Design a Questionnaire - Coursework Example

Name Geography 23 February 2009 Questionnaire to Assess prior knowledge of GIS in Remote Sensing 1) What do you understand by GIS? 2) Describe the history of GIS? 3) What are the basic requirements for constructing a full-fledged GIS? 4) What are the basic characteristics common to any GIS? 5) What comprises GIS software? 6) What are GIS Techniques? 7) What are the various classifications in GIS techniques? 8) What is data creation? 9) What do you mean by relating information from different sources? 10) Explain the raster and vector forms of data representation? 11) What are projections, registration and co-ordinate systems in GIS? 12) What do you understand by spatial analysis in GIS? 13) What is data modeling? 14) What is topological modeling? 15) What are networks? 16) What is cartographic modeling? 17) What is map overlay? 18) What is automated Cartography? 19) What is Geostatistics? 20) What is address geocoding? 21) What is reverse geocoding? 22) How will you relate data output and Cartography? 23) What are the various Graphic display techniques? 24) What is spatial ETL (Extract, Transform, and Load)? 25) What is distributed GIS? 26) Describe OGC standards in GIS? 27) Explain Web mapping in relation to GIS? 28) What is remote sensing? 29) What are the origins of GIS and Remote Sensing? 30) What is the premise of Remote Sensing? 31) What are the applications of Remote Sensing? 32) What does Remote Sensing involve? 33) Can Remote Sensing be seen as different spatial information layers? 34) How is GIS useful with respect to Remote Sensing? 35) What are the areas of science that are benefitted by Remote Sensing and GIS? 36) Outline the salient features of GIS Software? 37) What is data preparation in GIS software? 38) What do you understand by Geodatabases with respect to GIS? 39) Describe the management and analysis carried out with GIS software? 40) Describe the statistical aspects of GIS software? 41) What do you understand by Mobile GIS? 42) Distinguish between Free and Open-source GIS? Questionnaire on Knowledge of and Attitudes to Global Warming & Global Environmental Change 1) What do you understand by Global Warming? 2) When Global Warming was first noticed? 3) What do you mean by Greenhouse Effect? 4) What is solar variation and feedback with respect to Global Warming? 5) Explain the impact of temperature variations, during the human race existence and pre-human existence on global warming? 6) Describe the various climate models? 7) What are the attributed and expected environmental and economic effects of global warming? 8) What do you understand by adaptation and mitigation with respect to global warming? 9) What is meant by Glaciation in climate change? 10) Describe ocean variability/ 11) Explain hysteresis? 12) What are the effects of CO2 on climate change? 13) List the major factors effecting climate change? 14) What do you understand by plate tectonics? 15) What is solar variation? 16) What are orbital variations? 17) What is volcanism? 18) What are fossil fuels got to do with global climate change? 19) What are aerosols and how they influence global climate? 20) How is cement manufactured and what impact it has on global climate? 21) What is the influence of land use on Global climate change? 22) What is the influence of livestock on Global climate change? 23) Describe the interplay of factors in Global Climate change? 24) How do you monitor the current status of climate? 25) Give any physical evidence for climatic change? 26) How is vegetation affected by change in global climate? 27) What happens to ice cores under the backdrop of a global climate change? 28) What is dendrochronology? 29) Explain Pollen analysis with respect to climate change globally? 30) How are insects affected by global climate change? 31) Is there any change in the Sea Level during global climate change? Discuss? 32) What do you understand by Glacial geology? 33) Quote some examples of climate change? 34) What is the effect of global climate change on biodiversity? 35) How is Geoengineering useful in softening the effects of global climate change? 36) What is your personal take on the emerging trends at the global level given the inevitable changes taking place in the environment as a result of global warming? 37) Do you think that in the name of urban development, thanks to some tremendous advancements and innovation in technology, some strenuous challenges to the environment has been imposed by mankind? 38) What are the far reaching effects do you think this world will have to face, now that the infringement of human ventures, under the garb of industrial and urban development, seems to have left a lasting and irreversible impact on the global climatic conditions? 39) How do you think that the damage that is inevitable to the ecosystem and the sheer existence of mankind in some regions of the world due to the advancing threat posed by global warming can be mitigated? 40) What according to your personal opinion is the role and responsibility of the Heads of State of the relevant countries in taking proactive steps towards dealing with the emerging crisis as a result of the rapidly occurring changes in the global climate and the impending adverse effects of global warming? 41) Do you think that GIS and remote sensing have together played a major role in at least identifying in part the emerging crisis due to global warming and rapid changes in the global climatic conditions leaving its lasting impact on the environment and the ecosystem? 42) What according to you is the role and responsibility of the common man in protecting and preserving the environment and the ecosystem from the threatening jaws of death and destruction posed by global warming and the changes in the global climatic conditions in the long run? 43) Do you think that the policies and procedures in place, currently, are adequate enough, to enforce strictly, the embargo on industries and activities, especially those that are detrimental to and the major cause of global warming and abrupt changes in global climate? The respondents for the above questionnaires would be subject matter experts drawn from members of the International Geographical Society and also the International Remote Sensing agencies including marine remote sensing departments in universities and research institutes. Also included in the respondents list would be meteorologists, marine scientists, ecological / ecosystem scientists and experts, environmentalists and other natural scientists and observers. To understand the role of the society and the ruling heads of Governments in respective countries which are relevant and directly responsible for the emerging trends in global climate conditions and the adverse effects wrought in by global warming even a range of general public and government staff including public servants, bureaucrats, heads of state and provinces, professionals, employed people, homemakers and laborers in the relevant countries can act as respondents to specific set of questions such as Questions 36-43, to research into what their view and attitude is towards global warming and the effect of global changes in climatic conditions. The pattern of administering the questionnaire would be through mail with special request and encouragement for addressing in detail the questions listed out in the questionnaire. Personal interviews can be conducted using the above questionnaire as the backdrop with certain highly placed and knowledgeable experts in the relevant fields and Governments to get a first hand critical view of their personal opinions and perspective on the subject. The design of the questionnaire is such that first it is probed whether the respondent is having sufficient knowledge on the basics of the subject whether it is GIS or Remote Sensing or Global Warming or Changes in Global Climate. Then there is progressive elaboration of the subject matter and questions of increasing complexity is put forth for evoking subjective views on them from the respondents depending on their background and field of expertise. The structure, layout and coding of the questionnaire has also been done with the above rationale in mind and with a view to generate initially the awareness and enthusiasm towards the subject in the respondents mind and then answer critical questions to better understand the far reaching impact or the bone of contention which has emerged today before the society that is to be jointly addressed by the common man as well as the educated and governing members of the society today. Since the subject dealt with is very involved and scientific in nature the reliability of the viewpoints of the respondents can still be ensured by validating and corroborating the basis of the arguments or details emerging from the respondents with the abundant sources of information and knowledge resting with experts and research works carried out so far in the field of study and ongoing research. A large cross section of each category of respondents drawn from diverse areas of their fields of specialization will further help in securing a more generalized, uniform and unified synthesis of the data collected essential for further fruitful analysis and interpretation of the results arrived at. Works Cited Balram, S. and Dragicevic, S. 2005. Attitudes toward urban greenspaces: integrating questionnaire survey and collaborative GIS techniques to improve attitude measurements. Landscape and Urban Planning, 71: 147-162. Bird, D. and Dominey-Howes, D. 2008. Testing the use of a 'questionnaire survey instrument' to investigate public perceptions of tsunami hazard and risk in Sydney, Australia. Nat. Hazards, 45: 99-122. Cloke, P., Cook, I., Crang, P., Goodwin, M., Painter, J. and Philo, C. 2007. Practising Human Geography, London: Sage Publications, pp. 123- 168 (Chapter 5 – you need to focus particularly on the 'Questionnairing' section on pages 130-148) Global Warming, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Web, Viewed on February 23, 2009, Global climate change, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Web, Viewed on February 23, 2009, < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change> Hoggart, K., Lees, L. and Davies, A. 2002. Researching Human Geography. London: Arnold, pp. 169-200 (Chapter 5) Parfitt, J. 2005. Questionnaire design and sampling, in Flowerdew, R. and Martin, D. (eds). Methods in Human Geography. Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd, pp. 78-109. Shuttleworth, I., Kitchin, R., Shirlow, P., and McDonagh, J. 2000. The tail of the tiger: experiences and perceptions of unemployment and inactivity in Donegal. Irish Geography, 33(1): 56-73. Read More