Map the Present, Predict the Future – Urban Studies 361

– Are CPS school closings happening disproportionately in poorer neighborhoods?
– Where is there a population base that would support my new business?
– Where would vampires prefer to rent in Chicago??

If you want to answer questions like this with FACTS and DATA instead of opinions and rumors, you’ll want to understand GIS. GIS (Geographic Information System) is a broad term that encompasses cartography and geospatial analysis- answering questions with data that have a geographic component.

Knowledge of GIS will serve you well in your future studies, and is one of the software applications that employers in MANY FIELDS expect to see on a resume.

Your path begins with US 361, a computer lab class that lays a solid foundation for understanding maps, data, and how to get them to work together.

So where would a vampire rent in Chicago…? If you were to make a map of parcels that show concentration of cemeteries (habitat) and late night bars (sustenance,) and a negative correlation with, say, Italian restaurants (garlic) and Catholic churches (threats), you’d be off to a good start with a defensible process (DATA) supported by a body of existing vampire literature (FACTS… more or less). -Get the idea?

Urban Studies 361. Fall2017 Tuesday-Thursday 3:30 – 4:45

Contact: clopez41@uic.edu