This course introduces Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and their applications to public policy, political economy, and international relations. The course will enable students to work with GIS data structures and understand cartography, transformations, georeferencing, geocoding, and spatial analysis. It will provide students with hands-on experience in using open-source GIS software to visualize and analyze multiple types of data, including administrative records, historical maps, boundaries, weather/climate, roads, and satellite images/remote sensing. Applications will include data on elections, armed conflict, crime, public infrastructure, and economic activity. Class meeting time will be split between a lecture and a lab exercise, where students use GIS software to complete assignments.
Instructor: Yuri Zhukov