Fall 2021 Courses
All GIST courses are taught in person and remote for the Fall 2021
Current UMass Amherst students can register for courses via UWW
GIST professionals looking to continue their education can find course costs and registration listed in the links below. Depending on your situation you might need to enroll for the course through the UMass Graduate School or UMass UWW.
Please contact Dr. Forrest Bowlick with any and all questions.
GEOGRAPH 593G / DACSS 697B / NRC 585 / SPP 697B
Dr. Forrest Bowlick
GEOGRAPHY 593G serves as an introduction to Geographic Information Sci- ence (GIS). GIS is the science of spatial relationships, linking data to locations to explore relations between objects. Based in geographic thought and emerging from initial applications in natural resource management, GIS has evolved to be a universally applicable way of thinking and set of tools. Through lab work and foundational lecture, this course covers the guiding principles behind various facets of GIS including the nature of spatial data, map projections, spatial analysis, and cartographic production. By evaluating the relationship between different spatial information, you can identify the best location for new development, locate pollution point sources, find the easiest way to get from point A to point B, and develop a better understanding of the way the world interacts. The goals of this course are to teach you basic GIS concepts through practice and theory to enable you to make useful and meaningful contributions to various disciplines through spatial analysis. Throughout this course, you will be challenged to not only think spatially, but ap- ply spatial analysis techniques within GIS. (4 credits)
GEOGRAPH 604
Dr. Eve Vogel
Advanced survey of the development of theoretical and analytical approaches in geography emphasizing philosophy of science and current approaches and methodologies. Practical discussions and exercises in framing research projects, and proposal, grant, and thesis writing. Students lead discussions in their areas of specialization. Primarily for entering graduate students in Geography. (1–3 credits)
GEOGRAPH 491P/691P
Dr. Seda Şalap-Ayça
If you are a GIS user already, learning Python will expand your capabilities! In this course, you will be introduced to lots of useful Python libraries, ArcGIS Pro tools, and stand-alone scripting examples which will elevate your GIS experience. If you would like to build spatial models to automate your workflow, learn ArcPy to excel in geoprocessing, and write standalone tools to make your spatial analysis independent, this course is just right for you!
This course will explore programming methods and applications in geographic information science. Basic automation methods of repetitive or complex tasks using Model Builder and Python scripting will be explored through the lens of spatial thinking and computational thinking. Fundamentals of Python will also be explored for use inside and outside of the GIS environment. (3 credits)
ECO 602/634
Dr. Michael Nelson
The goals of this course are to teach you basic GIS concepts such as spatial data sources and structures, projections and coordinate systems, geospatial analysis, cartographic modeling, and the integration of remote sensing and GIS. By the end of the course, students will be proficient in ESRI ArcGIS software.
GEOGRAPH 626
Dr. Qian Yu
Remote sensing is the use of satellite or airborne sensors to acquire spatial information, particularly for earth observation. In Remote Sensing and Image Interpertation, we will focus on a range of concepts and techniques key to understanding how remote sensing data are acquired, displayed, restored, enhanced, and analyzed. Students will also gain hands-on experience using ITT ENVI, professional image processing software used by scientists, researchers, image analists, and GIS professionals. Includes lecture and lab. (4 credits)
GEOGRAPH 693A
Dr. Seda Şalap-Ayça
In this course, you will learn the fundamentals of cartography and map design. You will practice visual representation skills with various tools to improve the visual quality of web-based and other maps. We will critique and create appealing maps through independent design and exploration. We will understand and implement principles of good design in cartography along with understanding human vision and howit influences perception and cognition. The course will also cover the scope of contemporary thematic cartography and web mapping. You will gain hands-on experience in designing and improving web-based maps. (3 credits)
In this course, students will:
Learn the fundamentals of cartography and map design.
Become familiar with using open source tools to improve the visual quality of web-based and other maps
Create maps through independent design and exploration.
ECO 697DD
Alexander Stepanov
This course will introduce students to modern approaches in working, managing and sharing geospatial data. The course focuses on exposing students to state-of-the-art practices in retrieving/selecting, aggregating, analyzing and processing geospatial data from multiple heterogeneous sources and technologies, such as relational databases (RDBMS), spatially enabled RDBMS, NoSQL databases, file-based databases, CAD, BIM, web-services, web-APIs, XML-based spatial data, GeoJSON, KML, cloud-based repositories and open data hubs. (3 credits)