The DIGIT Lab offers advanced GIS courses to the students at the University of Alabama. These courses are the core courses in our GIS curricula. We strongly encourage those who want to pursue a career in GIS to take these courses.
GY 421/521 Spatial Databases (4 credits)
This course is an advanced course in the field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and covers spatial database design and management. Specifically, this course covers the following aspects: basic concepts and principles of relational and spatial databases, relational/spatial database design, entity-relationship (ER) diagram, structured query language (SQL), spatial query, data/user management, spatial indexing, etc. Meanwhile, this course also aims to help students develop some practical skills in relational and spatial databases via the use of relevant database software (e.g., PostgreSQL/PostGIS and Microsoft SQL Server) in the lab section.
GY 428/528 Web GIS (4 credits)
This course is about the use of GIS in the web environment. Specifically, this course covers the following aspects: basic concepts and principles of Web GIS, Web GIS design, Web GIS implementation, and Web GIS applications. Meanwhile, this course also aims to help students develop practical skills in Web GIS using ArcGIS products (e.g., ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Server).
GY 427/527 UAS Data Processing and Analysis (3 credits)
Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) can provide a cost-effective means to collect geospatial data for various applications. This course will focus on how to process and analyze different types of data collected by UAS. The lecture section covers different types of UAS data, flight mission planning, and relevant methods and tools for UAS data processing and analysis. The lab section will focus on how to use ArcGIS Pro and PIX4Dmapper to process and analyze different types of drone data.