PRT 505: GIS and Spatial Analysis in Parks, Recreation Tourism & Sport     

Course Description:
Spatial reasoning and GIS are increasingly important tools for evaluation and research in many fields of study, including parks, recreation, tourism and sport (PRTS). This course is intended to provide masters-level students with the opportunity to increase their ability of spatial reasoning and develop basic skills of handling, evaluating and analyzing spatial data in common geographic information systems (GIS) platforms. Through this experience, students would be able to enhance understanding of conceptual foundations of PRTS fields from the spatial perspective, to make more informed spatial decisions in planning and management of PRTS resources and services, and to be intelligent users of spatial data and GIS tools for research and evaluation.

Learning Objectives:

1. Define geographic information science, GIS and GPS and articulate their relevance to the PRTS fields.
2. Describe and explain the basic concepts and typology of spatial reasoning and spatial analysis
3. Identify spatial data sources and acquire data relevant to the field of PRTS
4. Collect and integrate spatial data from various data sources (field collection, Internet, etc.)
5. Perform basic operations in GIS (ArcGIS), digital earth software (Google Earth) and widely accessible GPS units (Garmin).
6. Formulate meaningful spatial questions and implement a conceptual model to solve the questions in the GIS environment
7. Communicate spatial analysis results effectively with peers via different media

 

Reflection: Entering into this class, I had limited experience with GIS. I did have some experience creating layouts and maps. In my previous position in Chapel Hill, I would collaborate with the planning department to create to-scale maps and safety zones for special events. I had also used Google Maps to create maps of NCRPA grantees and Tournament hosts, and Google Earth and SketchUp to plot events. In this class, I was able to learn more about what GIS is and how it can be applied to Parks and Recreation. Each of the assignments helped me to learn the different aspects and capabilities of GIS tools and systems. Learning how data interacted and could be analyzed spatially with using GIS was a highlight of this class. What really made this class engaging was Dr. Leung’s genuine excitement and passion for the subject, it helped make the classes lively and interesting, and Dr. Leung was always willing to answer questions and dive deeper into the subject and demonstrate examples.