Course Description

Application of GIS tools, analysis techniques, and geospatial data to natural resource management and ecology. Students develop an understanding of data and tools available to conduct geospatial analyses with specific applications to natural resource and ecology fields, and apply their new skills to address real-world problems.

Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will complete the course project individually, will be expected to address a research question and will be required to submit a written final paper in addition to the oral presentation. For exams and assignments, graduate students will be given additional questions.

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Athena Title

GIS Apps Nat Res and Ecology

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Equivalent Courses

Not open to students with credit in FANR 5620E or FANR 7620E

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Non-Traditional Format

Students will interactively work through two one-hour lectures with the course instructor and complete separate laboratory assignments to build on these skills each week.

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Prerequisite

FANR 3800 or GEOG 4370/6370-4370L/6370L or GEOG 4370E/6370E or LAND 4231/6231

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Semester Course Offered

Offered spring

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Grading System

A - F (Traditional)

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Student learning Outcomes

• By the end of this course, students will understand the basics of viewing and interacting with geospatial data of various formats including vector, raster, and tabular data common in natural resource management and ecological research.
• By the end of this course, students will be able to demonstrate the use of geospatial analysis techniques for vector, raster, and tabular data common in natural resource management and ecological research.
• By the end of this course, students will be able to apply their knowledge and skills to gather the data and develop a workflow to analyze a real-world conservation, ecological, or management problem.

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Topical Outline

• Geographic information systems introduction, data models, file types, and common data themes
• Working with vector data
• Querying vector data and tables to explore attributes and spatial coincidence
• Joins and Relates: joining tables together by a common field
• Topological overlays: proximity and overlaying vector layers
• Using ModelBuilder and Python to string together commands
• Coordinate systems: datums and projections
• Georeferencing an image
• Generating spatial data from points, GPS data, and heads-up digitizing of aerial photographs
• Working with raster data
• Raster analysis methods (local, focal, zonal, global, specialized)
• Single Raster Operations (e.g., density, reclassify, distance, focal, RegionGroup)
• Multiple Raster Operations (e.g., Combining grids using + and *; COMBINE; change analysis)
• Focal Analysis (e.g., Finding the amount of habitat within a home range area)
• Zonal Analysis (e.g., how much habitat is within protected areas)
• Integrating vector and raster data and analysis
• Map Algebra and Raster Calculator
• Specialized Tools (e.g., Interpolation, Kriging, Home Range delineation, watershed delineation)

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Institutional Competencies Learning Outcomes

Analytical Thinking

The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.

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Syllabus

Select Faculty / Instructor to download syllabus:   Cymerman, Jeffrey

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Public CV

Select a file to download:   FANR5620_Cymerman_CV.pdf

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