A Workshop on Geographic Information Systems
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this graduate-level workshop from the Department of Urban Studies and Planning on using GIS in planning and public management. Lab exercises center on open-ended planning problems rather than single-variable thematic maps, requiring students to select and combine data sources such as census records, parcel data, and regional employment and population forecasts. Coverage includes spatial analysis techniques like buffering, address matching, and overlays, along with basic database management and ArcGIS/ArcMap/ArcInfo software skills. Students also weigh the organizational and strategic requirements for sustaining GIS capability within local and regional planning agencies. The course builds on the mapping skills introduced in MIT's core planning classes 11.204 and 11.220, pushing further into judgment-based spatial analysis. Materials include assignments and lab exercises as published through MIT OpenCourseWare, free to access with no certificate offered.