INFS 4630 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems provides the students with an overview of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and their use. The strength of GIS is its spatial modeling capability built upon database functionalities combined with an interactive graphical user interface. The course introduces GIS from its roots in computer cartography, and covers the issues of numerical representations, data structures, and file formats in handling and presenting map information, leading to the use of geospatial databases and spatial analysis as well. The technologies used in making digital maps will be discussed, along with the critical reasoning about design and implementation issues in GIS. The students will get a glimpse of the wide range of GIS applications. The course is conducted primarily by lectures, with discussion. There will be substantial lab and project work to get the hands-on experience in GIS applications

Prerequisite: STAT2110