OSHR 1501 - Geotechnology - Beyond Mapping

Noncredit NEW

Delivery/Location: Fort Collins

This course is offered through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Colorado State University.

Have you ever wondered about how Global Positioning System s(GPS) works? ...Or how to access satellite imagery of the world? ...Or how farmers use auto-steer to guide their tractors and apply fertilizers that vary "on-the-fly"as they move throughout a field? ...Or how to automatically link photos and video to their precise maps locations? This course will provide participants with the basic concepts and procedures of an emerging 21st century field that promises to forever change how we use and visualize maps.

This course has been offered for several years at the University of Denver's nationally recognized "Making of a Scientist" Academy for selected, high-caliber high school students from throughout the United States.

Class sessions include:

  • Internet Mapping: Learn about acquiring maps and satellite images from the Internet, such as Google Earth, and embed the graphics into documents,
  • Map Analysis: Develop and implement the spatial reasoning for determining wildlife habitat suitability based on fundamental "map-ematical" principles of spatial modeling, "treasure hunt,"
  • Multimedia Mapping: Construct an interactive map linking the photos you take to base maps and aerial photos,
  • Exporting: Learn how to export your media map for interactive viewing on the Internet.

Noncredit courses do not produce academic credit nor appear on a Colorado State University academic transcript.

Instructors

Dr. Joseph Berry

Dr. Joseph Berry is a leading consultant and educator in the application of Geographic Information Systems technology. Since 1989, he has written the "Beyond Mapping" column for GeoWorld magazine. Dr. Berry has written numerous papers on the theory and application of map analysis techniques. In addition, he is the author of the popular books Beyond Mapping (Wiley, 1993), Spatial Reasoning (Wiley, 1995) and Map Analysis (GeoTec Media, 2007).

Since 1976, he has presented college courses and professional workshops on geospatial technology to thousands of individuals from a wide variety of disciplines. Dr. Berry taught courses in GIS for twelve years at Yale University's Graduate School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and is currently a Visiting Scholar in Geosciences at the University of Denver.