GIS for Climate Data Analysis

GIS for Climate Data Analysis will provide a foundation for understanding and applying spatial analysis and modeling with GIS and Climate Data. This course is focused on a rigorous look at the analysis of climate data in different contexts through a combination of lectures, labs, applied assignments, and a final project. Underlying all of the analyses will be the goal of learning how to apply spatial statistical and data visualization techniques to inform decision-making. The course exercises will illustrate the research process life cycle from data collection to publication preparation.  

Students will explore concepts, tools, and techniques of GIS modeling and review and critique modeling applications used in a variety of contexts. The course will also offer students the opportunity to design, build and evaluate their own spatial analysis models. The course will cover both vector and raster-based methods of analysis.  

We will draw examples from a wide range of applications in climate data analysis, use of satellite earth-observation (EO) data, climate risk assessment, climate data visualization, and how EO data are collected and used to map the spatial and temporal dimensions of climate and environmental change. Hands-on work will introduce students to a wide range of EO data – such as Sentinel, Landsat, and PlanetScope – and scripting in Python, (e.g., to build new data sets or map climate hazards and risks to support climate adaptation and decision-making).