of three units: Software
Systems for Statistics and Information Management, Geographical Concepts for
GIS and, GIS (project and management).

Besides being viewed in sequence, units should also be regarded in relationship

with other units that together make up a coherent curricular experience, both
within the structure of an undergraduate degree and across the entire course
taking of a student. At the end, course design also needs to ensure that the
students are given the skills for future professional work (Painho, 1999).

The curricular structure of the degree offers a group of fourteen other

interdependent units (in three major areas) that can be considered as the outer
core of the GIS path in the degree in Statistics and Information Management.
Some of these units are in themselves cores of other paths. This group of units is
a complement to the core GIS curriculum and gives students a strong
background in essential areas such as data analysis and processing, information
and computing technologies and, information and societal issues.

4. GIS (project and management) course topics at ISEGI-UNL

The GIS project and management class is the last of the GIS path. It is an
integration class that is partially science, system and studies. It assumes
knowledge from the GIS core and outer core classes, especially geographic
concepts for GIS, software for Statistics and Information Management, database
management systems and, data analysis (Table 1) (Painho, 1999).

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 Geographic Information Systems (project & management)

SYLLABUS

(Weekdays and time of class)

Prerequisites: None.
Geographical concepts for GIS, software systems for statistics and
information management, data analysis and, database
management systems (concurrent), helpful but not required
Credit units: 3

Course This course is the last of a series of GIS courses. It is a theoretical

description: and hands on course geared towards applications and project
management. Its theoretical emphasis is on spatial analysis and
management and implementation issues.
Course program: • Basic principles of remote sensing: images; principles of image
classification
• Spatial analysis: spatial overlay; spatial search, network
analysis, terrain modeling, location / allocation; spatial
interpolation.
• GIS implementation: GIS and the organization; implementation
process, systems design.
• WebGIS.
• Implementation management: managing transitions;
implementing GIS applications; system management.
• Project.
• Field trip.
• Hands on ArcInfo ®: data input, editing and analysis
Course objectives • Integrate GIS concepts with other disciplines;
• Ability to put GIS concepts to work.
• Ability to deal professionally with GIS problems.
Course format Lecture with discussion, laboratory and field trip.

Reading materials Main textbooks:

• Huxhold, William E. and Allan G. Levinsohn (1995) Managing
Geographic Information Systems Projects, Oxford University
Press
• ArcView, Spatial Analyst, Network Analyst and ArcInfo
manuals.
• Class notes available on the internet course homepage. Has
links to other sources of information for GIS.

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Evaluation One test and one group project. The project type must be chosen
by the third week of the semester. A list of project types will be
made available. Limited data is also available. Groups may not
have more than 3 students. Projects are due at exam date.
Test is worth 30% and project 70% of the final grade.
Course outline • 1 – Course introduction
• 2 – Basic principles of Remote Sensing
• 3 & 4 – Spatial analysis
• 5 – Lab: ArcInfo data input;
• 6 – Project discussion;
• 7 – Lab: ArcInfo data editing; project outline due
• 8 – Spatial analysis
• 9 - Lab: Project
• 10 & 11 – GIS implementation
• 12 – Lab: Project
• 13 – Implementation management
• 14 – Field trip
• 15 – Test
• 16, 17, & 18 – Lab: ArcInfo data analysis
• 19, 20 & 21– Developing applications with MapObjects
• 22 – Implementation management (cont.)
• 23, 24 & 25 – Building WebGIS sites using ArcIMS.
• 26 - 28 – Lab: Project
Table 1 Geographic Information Systems (project & management) course at ISEGI-UNL (Painho, 1999)

The outputs of the group projects are:

• a website describing the project that includes a WebGIS link that is
working in ISEGI-UNL intranet. This webpage must include the data that
was used/produced for the project.
• a poster describing the objectives, methodology and analysis of the results
of the project.
• a report describing all the phases of the project.

After this course students are able to implement a GIS project starting from the
data collection phase to the analysis and development of user-taylored GIS

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applications. They also must be capable of implementing a WebGIS website with
all its implications.

5. Some WebGIS student projects at ISEGI-UNL

Here are some projects developed by students at ISEGI-UNL that were
published on ISEGI-UNL intranet:

5.1 Landuse classification comparation

The purpose of this study was to perform a statistical comparation between two
landuse classifications from different origins. One classification is from the Lisbon
Municipality and the other was performed by the students using a digital
orthophoto.

Authors: Figueiredo F., Botica

S., Silva H. and Roseiro H.

Figure 3 Website developed for the landuse classification comparation

5.2 GeoISEGI: ISEGI-UNL location institutional website

The purpose of this study is to provide a locational tool accessible through the
ISEGI-UNL institutional website. Two versions were developed: an HTML version
and a Java based version.

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Figure 4 GeoISEGI (HTML version) Author: Alves H.

Figure 5 GeoISEGI (Java version)

5.3 Accessibility study for emergency services

The purpose of this study is to evaluate how is ISEGI located for emergency
response (health care, fire departments and police departments). Service areas
were designed to know which areas were served by different services using
different time intervals. Shortest paths, using drivetime and distance, were
calculated to know how to get to the nearest service.

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 Silva, P., Matos,
P.; Teixeira, E.
and Rodrigues D.

Figure 6 Website created for the

accessibility study for emergency response

6. Conclusions
Using WebGIS as a teaching tool in Higher Education has several advantages:
• It is a very efficient way of teaching GIS principles and applications
because student can actually see real WebGIS application working on the
Internet;
• Students are more motivated and committed if they can share the results
of their GIS projects on the Internet/Intranet;
• It is possible to mix internet software tools with GIS software tools adding
more value to student curricula;
• GIS job market has a great demand on this issue;

These reasons are more then enough to include WebGIS both theoretical and
practical components in GIS courses curricula for Higher Education.

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References
• Alves, H. (2001), GeoISEGI, project developed for the GIS course at
ISEGI-UNL.
• Figueiredo, F., Botica S., Alves H. and Roseiro H. (2001), Comparação
entre duas classificações de utilização do solo para Campolide, project
developed for the GIS course at ISEGI-UNL.
• Foote, Kenneth E. and Anthony P. Kirvan. (1997) WebGIS, NCGIA Core
Curriculum in GIScience,
http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/giscc/units/u133/u133.html, posted July 13,
1998.
• GeoWeb, http://www.geoweb.pt.
• Harder, C. (1998), Serving Maps on the Internet, Geographic Information
on the World Wide Web, ESRI Press.
• Painho, Marco (1999). Sistemas de Informação Geográfica - Provas de
Agregação, ISEGI-UNL.
• Silva, P., Matos, P.; Teixeira, E. e Rodrigues D. (2001), Estudo de
accessibilidades aos Serviços Públicos para o ISEGI, project developed
for the GIS course at ISEGI-UNL.
• Where to Dispose of Britain's Radioactive Waste? Open Spatial Decision
Making on the Internet, http://www.ccg.leeds.ac.uk/mce/mce-init.htm
• Xerox PARC Map Viewer, http://www.xerox.com/map.

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