Earth & Environmental Sciences

Certificate in Spatial Information Systems

Objectives

Spatial Information Systems Certificate includes instruction in the technology of acquiring, managing, analyzing, and displaying information in a spatial context. This technology is a critical component of decision-making in a wide variety of enterprises and includes Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, the Global Positioning System (GPS), and remotely sensed data from aircraft and satellites.

 

Admissions

Candidates should apply to the Graduate School as "special students". The GRE is not necessary. Those admitted into the Spatial Information Certificate program should be computer literate, with a B.S. or B.A. degree. Degree Requirements

Certificate Requirements

The following five graduate courses (15 credit hours) are required.  Courses may be transferred from other universities following Graduate School policies. The Spatial Information Systems certificate will be awarded to students completing the five courses (15 credit hours) in the program with a composite GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Geol. 5320 (Understanding GIS) introduces the concepts of Geographical Information Systems and provides students with hands-on experience using ArcView 8.x in the ArcGIS Desktop application.

Geol. 5321 (Analysis of Spatial Data) uses the entire ArcGIS suite of tools, and covers spatial data management, analysis and visualization including topological data structures, vector- and surface-analysis tools, and spatial statistics including krieging and data quality evaluation. 

Geol. 5322 (Global Positioning Systems) includes the fundamentals of geographic coordinate systems, map projections, the GPS satellite constellation, signal characteristics and processing, data analysis, and the incorporation of this data into GIS software. The accuracy and precision of the various types of GPS receivers will be compared in a series of field exercises. 

Geol. 5323 (Remote Sensing Fundamentals) addresses image acquisition, processing and interpretation, with applications to such diverse fields as urban and environmental studies, natural resources exploration and management, agriculture, meteorology, and land use classification and monitoring. Satellite images with very high spatial and spectral resolution are now available to the public; these new data sources will be reviewed and analyzed. Image data availability over the Internet will be examined. 

Geol. 5324 (Geographic Data Analysis Project) is an independent study course. After completing 12 hours of course work, students will design and carry out an advisor-approved project using spatial data.