Natural Resource Sciences Program
NRS Optional Specializations
Applied Science Program
Entrance Requirements
Application
Process

Geographic Information Systems Specialization in
Natural Resource Sciences Graduate Program

Only available to MS candidates.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) integrate hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying virtually all forms of spatial data. GIS allows us to view, understand, explore, interpret, and visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends. GIS technology cuts across many disciplines and applications ranging from the medical profession to natural resource management.

Students specializing in GIS learn how to build geographic information systems and how to apply these systems to topics including:

  • Land-suitability modeling
  • Risk assessment
  • Decision support
  • Conservation planning
  • Landscape ecology

The GIS program area is also closely linked and integrated with the specialization in remote sensing.

Faculty Point-of-Contact

If you are interested in the Geographic Information Systems graduate specialization, please feel free to contact the following SNR faculty member:

Dr. Dan Uden

Advising Faculty

Required Courses:

  • NRES 427/827 - Introduction to the Global Positioning System (GPS) (2 cr)
  • GEOG 422/822 - Advanced Techniques in Geographic Information Systems (4 cr)
  • GEOG 432/832 - GIS Programming (3 cr)

Elective Courses:

Minimum of one course listed below and approved by the student’s advisory committee.

  • NRES 412/812 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (4 cr)
  • GEOG 427/825 - Scientific Visualization in Cartography (4 cr)
  • NRES 922 - Seminar in Geographic Information Systems (3 cr)

Additional supportive courses in Geographic Information Systems as well as remote sensing, image processing, and spatial statistics are also available through SNR and the departments of Civil Engineering, Community and Regional Planning, Computer Science and Engineering, and Statistics.

Please see our admission requirements and application procedure pages for more information about our admission and application expectations for graduate degree candidates.

Demand for persons having training in GIS has been increasing annually. There are numerous employment opportunities throughout the private, governmental, and academic sectors and across the globe. Natural resource managers, biologists, botanists, ecologists, environmental regulators, hydrologists, planners, foresters, and farmers rely on the analytical power of GIS to help make critical decisions to manage the earth's resources.

Student with Topographic

Selected Theses

Analysis of Drought-Flood Abrupt Alternation Events and Their Impacts in Kenya - Betty Makena
  • Thesis Defense
  • 07/01/2024
Under the changing climate, the frequency of compound disaster events has increased. Specifically, the alternation between droughts and floods has become predominant globally. At least 11% of global droughts have been followed by at least one flood event. Drought-Flood Abrupt Alternation (DFAA) is a compound disaster event that refers to the abrupt shift of extreme drought events to extreme floods resulting in exacerbated impacts on already vulnerable communities and hindering their coping abilities. This study aimed to analyze drought-flood abrupt alternation events and their impacts in Kenya. The first chapter aimed to understand historical drought events in the Greater Horn of Africa and their impacts, while drawing comparisons with the recent 2020-2022 drought period, referred to as the ‘triple dip La Niña’. Datasets used in this study include the Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, soil moisture, and crop yield data to conduct spatial-temporal analyses of drought conditions and their impacts. The second chapter aimed to analyze the abrupt shift between drought and floods in Kenya. The Long Cycle Drought-Flood Abrupt Alternation Index (LDFAI) was used to analyze DFAA events from 1982 to 2024. In addition, DFAA events were integrated with impact and crop yield data. The results indicated a decrease in the intensity but increased frequency of drought events, resulting in increased drought impacts compared to historical high-magnitude drought events. The study also identifies two types of abrupt shift events: Drought to Droughts (DTD) and Drought to Floods (DTF). DTF events have been predominant in the last century where since 2012 there have been nine DTF events resulting to reduced crop yields. The insight from this study aims to advance understanding of climate change dynamics and offer valuable guidance in updating existing disaster early warning information to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate disasters. 

Various Research Projects