GIS and Spatial Analysis

Course Description:

Spatial reasoning and GIS are increasingly important tools for evaluation and research in many fields of study, including parks, recreation, tourism and sport (PRTS). This course is intended to provide masters-level students with the opportunity to increase their ability of spatial reasoning and develop basic skills of handling, evaluating and analyzing spatial data in common geographic information systems (GIS) platforms. Through this experience students would be able to enhance understanding of conceptual foundations of PRTS fields from the spatial perspective, to make more informed spatial decisions in planning and management of PRTS resources and services, and to be intelligent users of spatial data and GIS tools for research and evaluation.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Define geographic information science, GIS and GPS and articulate their relevance to the PRTS fields.

2. Describe and explain the basic concepts and typology of spatial reasoning and spatial analysis

3. Identify spatial data sources and acquire data relevant to the field of PRTS

4. Collect and integrate spatial data from various data sources (field collection, Internet, etc.)

5. Perform basic operations in GIS (ArcGIS), digital earth software (Google Earth) and widely accessible GPS units (Garmin).

6. Formulate meaningful spatial questions and implement a conceptual model to solve the questions in the GIS environment

7. Communicate spatial analysis results effectively with peers via different media

Reflection:

This class was one of the more challenging courses for me, as I do not consider my self “tech-savvy”. Many of the assignments required me to utilize the “trial and error” approach to complete. However, the detail instructions provided throughout the course allowed me to be successful with all the assignments and ultimately the class.

Society as become more and more reliant on technology to aid us in our personal and professional lives. The course demonstrated how GIS and Spatial Analysis has aided professionals in park, recreation, leisure, and sport industries. Whether it is using GPS and maps to locate parks, tracking shot selection of professional athletes, or using apps to find the best route to drive to work. There is no doubt GIS and Spatial Analysis is utilized and relied on for a multitude of purposes.