[IAI Code: S4902N] Introduces geographical perspectives on environment and development studies with case studies drawn from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Investigates the origins of the global South in relation to the global North, especially the historical and contemporary processes driving environmental, economic, and cultural change.
A basic introduction to the environmental systems of the Earth's surface, including landforms, soils, and ecosystems and how these systems are affected by global change. Emphasizes the importance of human-Earth relations and a holistic view of environmental systems. Same as ESE 103.
A survey of major world regions by systematically considering five themes: environment, population and settlement patterns, cultural coherence and diversity, geopolitical fragmentation and unity, and economic and social development. While examining the persistence of unique regions, the course will both scale up to global linkages and scale down to place-specific impacts of globalization processes. Same as ESE 106.
In-depth exploration of global urbanization. Using a comparative regional approach, discuss the recent history of global urbanization, dissect its problems, and offer possible solutions. Approximately ten major regions of the world will be examined, exploring the significant urban patterns and processes, built and natural environments, and social, economic, and cultural landscapes of each.
Introduction to the complex relationship between people and the natural environment from a social science perspective. Explores different approaches to environmental issues, and examines the role of population change, political economy, technologies, environmental policymaking, and social institutions in causing and resolving contemporary social and environmental global issues. Same as ESE 210.
Focuses on geopolitical conflicts over ideology, resources, and territory from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Examines these conflicts from the perspectives of political geography and political theory. Same as GLBL 221.
Investigates the fundamentals of geographic information science as well as the basic skills in the execution of that theoretical knowledge with industry standard software packages. Student will learn the basics of projections and coordinate systems, how geographic information is stored and manipulated, and the theory and practice behind the production of thematic maps. Includes lecture and hands-on laboratory components. Same as ESE 379.
Study of the analytical capabilities of geographic information systems with an emphasis on learning to solve spatial problems in both the vector and raster data formats. Students will develop the skills necessary to answer questions or solve problems in their areas of interest, with particular emphasis on problems and questions that require multiple steps to resolve. Students will learn the fundamental theory behind spatial problem solving, but also learn to execute these procedures with industry-standard software packages. Thus, this class contains both lecture/discussion elements and hands-on laboratory work. Same as ESE 380. Prerequisite: GGIS 379/ESE 379.
Geospatial data used by public-sector, private-sector, and research organizations is commonly kept in enterprise geodatabases and distributed using geospatial data servers. Following successful completion of this course, students will be able to perform tasks typical for early-career positions in such organizations. Topics include creation and maintenance of spatial and non-spatial database tables, construction of basic SQL queries for selection and joins, publication of geospatial services and web apps, and security best practices. Prerequisite: GGIS 379 or consent of instructor.
Supervised independent study of special topics or regions. May be repeated once. Prerequisite: Junior standing; at least one formal course in the topic or region of interest; consent of instructor.
Independent study and research projects for students who are working toward the degree with distinction in geography. Prerequisite: Junior standing; consent of honors adviser.
Supervised, off-campus experience in a field directly pertaining to Geography and/or GIS. A written report is required at the end of the internship relating work accomplishments to the student's program of study. Approved for Letter and S/U grading. May be repeated in separate terms up to 6 hours. Prerequisite: Consent of faculty sponsor and Director of Undergraduate Studies; at least two courses taken within Geography & GIS.
Introduces the conceptual and technical fundamentals of geographic information science as a gateway to advanced study in geographic information science, and cover geographic information science as an interdisciplinary scientific field and geographic information systems as a tool in many application domains. Students will be introduced to unique characteristics of geospatial data in the capture, processing, storage, analysis, communication, and interpretation of geospatial information, which will prepare them to utilize information science techniques and critical spatial-thinking skills to address geospatially-related challenges. 4 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: There are no prerequisites for this course, although familiarity with basic descriptive and inferential statistics as well as some experience with at least one computer scripting/programming language will be helpful.
Introduction to CyberGIS: Geospatial Information Science and Systems (GIS) based on advanced cyberinfrastructure and state of the art high-performance computing, big data, and cloud computing in the context of geospatial data science. Students will work within the CyberGISX framework and Jupyter Notebook user environment to conduct data-intensive, reproducible, and scalable geospatial analytics and analyze and visualize geospatial data using leading-edge cyberGIS software and python libraries. Same as GEOL 407. 4 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: GGIS 403 or consent of instructor.
Theory and practice of sustainable development. Course materials draw upon theoretical and case study material from the social and natural sciences to analyze environment and development relations with emphasis on the Global South. Same as ESE 410. 4 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Examines the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems (GPS) with emphasis on their social and political implications. Topics may include critical cartography, social theory, health geography, historical geography, geopolitics, crime mapping, environmental justice, data feminism, environmental change, and science, technology, and society studies (STS). 3 undergraduate hours. 3 graduate hours. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 if topic varies. Prerequisite: GGIS 379 or equivalent.
Introduces geospatial artificial intelligence (AI) methods through the lens of algorithmic fairness, environmental justice, and democratic governance. Students develop technical competency in machine learning, spatial statistics, and deep learning while critically examining how these tools can perpetuate or challenge spatial inequities. Through hands-on labs and community-engaged case studies, students learn to evaluate AI bias, implement fairness-aware algorithms, and design transparent, accountable geospatial AI systems that serve all communities equitably. 4 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: Undergraduates: GGIS 379 or instructor approval. Graduate students: GGIS 403 or instructor approval.
Students use spatial technologies and data to address issues of health. Topics include disease outbreak surveillance and response, environmental factors such as climate and socio-economic context, and the medical and other data needed to spatial analysis of health information. Application-based learning and class lectures are complemented by readings, guest lectures and class discussions. Geographic information system and global positioning system use is covered with examples drawn from public and veterinary health. Same as PATH 439. 3 undergraduate hours. 3 graduate hours. Approved for Letter and S/U grading. Prerequisite: An introductory statistics course such as ACE 261, HK 209, ECON 202, SOC 280 or equivalent.
Review of methods for extracting quantitative and qualitative information from aerial photographs using computer-based techniques and visual interpretation. The first part of the course will cover basic photogrammetry and mapping. The second part will focus on interpretation of physical, biological, and cultural features. Same as NRES 460. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: Knowledge of trigonometry and basic physical geography (GGIS 103 or equivalent).
Examination of recent trends in human and physical geography. Themes include empiricism, logical positivism, regionalism, Marxism, realism, phenomenology, and postmodernism as applied to geographic research. Emerging geographic literature is explored to identify the latest conceptual developments. 4 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Instruction and practice in the basic techniques of map making followed by a consideration of problems involved in the construction of maps for presentation in a reproduced form (i.e., printed, photographed); the selection of proper source materials for the base and body of the map, the compilation and correlation of these materials, and methods of mechanical and photographic reproduction. 4 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: GGIS 379 or consent of instructor.
Fundamentals of energy-matter interaction mechanisms, and the manifestation of reflected and emitted radiation on photographs and images; introduces characteristics of aerial films and filters, electro-optical scanners, and digital processing; and emphasizes applications in environmental problems. Same as NRES 477. 3 undergraduate hours. 3 graduate hours. Prerequisite: GGIS 280 or STAT 100 or equivalent, or consent of instructor.
Explores special topics not covered in regularly scheduled Geography courses. 3 or 4 undergraduate hours. 3 or 4 graduate hours. May be repeated if topics vary in the same term to a maximum of 9 undergraduate hours or 12 graduate hours or in separate terms to a maximum of 12 undergraduate hours or 12 graduate hours.
Existing climate variability and likely climate change call for policies to protect vulnerable people who make their livelihoods in a changing environment. Students will explore: 1) causes of climate related stress and disaster; 2) theories of vulnerability and adaptation; 3) practices and policies designed to reduce economic loss, hunger, famine and dislocation in the face of climate trends and events. Focus on multiple policy scales affecting poor and marginal populations, who are disproportionately vulnerable when facing climate stress, drawing on case examples primarily from the developing world. Same as ATMS 446 and SOC 451. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Intended to introduce students to high-performance geospatial computing using python to resolve computational bottlenecks and produce faster and scalable solutions. Students will learn how to use Python on high-performance and parallel computing architecture. Specifically, NumPy, SciPy, Numba, and Cython will be covered to optimize and speed up geospatial computation. Students will use CyberGISX as the primary learning environment, and be expected to learn how to develop such notebooks to address computational challenges in solving geospatial problems. By the end, students will have gained solid knowledge of common Python tools for developing high-performance geospatial computing solutions that can be applied to many applications. Prerequisite: GGIS 407 or equivalent.
The field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made significant progress in recent years, and a number of AI algorithms have even surpassed human ability at tasks such as computer vision, natural language processing and machine translation. The intersection of AI and geospatial analysis is creating massive and unprecedented opportunities for knowledge discovery and innovative applications. A growing number of Geospatial AI and machine learning applications have emerged in a diverse set of disciplines such as geography and geographic information science, agriculture, business, economics, sustainable development, and urban planning. In this course, students will learn a variety of Geospatial AI and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms (e.g., decision trees, and support vector machine) and tools that allow us to investigate and identify patterns, clusters, classes, and anomalies based on various types of geospatial data. The course will include extensive hands-on interactions with geospatial data and applications based on cutting-edge AI and ML techniques. Prerequisite: GGIS 407 or equivalent.
Independent research project or thesis topic development to be supervised by Geography & GIS faculty advisor. May be repeated in separate semesters. After passing the Preliminary Exam, PhD candidates should register for GGIS 599: Thesis Research instead of this course.
Weekly research presentations by invited speakers and Geography & GIS PhD students on a wide range of topics. Required for all GGIS graduate (excluding PSM) students. 0 graduate hours. 0 professional hours. Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated in separate terms.
Advanced study of current research in social geography; topic will vary from term to term. Prepares students for thesis and dissertation research through the study of relevant literature and completion of a research paper. May be repeated up to 8 hours, if topics and instructor vary.
Graduate-level exploration of a topic in Geography & GIS that is not covered by an existing course. Topics and instructors vary by semester. Approved for Letter and S/U grading. May be repeated if topics vary.
Major individual project that demonstrates the student's ability to solve an advanced geospatial problem or develop a GIS-based application. Student will work closely with a faculty capstone advisor to determine the project focus and expected outcome(s).
Individual research under supervision of members of the faculty in their respective fields. Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated in separate terms.