Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

This course is designed to offer an introduction to the technology and applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). It is intended to make the students familiar with the functionality of GIS before offering a deeper background on GIS theory and applications in subsequent courses (GGE 4423 or GGE 5403; also available online). Special effort will be given to make the course project customized to the student’s area of study to ensure the value of the GIS technology in application domains of their interest is highlighted.

No previous background in GIS technology is required, so students from Engineering, Forestry, Arts, Biology, Education and other faculties with interest in GIS are welcome to register for this course. This course requires the use of ArcGIS Pro (system requirements).

Instructor: Emmanuel Stefanakis (please contact the instructor if you need an up-to-date syllabus)
Prerequisite: MATH 1503 or equivalent introduction to matrices and systems of linear equations; or permission of the instructor.

Why take this course?

 By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• integrate data from various data sources in a Geospatial Information System (GIS);
• manage and analyze geospatial data to generate useful information to support real-world applications;
• create map products and web-based geovisualizations to communicate your message with end-users;
• design and implement a complete GIS project; and 
• acquire a technical training in a commercial GIS software package.

Course details

Students have six months from the registration date to complete the course. All course exams and/or assignments must be completed by the designated end date.

Assignments and examinations

• 6 x Lab Assignments (5% each)
• 1 x Exercise Assignment (10%)
• 1 x Course Project (30%)
• 1 x Final Exam (30%)

Textbook

This course has an optional textbook authored by the instructor. Access the content and order details.

CBEPS Candidates

Successful completion of the two online courses GGE3423 - Introduction to GIS, and GGE4423 - Advanced GIS, offer exemption for the examination of two syllabus items C5 - Geographic Information Systems, and E1 - Spatial Databases and Land Information Systems to CBEPS (The Canadian Board of Examiners for Professional Surveyors) candidates. Learn more about exemptions here.

Fees and payments

There is a $150 non-refundable/non-transferable online fee per course in addition to applicable tuition & fees. Learn more about tuition and fees and methods of payment.

System requirements

This course requires the use of ArcGIS Pro.

A windows-only program, please ensure that your computer is suitable for installation. Learn more about the minimum system requirements.

Note: Mac users can still install ArcGIS desktop on their computer using BootCamp or a virtual machine (VM) such as Parallels.