Geographic Information Science (GIS) plays an essential role in managing spatial data and conducting spatial analysis. It helps spatial analyzer to answer spatial questions related to patterns, process, context, and optimization. In the course, we develop the awareness of the foundation of spatial data, understand the optimal approaches in the decision-making process for different research purpose, and visualize the spatial results. In the class, we explore the spatial analysis from three different perspectives: Landscape ecology, health geography, and crime analysis. 

Landscape ecology

Landscape ecology is the study of how landscape structure affects the abundance and distribution of organisms. The landscape structure includes abiotic patterns and processes such as soil type, lake chemistry, fire, and weather events, it also contains biotic patterns and processes such as the births, death, migration and species interaction. Rather than a traditional ecological approach in which the geography is removed from the analysis, landscape ecology emphasizes the effect of geography.

Health geography

Health geography studies the role of place, space, and community in shaping health outcomes and health care delivery. Disease ecology, health care delivery, and environment and health are three main themes in health geography. The disease ecology analyzes the spatial distribution of meteorological, biological as well as cultural phenomena and social, political and economic barriers that linked to infectious disease, Health care delivery includes the spatial patterns of health care provider and patient behaviors and tries to explain the inequalities and outcomes behind the spatial model. Environment and health is a focus on the impacts of environmental risks (i.e., contamination) on health outcomes. 

Crime analysis

Crime analysis focuses on the trend correlation of crime patterns to assist the operational and administrative personnel. It supports departmental functions including patrol development, special operations, tactical units, investigations, planning and research, crime prevention and administrative services. Environmental criminology is supported by criminological theories including routine activity theory, social disorganization theory, rational choice, and broken windows theory.