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- 2023 Archives
- Scientists dig deep and find a way to accurately predict snowmelt after droughts
- Cracking the Case of Missing Snowmelt After Drought
- 2023 Esri Canada GIS Scholarship for SFU
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Daniel Murphy
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Kyle Kusack
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Matthew Taylor
- Anke Baker Wins Staff Achievement Award
- Spring 2023 Virtual Geospeaker Event with Ginger Gosnell-Myers
- CAG Paper Presentation Award - Congratulations to Alysha van Duynhoven!
- Informing & Engaging Urban Youth on Public Hearings: GEOG 363 Final Showcase
- Research Talk: Modeling Urban Wetland Complexities
- Highlight Paper: Quantifying land carbon cycle feedbacks under negative CO2 emissions
- Bright Addae winner of the 2023 SFU ECCE GIS Scholarship Award
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Jonny Cripps
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Diandra Oliver
- 2023 Geospeaker Presentation with Dr. Pauline McGuirk
- Congratulations to Our Graduates - October 2023
- Evaluating the impact of educational goals at SFU
- The Belongings of Precariously Housed People - A Report
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Takuma Mihara
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Adrienne Arbor
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Claire Shapton
- 2023 Distinguished Speaker Presentation with Dr. Deb Cowen
- Cheers to Paul Degrace and his well-earned retirement!
- 2024 Archives
- Professor Nicholas Blomley Honored with the Community-Engaged Research Achievement Award
- Graduate Students Claire Shapton and Marina Chavez Honored with the Community-Engaged Graduate Scholar Award
- Applications now open: 2024 ESRI Canada GIS Scholarship for SFU
- Associate Professor Rosemary Collard achieves 13th place on SFU Altmetric List
- The PEAK feature: GSU hosts inaugural RANGE conference
- Gabrielle Wong wins First Prize in 2023 Student Learning Commons Writing Contest
- Gabrielle Wong receives Warren Gill Memorial Award
- Professor Nick Blomley receives Warren Gill Memorial Award for Community Impact
- Geography Student Union recipient of the FENV 2024 Changemaker Awards
- Senior Lecturer Tara Holland reveals the secret sauce of great teaching
- Senior Lecturer Tara Holland Receives SFU 2023 Excellence in Teaching Award
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Bright Addae
- GIS undergraduate students participate in the Canada-wide 2024 AppChallenge competition
- Senior Lecturer Andrew Perkins Receives SFU 2024 Dean's Award of Excellence in Teaching
- Congratulations to Alysha van Duynhoven, Canada's 2024 ESRI Young Scholar
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Robert Ehlert
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Stephan Nieweler
- Eugene McCann writes on "livable cities" in The Tyee
- Tiana Andjelic wins the 2024 SFU ECCE GIS Scholarship Award
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Marina Chavez
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Mia Fitzpatrick
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Lan Qing Zhao
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Tyler Cole
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Benjamin Lartey
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Olivia Nieves
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Max Hurson
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to John Sykes
- Farewell to Robert "Bob" Horsfall, Associate Professor
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to André Araújo
- SFU Geography welcomes ethnobotanist, Leigh Joseph, as professor of Indigenous geographies
- Physical Geography September: What is Physical Geography?
- Alysha Van Duynhoven communicates award-winning research at international GIS conference
- How Dr. Tracy Brennand’s visionary leadership shaped the Department of Geography - a heartfelt thank-you
- Dr. Tracy Brennand honoured with the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) Award
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Jay Matsushiba
- Human Geography October: What is Human Geography?
- MA Student Joy Russell featured on CBC Vancouver
- Human Geography October: What is Urban Worlds?
- Ajay Minhas Receives 2024 Warren Gill Award
- Dr. Nadine Schuurman featured in SFU news article on Runnability
- GIS Month: What is Geographic Information Science (GIS)?
- Thesis Defence - Congratulations to Joy Russell
- Hallway Screens Slides
- 2023 Archives
- Alumni
Why Study GIS?
Interested in learning how spatial data can be used to support emergency planning, help design transportation systems, or track the progress of diseases?
Geographic Information Science (GIS) is a collection of scientific techniques and methodologies used to manage, analyze, interpret and communicate spatial data. It is more than just mapping; it is critical thinking to understand and solve complex issues through data. GIS professionals use geographical, statistical and computational techniques in many industries to:
- extract spatial information from a variety of datasets (including field, clinical, satellite or remotely-sensed data)
- analyze complex spatial data to make it more easily understandable
- create interactive maps and models that are accessible to a wide audience
- identify problems and propose new solutions
- contribute to public policy and decision-making
Some examples of GIS in action can be found here, here and here.
GIS Major
The GIS major gives you a full spectrum GIS foundation while allowing you to explore GIS uses in areas of your personal interest. You will learn theory, applications, and management of geospatial technologies as well as ethics and privacy related to ubiquitous spatial data and tracking.
This mix of core concepts, critical thinking and advanced technical skills this will equip you to work in a variety of GIS-related positions, addressing both social and environmental challenges. Our focus on hands-on learning enables you to fully explore how to use GIS.
GIS is used across various industries, making it a valuable skill set for your future career. Some of the fields in which GIS are commonly used include urban and land-use planning, real estate and housing, marketing, health sciences, transportation planning, tourism, resource management, forestry, ecology, environmental conservation, geotechnical work, mining, assessment of future climate impacts, coastal management, public safety and risk assessment.
A key component of the GIS Major is "choosing your own adventure." This program provides in-depth GIS knowledge and skills while giving you the flexibility to branch out into related fields to prepare you for a wide variety of career options in a data-driven world.
As a student in the GIS Major you will gain experience in:
- spatial data acquisition
- remote sensing
- spatial data analysis
- geostatistical techniques
- space-time modeling
- spatial simulation
- data visualization
- multimedia cartography
- image analysis
- spatial data privacy
- machine learning
- geovisual analytics
- CAD-GIS integration
- spatial interface technologies
- spatial computing in VR, MR and XR
Want to learn more about the work GIS professionals do?
Check out the co-op profiles for students Akmal Aslam, Akansha Vaish and Nathan Zemp.
Program Structure:
Interested in joining the program?
Contact a Geography Advisor for more information.