GIS and Spatial Analysis

Course Description

Spatial reasoning and GIS are increasingly important tools for evaluation and research in many academic disciplines and professions, including parks, recreation, tourism and sport (PRTS). This course is intended to provide MPRTSM 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: a) enhance their understanding of conceptual foundations of PRTS fields from the spatial perspective, b) make informed spatial decisions in planning and management of PRTS resources and services, and c) become intelligent users of spatial data and GIS tools in their work, study, and life.

4-H Participants explore New River State Park after a canoe trip.

Learning Objectives:

1. Define geographic information science, GIS and GPS and articulate their relevance to the PRTS fields. 
2. Describe and explain the basic concepts of spatial reasoning and spatial analysis 
3. Identify spatial data sources and acquire data relevant to the fields of PRTS 
4. Collect and integrate spatial data from various data sources  
5. Perform basic operations in GIS (ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online) 
6. Formulate meaningful spatial questions and implement a conceptual model to solve questions in a GIS environment 
7. Communicate spatial analysis results effectively with peers via different media

Reflections and Summary

The GIS and Spatial Analysis course taught by Dr. Vukomanovic was arguably my favorite course in the PRTSM Masters program because it covered material that I was unfamiliar with and helped me learn how to utilize GIS software to benefit my organization. Throughout the assignments, ArcGIS training sessions, and projects, I learned how spatial analysis can inform us of population distributions, patterns, and trends to plan and execute effective programming.

I also learned how this technology can also help us meet the needs of underserved populations and develop programs that overcome barriers related to socioeconomic status or geographic distribution, among others. Additionally, we learned how GIS software can be used to communicate data in order to inform, promote, or advocate the importance of an organization’s work.

Overall, this course equipped me with tangible skills to analyze and utilize spatial data to achieve desired outcomes for clients and our programming.

Primary Artifact: Explore the New River Story Map