This page provides students with course updates, assignment reminders, new links, and commentary on GIS issues. The page is updated at least once-a-week.

9/3/08

announcements

Previous Notes:

Welcome! You are about to enter into a learning experience that will serve you well throughout your academic and professional career.  Many of my students are now working in GIS positions, or have enhanced there overall professional endeavors through learning basic GIS. It will take some effort, but it is well worth it.

 

Students will come to understand the importance of geographic literacy in today’s sometimes ‘problematic’ employment environment.

 

I have established a near-maximum course number because of the unique synthesis of theory and application, and the interdisciplinary approaches we follow in the curriculum; it is not entirely a measure of the difficulty of the course, but also of its dimensionality and challenge.

 

I bring to you over a decade of direct experience working with GIS in a variety of teaching and professional venues. This will be my 10th semester teaching GIS as adjunct faculty, and each course section is updated  to reflect the latest advances in technology, theory, and application.

 

 

See you in September. Sean

 

 

 

 

GET STARTED EARLY BY DOWNLOADING ARC EXPLORER and DATA. Play!

This is a very basic free software for examining data and making basic thematic maps.

We use ArcGis 9.2 in class.

 

 

I will be posting our introductory, and exercise one data (part) soon.

Step-by-step Guides to

Coursework.

 

 

 

 

 

• Sociology & Political Science

• Economics & Business Administration-Management

• Health & Behavioral Sciences

• Historical Geography & Anthropology

• Emergency Management

• Transportation & Logistics

• Civil & Geo-Engineering, Environmental Assessment

• Criminal Justice & Legal Studies

• Environmental, Biological & Life Sciences

and

• Earth Systems Science

• Political Ecology

 

We will cover those disciplines (within reason) based on student interests.

 

The above will be linked to topical sites and data.

Several Interdisciplinary Applications of GIS

As a professional geographer and GIS user, I am not an ‘expert’ in all the above disciplines (obviously). However,  I am well versed in the geographic aspects of the subject areas, and we have access to a verity of experts in all these disciplines here at UMass for consultation. I have an excellent library of links and actual reference books for use by the class in all the above areas.

Download & Explore