Geographic Information System (GIS)

Course Overview

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are increasingly used for policy-making, scientific, administrative, educational and recreational purposes. Proficiency with spatial concepts and data is sought-after by employers and necessary for effective environmental and policy leadership. This class will provide a basic overview of GIS and their use in capturing, analyzing, and communicating spatial information. Students will gain skills in working with and displaying spatial data, as well as an appreciation for the diverse ways that GIS may be applied to problems associate with their specific area of interest (e.g., land use planning, conservation planning, environmental and human health and management). By the end of the course, students will understand technical GIS vocabulary, understand the role of GIS in management processes and research projects, manipulate and work with most spatial data models, carry out basic spatial analysis and create professionally looking cartographic outputs and web maps. Furthermore, students will gain hands-on experience with ArcGIS, the most popular GIS platform. Classes will include lecture material, online modules and hands-on lab work. AU classroom learning platform, Sakai will be instrumental in class instruction.

Course Materials: Students should contact the course instructor and review the course syllabus for information related to course materials/texts.