GIS Registration and Vector Digitizing Lab

Objectives: This lab will teach you

• Registration of data sets.

• Digitizing of vector features, both point and line.

We will be filling in missing dates for the history of the Battle of the Bulge--1944 (94 MB) (8 MB version, lacks all the scanned daily situation maps, but shows the animation).  The date assignments are listed below.

For a different sample of what we will be doing, go to http://www.usna.edu/Users/oceano/pguth/website/kml/normandy_geomorph/normandy_geomorph_mapping.htm where you can see a sample registered map and file with the front lines.  You can also go to http://www.usna.edu/Users/oceano/pguth/website/kml/normandy.htm where there is a file with daily locations for the divisions.

Requirements:

• Place the following files (should be 9 total) in a subdirectory with the date (DDMMM1944) you are assigned, and then zip it and place it in the course dropbox on Blackboard :
  • The PNG file for your date (converted from the JPEG2000 file, at a 50% scale).
  • The DBF file with the registration information for the PNG map.
  • A single KMZ file with the map, front lines, and division locations, correctly symbolized.  This should be at least 1 MB in size; if not, it probably does not contain the map files.
  • The database with the locations of the US, allied, and German divisions on that day.  The DBF file will have the NAME of the division, an ICON field with the correct symbology, and a DATE field so that your database can be merged with the others.
  • The shapefile with the location of the front line on that day.  Remember how many files are included in a shapefile.
• Write a discussion covering:
  • How well do you think you were able to register the image. 
  • How well do you think you could digitize the front line and the division location.
  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of stream and point digitizing modes.
  • Include a GIS map, with proper cartographic conventions, with your front lines and the locations of the divisions, using the SRTM DEM as the background, and showing the roads you downloaded.

Daily situation map overlaid on the SRTM (using Overlay, Imagery (KML, KMZ, world files). Natural Earth roads also overlaid.

Get the following:

• You must have 
  • GDAL to open JPEG2000 files.

  • DNR GPS to digitize in Google Earth, to supplement the KML import native to MICRODEM.

• SRTM 30.   Because of the area covered (all the way to the North Pole), this DEM is hard to symbolize without severe distortion.  You should subset this to get just the region of western Europe, and then save the subset.

• Natural Earth large scale roads (large scale being relative for global coverage, and thus fairly small scale for many applications).  In their view, roads are cultural (not natural) features.

• Icons from http://www.usna.edu/Users/oceano/pguth/downloads/div_icons.zip. Unzip and place in c:\mapdata\icons (and not in a subdirectory).

Go to http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/maps/wwii/date.html and download daily situation map (JPEG2000 file) for the date assigned. 

	Friendly (US)	Allied (UK)	Enemy
Infantry Division
Airborne Division
Armored Division

Directions for  lab.

Last revised 7/21/2016