Geographic Information Systems 2: Spatial Analysis

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provide tools for quantifying and describing spatial data to answer research and management questions. In this course students will use ArcGIS to describe the distribution of features, and to discern patterns and measure relationships among these features. Topics include the use of raster GIS tools for natural resource modeling and environmental analysis; the raster structure and its advantages and limitations; appropriate data and procedure; simple raster surface modeling and image integration; map algebra concepts using ArcGIS Spatial Analyst; proximity and dispersion modeling; cost surfaces and many of the vector-based analytical tools and techniques available within ArcGIS.