CP6551 - Spatial Analysis of Socioeconomic Data

Course Description

This course assumes the material presented in Introduction to Geographic Information Systems, which is a required prerequisite. Spatial Analysis of Socioeconomic Data considers the spatial distribution of human activity patterns. It begins with a detailed consideration of geocoding and address matching, the primary mechanisms for the spatial location of human activities. It then addresses spatial accumulation in traditional terms of discrete areas with boundaries. Next is consideration of spatial interpolation and the 2 1/2 dimensional representation of human activities using raster surfaces and triangulated irregular networks. The final two sections of the course discuss the primary sources of demographic data and employment data, and their use in spatial analysis.

Mode

The course is primarily lecture, with about one half of the classes including directed, interactive, hands-on working sessions. labs.

Grading

Grades are based upon a series of three papers that address (1) a technical topic related to GIS data structures for human activity data, (2) a data topic related to metadata development for human activity data, and (3) an application topic that integrates human activity data into a broader spatial analysis.

Texts

The main textbooks is David Martin's Geographic Information Systems and Their Socioeconomic Applications.

Lecture Schedule