From web-based applications like Google Maps, to automobile navigation systems, to satellite pictures of hurricanes, digital maps are widely used to display information about the Earth. This course unmasks the underlying technologies used for computer-based mapping, including Global Positioning Systems (GPS), satellite remote sensing, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). We will investigate how computers store and analyze digital maps, and see how mapping technologies can be used to address a variety of societal problems, such as analyzing the environmental impacts of urban growth, tracking the spread of a deadly disease, and planning for earthquakes and other natural disasters. Note: This course fulfills the Quantitative Literacy (GQ) requirement for students under GenEd and a Quantitative Reasoning (QA or QB) requirement for students under Core.
Students cannot receive credit for C+R PLN 0821 if they have successfully completed GUS 0821.