GP 150 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

Credit Hours: 4

This course will provide an introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The course will explore the following: the variety of uses of spatial analysis; the basic terms and concepts in GIS; issues of data collection, appropriateness, and handling; and introduce basic techniques in spatial analysis. During the course, students will learn to use ESRI’s ArcGIS software. It is assumed that students have no prior knowledge about GIS. This course serves as a foundation course in the GIS Certificate Program. Students should have basic computer skills (creating, saving, and retrieving files) and some familiarity with the Windows operating system.

Course Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

demonstrate a knowledge of a number of important technologies based on geographic information system concepts, spatial database management, spatial data creation, and analysis;
demonstrate a direct application of GIS data tools and algorithms to solve spatial problems;
demonstrate cartographic skills and map creation as an appropriate communication tool to display GIS analysis results;
demonstrate the ability to search, obtain, view, and analyze online GIS datasets;
practice with analysis of actual local GIS datasets in a cross-disciplinary environment, utilizing software packages such as ESRI ArcGIS; and
effectively write a research paper.

F/S (C, N, S)