The School of Information Sciences introduces a new track of study for graduate students – Geoinformatics. This track will provide both Master’s and post-graduate students with the knowledge in geoinformatics required for solving real-world problems. Graduates of this new track in the MSIS degree program will be able to deploy and manage geoinformation systems in industry, conduct research in geotechnologies, and pursue Ph.D. research in geoinformatics. The discipline encompasses geospatial data collection, geospatial information analysis and modeling, geospatial information systems development, implementation, and processing. Geoinformatics technologies include Geospatial Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and remote sensing.

Of the 36 credits required to obtain the MSIS degree, students interested in the track must take 12 credits in geoinformatics (or related) courses. This track offers the following courses:

INFSCI 2750: Introduction to GIS
This course introduces the student with the fundamentals of GIS. The student will become familiarized with common GIS techniques and tools used to store, manage, process, and present geospatial data. Topics covered include: geospatial databases, geospatial data integration and conversion, geospatial data structures, topology, overlay analysis, proximity analysis, buffering, and network analysis. Prerequisites: INFSCI 2610, INFSCI 2710

INFSCI 2751: Spatial Reasoning for GIS (new course)
The ability to reason about spatial objects is fundamental to understanding spatial systems. This course discusses fundamental issues in qualitative spatial reasoning, spatial languages, and spatial decision-making. Applications of spatial reasoning to be addressed in the course include problems of navigation and interface issues for GIS. Prerequisite: INFSCI 2300

INFSCI 2752: Internet-Based and Interoperable GIS (new course)
In this course, GIS development and applications for the Internet, along with issues of and solutions to interoperability in GIS, are discussed. Topics covered include: design and development of Internet-based GIS, distributed geoprocessing on Internet, interoperability in GIS, and a selection of emerging applications that are possible through Internet-based GIS. Prerequisites: INFSCI 2750

INFSCI 2753: Advanced Topics in GIS (new course)
This course covers a selection of advanced topics related to GIS, such as spatial data structures and indexing, computational geometry, spatial analysis algorithms, distributed geoprocessing, and GIS programming and software development. Prerequisites: INFSCI 2750, INFSCI 2752
For more information about the Geoinformatics track of study, contact Professor Hassan Karimi at hkarimi@mail.sis.pitt.edu. For information about admissions to the MSIS program, contact Terrance Kizina (Director of Recruitment, Admissions and Financial Aid) at tkizina@mail.sis.pitt.edu.