This image shows the 2001 population distribution estimate made by the US Census. This visualization was created in support of a story describing how NASA is assisting the CDC and EPA in tracking the spread of West Nile Virus.

This graduate seminar is taught in a lecture and lab exercise format. The subject matter is tailored to introduce Environmental Engineering students to the use and potential of Geographic Information Systems in their discipline. Lectures will cover the general concepts of GIS use and introduce the material in the exercises, and exercises will introduce students to the practical application of GIS.

In the The Turns of the Centuries: Everyday Life in a New England Town, 1680-1920, students learn the basic skills needed to "read" primary and secondary sources, including a broad array of documents, maps, images, and buildings, to see what they can reveal about the characteristics of everyday life in Deerfield, MA over three century turns. At the same time, they learn the historical background of each era so that the source materials will be understood in the proper context. Then, they use what they have learned to analyze the ways the town has changed since its beginning. The unit progresses chronologically through the three century turns, covering the periods 1680-1720, 1780-1820, and 1880-1920. This unit is lengthy, encompassing 15 separate lessons, some of which have many parts. However, it is designed in such a way that smaller groups of lessons can easily be extracted and used independently. Use the lessons and accompanying materials to suit your teaching needs.

This lesson plan displays records from the 1880 and 1990 census schedules showing that Laura Ingalls, Almanzo Wilder, and families of the popular Little House on the Prairie series were not mere characters but were real people. Teaching activities are included to help students learn more about the census.

" This course develops logical, empirically based arguments using statistical techniques and analytic methods. Elementary statistics, probability, and other types of quantitative reasoning useful for description, estimation, comparison, and explanation are covered. Emphasis is on the use and limitations of analytical techniques in planning practice."

Extends the computing and geographic information systems (GIS) skills developed in 11.520 to include spatial data management in client/server environments and advanced GIS techniques. First half covers the content of 11.523, introducing database management concepts, SQL (Structured Query Language), and enterprise-class database management software. Second half explores advanced features and the customization features of GIS software that perform analyses for decision support that go beyond basic thematic mapping. Includes the half-semester GIS project of 11.524 that studies a real-world planning issue.

This class uses lab exercises and a workshop setting to help students develop a solid understanding of the planning and public management uses of geographic information systems (GIS). The goals are to help students: Acquire technical skills in the use of GIS software. Acquire qualitative methods skills in data and document gathering, analyzing information, and presenting results. Investigate the potential and practicality of GIS technologies in a typical planning setting and evaluate possible applications. The workshop teaches GIS techniques and basic database management at a level that extends somewhat beyond the basic thematic mapping and data manipulation skills included in the MCP core classes (viz.11.204 and 11.220). Instead of focusing on one thematic map of a single variable, students will concentrate on more open-ended planning questions that invite spatial analysis but will require judgment and exploration to select relevant data and mapping techniques, involve mixing and matching new, local data with extracts from official records (such as census data, parcel data and regional employment and population forecasts), utilize spatial analysis techniques such as buffering, address matching, overlays use other modeling and visualization techniques beyond thematic mapping, and raise questions about the skills, strategy, and organizational support needed to sustain such analytic capability within a variety of local and regional planning settings. Students seeking graduate credit should enroll in the subject 11.520; undergraduates should enroll in the subject 11.188. The subjects meet together and have nearly identical content.