GEOG 6100 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems and Science

This course introduces the major concepts and applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). GIS are systems for the management, analysis, and display of geographic information. In this course, you will learn about spatial information, digital data, and how GIS is used as a tool to represent features, examine relationships between features, and display information. Lectures cover principles and concepts, as well as applications of GIS. Labs are designed to apply the concepts with hands-on exercises while becoming familiar with and learning the functionality of ArcGIS Pro software. The objective of the class is to learn to solve problems using GIS and display the information in a way that facilitates communication and understanding. In addition to lectures and lab exercises, we will learn and practice skills through in-class exercises and the final project, with the goal of being able to apply skills to solve real problems. This class fulfills a quantitative intensive (QI) requirement, which means the course content will develop analytic reasoning skills and deepen knowledge of quantitative methods. You will build upon and expand previous knowledge of quantitative method concepts by learning about and practicing the underlying quantitative theory behind core GIS concepts. The goal is that you will understand not just the software but also the theory when applying quantitative methods to practical issues and real-world problems via spatial analysis.