Bridging Knowledge and Power: GIS for Social Science Research

Background

At Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences (S4) we have established several unique training opportunities for the Brown research community. Our GIS Institute is geared towards graduate students and faculty. It is an intensive two-week agenda focused on managing, handling, and representing geographic data as well as exploratory and advanced spatial data analysis. We have hosted three successful GIS Institutes, the first in June 2006, the second in January 2007 , the third in June 2007 , the fourth in January 2008 and the fifth in June 2008. Doctoral students who complete the Institute will become S4 Fellows (for more information on the Fellows program, click here).

Purpose

The intention of the Institute is to provide training in GIS and related technology, and also give participants the opportunity to build databases and skills that will be of immediate use in their research. Each applicant is asked to provide a short description of their topic so Institute instructors and organizers can help prepare a program and data package that is tailored to each participant’s needs. Closely modeled on workshops organized by the Center for Spatially Integrated Social Sciences (CSISS) at UC Santa Barbara, S4 hopes this will be a continuing opportunity for the Brown research community to acquire skills that will help support their ongoing research activities.