Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

Subject	Course No.	Credit Value
Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering	GGE 3423	Four (4) credit hours

This course is designed to offer an introduction to the technology and applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). It is intended to make the students familiar with the functionality of GIS before offering a deeper background on GIS theory and applications in subsequent courses (GGE 4423 or GGE 5403; also available online). Special effort will be given to make the course project customized to the student’s area of study to ensure the value of the GIS technology in application domains of their interest is highlighted.

No previous background in GIS technology is required, so students from Engineering, Forestry, Arts, Biology, Education and other faculties with interest in GIS are welcome to register for this course. This course requires the use of ArcGIS Pro (system requirements).

Contact the instructor to request a syllabus.

Instructor: Emmanuel Stefanakis
Prerequisite: MATH 1503 or equivalent introduction to matrices and systems of linear equations; or permission of the instructor.
Textbook: Optional textbook authored by the instructor.

What you will learn

This course is designed to help you:

• Integrate data from various data sources in a Geospatial Information System (GIS).
• Manage and analyze geospatial data to generate useful information to support real-world applications.
• Create map products and web-based geovisualizations to communicate your message with end-users.
• Design and implement a complete GIS project.
• Acquire a technical training in a commercial GIS software package.

Students have six months from the registration date to complete the course. All course exams and/or assignments must be completed by the designated end date.

Assignments and examinations

• 6 x lab assignments (5% each)
• 1 x exercise assignment (10%)
• 1 x course project (30%)
• 1 x final exam (30%)

CBEPS Candidates

Successful completion of the two online courses GGE3423 - Introduction to GIS, and GGE4423 - Advanced GIS, offer exemption for the examination of two syllabus items C5 - Geographic Information Systems and E1 - Spatial Databases and Land Information Systems to The Canadian Board of Examiners for Professional Surveyors (CBEPS) candidates. Learn more about exemptions.

System requirements

This course requires the use of ArcGIS Pro.

A windows-only program, please ensure that your computer is suitable for installation. Learn more about the minimum system requirements.

Note: Mac users can still install ArcGIS desktop on their computer using BootCamp or a virtual machine (VM) such as Parallels.

Fees and payments

There is a $150 non-refundable/non-transferable online fee per course in addition to applicable tuition & fees. Learn more about our payment options.

Apply now