GEOG 5573: GIS in Regional Sustainability Applications

Instructor: Stacey L. Stark (e-mail address: slstark "at" d.umn.edu)

Office: 326 Cina Hall

Office Hours: by appointment only

Office Tel.: 726-7438 (please leave a message)

If you are registered for this course, you will be able to access course materials through Moodle:

http://moodle.umn.edu/

Course description
This course serves to provide students with an opportunity to explore the many applications of geographic information systems in environmental sustainability, renewable energy, and community planning for the future. Students will learn how GIS can be used to effectively carry out short term GIS projects.   Software used will be ESRI ArcGIS.

Course will follow a lecture / lab format each meeting period.  Several regional GIS projects will take place over 2 or more lab periods.  Focus will be on current topics such as energy use calculations, sustainable community development, foodshed analysis, renewable energy siting, and maps for educating public on sustainability projects in the regional area.   Several guest lectures will focus on current sustainability applications.

Course Objectives
1 - Be comfortable utilizing primary tools for GIS in sustainability in a regional context and understand when their use is appropriate (overlays, proximity analysis, network analysis, basic solar insolation and wind speed models) 

2 - Develop written, verbal, and visual skills for presenting GIS data and concepts

3 - Understanding limitations of GIS applications to resource and social problems

4 - Independently develop important geographic research questions and research approaches

The course assumes the student has some experience using GIS and is familiar with GIS principles.  Prerequisites include Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (Geog 3463), Environmental Applications of GIS (Geog 5541) or previous experience using GIS (Instructor consent).

Students will be exposed to an overview of resources, data, and tools used in regional applications while gaining hands-on experience with GIS applications.  By the end of the course, students will learn the process to carry out GIS projects, including project definition, gathering data, identifying appropriate analysis and presentation.