steffen.vogt[at]geographie.uni-freiburg.de

Specialization Option C+H I or II, Quantitative and Qualitative Methods (Governance), Electives

Managing and interpreting spatial information using Geographic Information Systems

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) refer to the collection, analysis, storage and display of data which have a spatial reference to the Earth. Geographic Information Systems have broad applications in natural and social sciences, humanities, environmental studies, engineering, and management. Examples include wildlife habitat studies, urban and regional planning, agriculture and forestry, environmental impact assessment, crime prevention, consumer and competitor analysis, and many more. Integrated into web applications, GIS is also used increasingly to display, structure and communicate information and data to the general public (e.g. FreiGIS http://www.freiburg.de/pb/,Lde/432515.html).

This course introduces the concepts and components of a GIS and teaches some essential skills of operating a functional GIS through the use of the ArcGIS software package. After providing the basic operational skills, the course will deal with selected cases of GIS application in different disciplines. By completing this course, students will understand the characteristics of spatial data, operational processes of creating and editing spatial data, integration of available spatial data and the relevance of metadata, spatial query and display, and some simple spatial analysis and modeling techniques. In a self-dependent supervised study project during  Block I and the whole Block II after the intensive course students will practice the interpretation of spatial information. “Though GIS is excellent at finding patterns and apparent relationships, the human brain is also a key element in the final product which, as so often, takes the form of words” (Gregory et al. 2009, Environmental Sciences). The course starts with an intensive course in Block I, followed by an independent study project. This course is highly recommended for students who intend to specialize or master in disciplines of the above-mentioned fields, especially Earth & Environmental Sciences – and Governance students.