This course introduces students to the theory of Geographic information Science (GIScience) and practice of Geographic Information System (GIS). While GIScience seeks to understand the nature of geographic phenomena and the value of geographic information, GIS is a set of powerful tools for handling, manipulating and representing spatial data.  The course will have both theoretical and practical components. During lectures, students will learn about GIS as a science and explore the underlying concepts and theory to better understand how to use GIS technology for geographic inquiry. The emphasis will be placed on issues surrounding data capture, representation and manipulation as well as on spatial analysis and effective visualization and communication of spatial information. The practical component will reinforce GIS concepts through hands-on exercises using commercial GIS software. These exercises will allow students to acquire, evaluate, prepare and edit data for analysis as well as analyze and visualize geographic processes, relationships, and patterns. 

Throughout this course, students will build a strong theoretical foundation and develop technical skills that they can apply in a wide variety of fields such as social and environmental sciences, resource management, forestry, agriculture, geology, waste management, environmental monitoring, waste management, crime analysis, health care, transportation, telecommunication, and business.