Workshop Instruction

The Yale Map Collection GIS Services is proud to announce the continuation of our GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Workshops during the Fall 2007 Semester.

The workshops will be offered on most Wednesdays that university classes are in session, as facility schedules allow. All workshops will be held in the Bass Library Electronic Classroom, which is located in the Lower Level of Bass Library, Room L06a.

The GIS Workshops will include both lecture and lab sections, providing participants with basic GIS principles and concepts, as well as hands-on experience in implementing them in the ESRI ArcGIS Suite of software.

These workshops are open to faculty, staff and students in the Yale Community, but are particularly intended to expose students to GIS software & methods. Due to limited facilities, each workshop is limited to 14 people. The workshop schedule can be accessed here.

Any suggestions for additional workshops, or topics within existing workshops, are welcomed. Faculty and staff with specialized GIS Tutorial/Instruction needs are encouraged to contact Stacey Maples for consultation.

Personal/Point of Need Instruction

The GIS Service at the Map Collection provides this type of personal or point of need instruction to patrons to assist in their research. For example, if an patrons needs to learn how to georeference and image, covert coordinates, perform map algebra, convert meters to feet for a grid, summarize attribute fields, etc., the GIS Service will assist the patron in learning how to utilize these tasks for their research. Since no one person can know every task that can be done with GIS, the GIS Service may be limited to its own scope of knowledge. However, efforts will be made to help the patron figure out the best way to go about solving their GIS problem. The personal/point of need instruction service is only provided for particular tasks and will not be used to teach a whole general course. Patrons should attend one of the workshops or enroll in a Yale College GIS course or ESRI Virtual Campus course to get general overview instructions.

A reference interview is the first step to obtaining Personal Instruction. You can request an appointment through the Reference Interview Request Form.

Web Instruction

The GIS Service at the Map Collection will provide task-based instruction to Yale affiliates via the Internet or on the Yale Network as online tutorials. This program is in the process of production at the moment, but will provide access to a wide range of patrons (with a network connection) at any time. The following page lists instructions slated to be part of the online tutorials.

ESRI Virtual Campus

The Higher Education Master ArcGIS Site License Agreement for Yale stipulates unlimited seats on the ESRI Virtual Campus via the training subscription provided that the renewal fees have been paid and the contract is current. An ESRI Virtual Campus Training Subscription gives access to all asynchronous, auto-attended Virtual Campus courses authored by ESRI. This allows students, faculty, librarians, technology personnel, etc. to enroll in any one of ESRI's authorized subscription courses for GIS without any cost to them personally. A list of available courses and access to them is available through this link...

Yale College Courses

The following is a list of GIS courses that are offered by different schools at Yale. Check the Yale Course Catalog or applicable departments for availability and more information.

Biostatistics:

BIS 511 01 (13314) / GIS Applications in Epidemiology and Public Health.
Theodore Holford

The study of epidemiology often seeks to determine associations between exposure risk and disease that are spatially dependent. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are modern computer-based tools for the capture, storage, analysis, and display of spatial information. Public health applications of GIS provide cost-effective methods for evaluating interventions and modeling future trends, and they also provide a visual tool for data exploration. This class teaches the technical and design aspects of implementing a GIS project in public health, and provides students with basic tools for using GIS. Examples introduce a variety of applications in the field of epidemiology. Prerequisite: basic computer skills. Permission of instructor required.

Forestry and Environmental Studies:

F&ES 77010a, Modeling Geographic Space.
Dana Tomlin.

An introduction to the conventions and capabilities of image-based (raster) geographic information systems (GIS) for the analysis and synthesis of spatial patterns and processes. In contrast to F&ES 77011b, the course is oriented more toward the qualities of geographic space itself (e.g., proximity, density, or interspersion) than the discrete objects that may occupy such space (e.g., water bodies, land parcels, or structures). Three hours lecture, problem sets, one class project. No previous experience is required.

F&ES 77011b, Modeling Geographic Objects.
Dana Tomlin.

This course offers a broad and practical introduction to the nature and use of drawing-based (vector) geographic information systems (GIS) for the preparation, interpretation, and presentation of digital cartographic data. In contrast to F&ES 77010a, the course is oriented more toward discrete objects in geographical space (e.g., water bodies, land parcels, or structures) than the qualities of that space itself (e.g., proximity, density, or interspersion). Three hours lecture, problem sets, one class project. No previous experience is required.

F&ES 771 Applied Spatial Statistics.
Timothy Gregoire & Jonathan Reuning-Scherer

An introduction to spatial statistical techniques with computer applications. Topics include spatial sampling, visualizing spatial data, quantifying spatial association and autocorrelation, interpolation methods, fitting variograms, kriging, and related modeling techniques for spatially correlated data. Examples are drawn from ecology, sociology, public health, and subjects proposed by students. Eight to ten lab/homework assignments and a final project. Enrollment is limited to twenty-five students, with preference given to those whose research suggests analysis using spatial statistics.

F&ES 717a,b Project in Geographic Information Systems.
Faculty.

Computer Science:

CPSC 178 Visualization: Data, Pixels, and Ideas.
Holly Rushmeier

An introduction to the use of computer graphics as a medium for communication and discovery. Topics include computer graphics primitives and their association with data, relationships, and concepts to generate an image; real-time interactions with images; and the application of visualization to a variety of application domains, from science and engineering to business and the arts. Includes a section on Geographic Information Systems. No previous experience with computers necessary.

Center for Earth Observation:

ARCG362/ANTH762/F&ES506/G&G562/G&G362/ARCG762
Observing the Earth from Space.
Ronald Smith

A practical introduction to satellite image analysis of the Earth’s surface. Topics include the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, satellite-borne radiometers, data transmission and storage, computer image analysis, the merging of satellite imagery with GIS and applications to weather and climate, oceanography, surficial geology, ecology and epidemiology, forestry, agriculture, archaeology, and watershed management.
Preference to undergraduates in Geology and Geophysics, Anthropology, and Environmental Studies. Prerequisites: college-level physics or chemistry, two courses in geology and natural science of the environment or equivalents, and computer literacy.