The goal of this course is to demonstrate the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to aid in environmental and natural resource management. Specifically, the course will teach students necessary spatial and quantitative analysis methods to solve problems in forestry, wildlife management, watershed management, landscape ecology, and natural resources applications. This course is designed to build confidence and familiarity in students with the use of GIS technology with timely and appropriate local applications in some of the natural science fields.
At the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Find appropriate spatial data for natural resource and environmental management decision making within GIS.
- Apply hydrological modeling concepts to answer typical questions related to watershed analysis and management.
- Integrate terrestrial and aquatic wildlife information in a spatial data framework for GIS analysis.
- Analyze forest and landscape metrics to better understand terrain and management issues related to resource extraction.
To accomplish these objectives, the course will integrate lectures and a weekly structured lab session. Lectures will cover the necessary background of issues and the labs will give students the opportunity to develop GIS skills to solve spatial problems in environmental and resource management.