Geographic Information Science

Clark University has been a leading institution in the development of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) since its early development in the mid-1980's and is a Charter Member of the University Consortium on Geographic Information Science (UCGIS). In addition, Clark's School of Geography is the home of the IDRISI GIS and Image Processing system. Development of the IDRISI system is ongoing and provides many opportunities for students to become involved in system support and software development.

The School of Geography offers four closely linked programs of study in Geographic Information Science:

B.A. in Geography with a specialization in Geographic Information Science
Accelerated M.A. in Geography with a specialization in Geographic Information Science

M.A. in GIS for Development and Environment, jointly offered by Geography and International Development, Community and Environment (IDCE).

Ph.D. in Geography with a specialization in GIS

A broad range of courses is offered in each of the following subareas:

GIS, including geographic modeling, cartography, multi-criteria and multi-objective decision making, geodesy and spatial database development,

Remote sensing, with special emphasis on digital procedures for image classification,

Spatial analysis, including multivariate analysis, Geostatistics and spatial regression.

In all programs a strong emphasis is placed on the use of GIS as an analytical tool for responsible environmental management and as a primary medium of geographic investigation. Special expertise exists within the department on applications related to land use change modeling, vegetation monitoring, vulnerability analysis, fire modeling, decision making, uncertainty management, and international development.

Key faculty in this area are professors Ron Eastman, Gil Pontius, Sam Ratick, and John Rogan.