PSCI310 Introduction to Geographical Information Systems (3 cr.)

This course introduces the basic concepts of geographical informational systems, including purpose, hardware, software, and applications to the law enforcement community.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Understand the nature of geographic data and fundamentals of geographic data structures as applied to crime mapping.
2. Understand the nature of geographically referenced data, because incident data can be organized by geography (location of the crime), in addition to things like offender name, time of day, and type of crime.
3. Construct simple spatial databases and perform simple spatial data analyses.
4. Communicate the results of GIS analysis through appropriate maps, documents, and web pages.
5. Demonstrate proficiency in the use of desktop GIS software.