Geographic Information Systems

Catalog description

This course will provide an accessible introduction to the fundamental concepts and operations of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), focusing on urban applications. GIS is a powerful tool for analyzing spatial data and making data-driven decisions. This course will explore how geography is an interface for structured and unstructured data within complex systems. The course will introduce students to the central components of GIS as commonly deployed in enterprise software, free and open-source code libraries, and experimental systems. The course treats the methodology underlying GIS (particularly in spatial and computer science) and the software operations that collectively enable GIS functionality and applications (particularly data structures, spatial data access, and geometric operations). Hands-on lab sessions will walk students through GIS methods in popular software, including the ESRI ArcGIS (ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online) and web-based visualization techniques using ArcGIS Storymaps and Dashboards. By the end of the course, students will be prepared for more advanced coursework at CUSP, particularly Urban Spatial Analytics and Advanced Spatial Analytics courses.