Graduate-Level GIS Course in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Offered at the University of Denver

First Graduate-Level GIS Course in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Offered at the University of Denver Again in Summer 2015 — The University of Denver’s Department of Geography and the Environment and the college of professional and continuing studies, University College, offers graduate-level students an opportunity to learn about UAVs as they relate to GIS.

DENVER—This summer the University of Denver will again offer “UAV for GIS,” the first graduate-level course in the nation dealing with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) as they relate to Geographic Information Systems (GIS). An emerging technology, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are used in GIS for mapping, data collection, and high quality imagery.

A video depicting the class, with students participating in an outdoor UAV exercise, is available at https://vimeo.com/120500291.

“You always wonder what ‘the next big thing’ is going to be—well, this is it,” said Steven Hick, GIS Director and faculty member at the University of Denver. “We haven’t had something so innovative staring us in the face like this since GPS was introduced in the late 90s. This is a game changer in how we do business and data collection.”

The online course introduces GIS students to the emerging world of using UAVs in the GIS workplace for data collection and research. In addition to learning about collecting data, students will also gain skills in basic aviation, safety, and mission planning. The course culminates in an actual demo flight, during which students will participate, outside of class, in a demonstration showing how a UAV can collect data for GIS purposes.

“There is so much good that can be done with these marvels of technology; everything from precision agriculture, which could help increase crop yields, structure inspections and of course GIS. I believe the advent of UAVs is as profound as the internet was in the early 90s,” said Joe Falconer, course instructor, Pilot-in-Command, and CEO of Aerial Data Systems, a data collection company specializing in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and training.

The online course “UAV for GIS” begins June 8 and runs for ten weeks with a follow-up course on Digital Image Processing planned for the fall quarter. For more information on these courses or other programs at the University of Denver, please call 303-871-2291 or visit universitycollege.du.edu.

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University College is the award-winning provider of adult education at the University of Denver—a top 100 university as ranked by U.S. News & World Report. Offering ten-week courses online and evenings on campus for busy adults, University College has master’s degrees in ten different areas, over 30 certificates, and various lifelong learning courses. For more information, call 303-871-2291 or visit universitycollege.du.edu. For additional news and updates, subscribe to the University College blog or follow University College on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

See the video at https://vimeo.com/120500291