In this course, students will learn fundamental concepts and widely used methodologies for assessment of hazard vulnerability and social vulnerability using geospatial data and analysis techniques. They will benefit from themed lectures on hazards, vulnerability, resilience, and data processing, reading assignments, in-class reading discussions, and assignments that primarily use ArcGIS Pro, as well as other geospatial and quantitative analysis software such as Geoda and RStudio. This course will not use a simple hazard-by-hazard approach, but will integrate perspectives from the...

This Advanced GIS Workshop teaches more sophisticated concepts in GIS analysis, techniques for the planning, automation and reproducibility of GIS workflows, and strategies for communicating results broadly. Students will practice a range of technical skills essential for both academic research and practical applications. The python programming language is introduced with no prior coding experience required. We primarily use ArcGIS Pro, while also incorporating open-source software and various freely available Python packages in the course. This is a methodology-focused course designed...

This is an introductory level course in the conceptual and analytic tools used to understand how spatial distributions of exposure impact on processes and patterns of disease. It covers methods that allow: (i) examination of patterns of health and disease in place and time, (ii) application of geospatial technologies and methods for epidemiology, (iii) analysis of time-space relations, (iv) identification of clusters and diffusion of disease, and (v) study of geographical...

From Mexico to India, San Francisco to Tokyo, natural disasters have shaped both the surface of our planet and the development of civilizations. These catastrophes claim thousands of lives and cause tens of billions of dollars in damage each year, and the impact of natural disasters is only increasing as a result of human population growth and urbanization. This course uses the methods and skills associated with earth science to help you to develop an understanding of both the...

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...

An introduction to the GIS and remote sensing methods used by archaeologists to document and analyze datasets at the scale of the site and the region. This class will involve the hands-on use of printed maps, aerial photography, satellite imagery, digital terrain models, GPS-based observations, and UAV (drone) photogrammetry to approach archaeological research questions. Students will gain competence in creating spatial data for fieldwork, print publication, and online visualization...

Planning decisions are often idealized as being "evidence-based" or "data-driven." Spatial data often comprise the data and evidence that support such these decisions. In this course, you will learn how to create spatial datasets, both by assembling them from existing sources and by collecting data in the field. You will also learn data visualization techniques to identify spatial relationships within and between spatial datasets. You will learn to identify the arguments that...

This course introduces students to remote sensing data, methods and tools used for the study of global environmental change. The growing concern about human impact on the environment has led to the development of new observation and analysis tools to tackle and monitor types, magnitudes, and rates of environmental changes. Timely observations by Earth observation (EO) satellite systems and improved mapping and analysis tools are enabling a better understanding of the environmental...

This courses teaches the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a collection of hardware and software tools that allow users to visualize and analyze geographic data in its spatial configuration. Students will learn the theory of geospatial analysis alongside practical methods for acquiring, manipulating, displaying, and analyzing cartographic data.

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We live in the post-PC era. We have far more smartphones, tablets, and wearable devices than desktops and laptops. Mobile geospatial information systems (GIS) allow users to view, capture, update, and analyze geospatial data from a mobile device anywhere and anytime. With the popularity and location awareness of mobile devices, mobile GIS has become an indispensable part of geospatial solutions in sustainable development, health and human services, emergency management, and...

Spatial data – which is prevalent in climatology, meteorology, geology, oceanography, ecology and many other fields – requires specialized statistical tools for analysis due to the inherent dependence which exists between samples taken at nearby locations (or times). In this introductory course in spatial statistics, we'll cover central topics including spatial point processes, lattice models, and geostatistics. Theory (mathematical models and background) will be presented in concert with inference and prediction (statistics and estimation) with an emphasis on numerical examples to...

This seminar will use mapping as a methodological technique to examine social and environmental issues. Students will be expected to use mapping software to examine spatial data for a location and topic of their choice for their final paper. Weekly discussions will be conducted in class on various mapping related topics. References will range from books like "How to lie with Maps" to current journal articles examining the use of GIS in social science.

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This course is a workshop for students who have taken the introductory Geographical Information Systems course and want to explore detailed applications. The course will meet two times a week for a lecture and a laboratory exercise.

Course catalog listing

Instructor: Jill Kelly

This is an introductory level course in the conceptual and analytic tools used to understand how spatial distributions of exposure impact on processes and patterns of disease. It covers methods that allow: (i) examination of patterns of health and disease in place and time, (ii) application of geospatial technologies and methods for epidemiology, (iii) analysis of time-space relations, (iv) identification of clusters and diffusion of disease, and (v) study of geographical epidemiology of selected infectious and noninfectious diseases.

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Maps both represent reality and create it. It is in the context of this contention that this course presents the fundamentals of mapping, spatial analysis, and visualization. In a design process, the act of mapping selectively narrates site conditions. By choosing what features, forces, and flows to highlight—and which to exclude—the designer creates the reality in which their intervention will be situated.

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