Courses

SIE 501 Introduction to Graduate Research

Covers process of successful graduate research from identification of a researchable question, preparation of a thesis proposal, to completion or the research and its publication. Focus on engineering research methods for spatial information. Credits: 1

SIE 502 Research Methods

Covers process of successful graduate research, including the written and verbal presentation of plans and results. Students formulate hypotheses, perform a literature search, write abstracts and introductions of research papers, learn about presentation styles and techniques, make two presentations (3-minutes and 10-minutes) about research proposals. Lec 1. Credits: 1

SIE 505 Formal Foundations of Geographic Information Science

Increases student's understanding of the approach to geographic information systems and science by formalisms. Draws on mathematics to increase familiarity with formal syntax and language, develops understanding and technical ability in handling classical and discrete geometric and topological structures relevant to spatial reasoning. Includes a review of fundamental material on set theory, functions and relations, and logic (propositional and predicate calculi); examines variety of algebraic structures, geometries, and topologies for spatial theories. Credits: 3

SIE 509 Principles of Geographic Information Systems

Covers foundation principles of geographic information systems, including traditional representations of spatial data and techniques for analyzing spatial data in digital form. Combines an overview of general principles associated with implementation of geographic information systems and practical experience in the analysis of geographic information. Not open to those who have taken SIE 271. Credits: 3

SIE 510 Geographic Information Systems Applications

Introduces both conceptual and practical aspects of developing GIS applications. Covers application areas from natural resourse planning cthrough transportation, cadastral and land information systems and their spatial modeling requirements, and application development from requirement analysis to database design and implementation. Credits: 3

SIE 512 Spatial Analysis

Introduces students to techniques for spatial analysis. Covers methods and problems in spatial data sampling, issues in preliminary or exploratory analysis, problems in providing numerical summaries and characterizing spatial properties of map data and analysis techniques for univariate and multivariate data. Students will be responsible for completing several hands-on exercises. Credits: 3

SIE 525 Information Systems Law

Current and emerging status of computer law in electronic environments: rights of privacy, freedom of information, confidentiality, work product protection, copyright, security, legal liability; impact of law on use of databases and spatial datasets; legal options for dealing with conflicts and adaptations of law over time. Credits: 3

SIE 526 Cadastral and Land Information Systems

Colonial Spanish, English, French land records traditions and alternatives reviewed; goals and purposes of land tenure systems with attention to social, political, legal, economic, organizational, technical issues examined; U.S. modernization efforts and problems of developing countries explored. (Offered alternate years.) Credits: 3

SIE 534 Digital Image Processing

Introduction to image processing and analysis techniques suitable to the processing of close-range, aerial or space-borne sensor data. Topics include elements of digital image processing and analysis systems; image digitization, quantization and sampling; geometric operations; image enhancements pint operations and filtering; transformations in spatial and frequency domains; image segmentation and feature extraction; automated information extraction and incorporation in information systems. Lec 2, Lab 1. Credits: 3

SIE 535 Motion Imagery Analysis

Topics covered in this course include: video and still digital cameras; radiometric and geometric calibration; image and video compression; image and video indexing and retrieval; image queries; image sequence analysis; spatiotemporal trajectories and feature tracking; object modeling using video imagery; virtual modeling. Credits: 3

SIE 536 Remote Sensing

Image formation, B&W and color film, cameras, panchromatic, multispectral and radar imagery, principles of stereoscopic viewing and measurement, orientations, aerotriangulation, matching, orthophotography, accuracy and reliability of image measurements, satellite programs, term project. Lec 2, Lab 1. Credits: 3

SIE 539 Statistics for Spatial Information Engineering

Develops fundamental knowledge of statistical analysis of engineering data, with emphasis on geospatial applications. Covers propagation of random errors and variance-covariance, adjusting geospatial observations through various stochastic models, combining observations and conditions among parameters, proceeding with sequential solutions in the presence of steady information flow, modeling and communicating uncertainty in information systems, devising statistical tests. Lec 2, Lab 1. Credits: 3

SIE 550 Engineering Databases and Information Systems

Theoretical foundation for the representation of knowledge in information systems and logic-based programming as a tool for fast prototyping. Object-oriented modeling and database schema design for engineering applications. Database management systems and their suitability for engineering data, transaction concepts and query languages, including SQL. Graduate credit will not be allowed for both SIE 451 and SIE 550. Credits: 3

SIE 554 Spatial Reasoning

Qualitative representations of geographic space. Formalisms for topological, directional and metric relations; inference mechanisms to derive composition tables; geometric representations of natural language-like spatial predicates; formalizations of advanced cognitively motivated spatial concepts, such as image schemata; construction of relation algebras. Credits: 1 or 3

SIE 555 Spatial Database Systems

Covers internal system aspects of spatial database systems. Layered database architecture. Physical data independence. Spatial data models. Storage hierarchy. File organization. Spatial index structures. Spatial query processing and optimization. Transaction management and crash recovery. Commercial spatial database systems. Credits: 3

SIE 556 Information System Architecture

Covers aspects of data sharing and computation in centralized and distributed information system environments. Communication network protocols; layered architecture of distributed information systems; types of distributed system architectures; name spaces, data replication, and caching; inter-process communication, scalability and performance of distributed information systems; middleware; open distributed information systems; interoperability aspects. Data dissemination, and emerging distributed information systems. Credits: 1 or 3

SIE 560 Spatio-Temporal Data Modeling

Introduces concepts necessary for designing and using a spatio-temporal information system. Covers formal models of time, conceptual models of time, fundamentals of temporal databases spatio-temporal database systems, spatio-temporal querry languages, event-based modeling and the visualization of temporal data. Credits: 1 or 3.

SIE 565 Reasoning With Uncertainty in Spatial Information Systems

Information systems and artificial intelligence approaches to uncertainty handling in spatial information systems. Typology of uncertainty: imprecision, inaccuracy and inconsistency. Representing and reasoning with spatial uncertainty in information systems. Logics of uncertainty, probabilistic and Bayesian approaches, Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence. Spatial vagueness. Handling conflicting information. Credits: 3

SIE 589 Graduate Project

Directed study on a particular spatial information science topic and implementation of a related project. Credits: 3

SIE 598 Selected Studies in Spatial Information Engineering

Topics in surveying, photogrammetry, remote sensing, land information systems and geodesy. Content varies to suit current needs. May be repeated for credit. Credits: 1-3

SIE 693 Graduate Seminar

Presentations and discussions on term projects, literature reviews, current events, or thesis topics. Lec 1. Credits: 1

SIE 698 Selected Topics

Advanced topics in surveying, photogrammetry, remote sensing, land information systems, and geodesy. May be repeated for credit. Credits: 1-3

SIE 699 Graduate Thesis

None. Credits: Ar