Homework due on April 7, 2006

I hope you all had a good holiday and rested for the final push to June. The next topic we will be covering is databases. To start, please read pages 106-107 and answer the following questions:

1. What is a database? (5 pts)
2. Give one example of a small database and two examples of large databases. (3 pts)
3. Explain what a GIS is and how it works. (3 pts)
4. What is a DBMS and how does it work? Give one example. (3 pts)
5. Explain what a file, record and field are and how they relate to one another. (5 pts)
6. Look at the table on page 107. Do the advantages of a database outweigh the disadvantages? (2 pts)

Good luck!