Geographic Foundations of Geospatial Intelligence

Catalog description

Orientation to the geographic foundations of geospatial intelligence and its applications in national security, international relief work, and disaster management. GEOG 882 Geographic Foundations of Geospatial Intelligence (3)Topic: Geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) leverages geographic information science and technology (including cartography, geographic information systems, remote sensing, and global positioning systems) with intelligence tradecraft to develop intelligence products that support national security, disaster response, and international relief efforts. Course Objectives: GEOG 882 is designed to challenge current and aspiring GEOINT professionals to be more than technicians. Students who successfully complete GEOG 882 will appreciate that while geospatial technologies are useful in revealing what, who, and where, and to some extent how events are taking place, they are less useful in explaining why events occur, or what response is most appropriate. Students will learn that the political, cultural, historical, and economic perspectives of human geography are needed to put GEOINT analyses in context. The course will also challenge students to approach analyses critically, to consider alternative viewpoints and explanations, and to question their own assumptions. Student Activities: The course consists of 12 lessons that will span either the 15-week semester or the combined 12-week summer sessions. Each lesson will require approximately 10 hours of student activity. Student activity will include viewing and responding to recorded instructor lectures (delivered by digital video and audio), readings from textbooks or selected library resources, five quizzes on readings, four asynchronous online discussion forums, three reflection papers, and a collaborative role-playing simulation that provides a capstone experience.