CSU Geography Information Systems

GIS is the process of managing and analyzing spatial data for decision-making purposes. Data has become more and more integral in the functioning of many businesses and industries. Uses include crime mapping, urban planning, logistics, environmental issues etc.

The Graduate Certificate is a 18 hour graduate two-year sequence designed to prepare students for proficiency in the field. Students seeking admission to the certificate program are required to fulfill the general requirements for admissions to graduate programs at CSU, which includes attainment of a 3.0 GPA at the undergraduate level. In addition, students who lack at least 3 hours of introductory computer programming and 3 hours of introductory GIS may be required to make up these deficiencies. Students who have already taken some of the required courses at CSU or elsewhere are encouraged to consult the advisor. Fieldwork and internships are a key part of the program. The department has established relationships with a variety of businesses, community organizations and public agencies that hire frequently in the GIS area. For those students wishing to continue their degree program can register for one of the Master degree program including an M.A. in Geography with Geographic Information Systems Concentration. Information for this program can be found here (www.csu.edu\gsea\geography\graduate.htm).

The Geographic Information Systems Laboratory at CSU consists of 16 Windows Vista Business machines, two servers, and several printers for map output. All of these machines contain the latest ArcGIS 10.0 release and ERDAS Imagine 2011 remote sensing software. Other map composition tools, geocoding and statistics software including Corel Draw and SPSS are loaded in the laboratory. Global Positioning Systems equipment is available for use in course and project work.

Several local and regional datasets are stored in the lab and are available for research purposes. Among these datasets is a library of Landsat satellite imagery for the past three decades, IKONOS imagery of the Lake Calumet Region and several sets of census information. Other resources include the Calumet Environmental Resource Center (CERC) and the Fred Blum Neighborhood Assistance Center (NAC).