Nearly every topic imaginable associated with natural resource management has some spatial or geographic context. This course aims to develop spatial thinking through the use of geographic information system (GIS) tools. Understanding how the elements of geography, mapping, and database management connect to the physical world is key to answering questions related to “where” and “what”. The relative location of features (where) and their properties or attributes (what) can be overlain, combined, and analyzed to tell a richer story beyond simple facts.
Topics Covered will include: Map and compass use, introductory aerial photograph interpretation, Public Land Survey System of the US, map projections and coordinate systems, geospatial data sources and data collection, use of Global Positioning System (GPS) for data collection and navigation, basic database design, spatial and tabular data analysis, basic cartographic techniques and map layout, and examples of GIS use in the natural and physical sciences.
