Geographic Information Systems in the GSD

Geographic Information Systems in the Design School

The Graduate School of Design (GSD)is home to Harvard's graduate programs in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Design and Urban Planning. Each of these endeavors, whether in an academic or a professional setting are very information intensive. The work of designers and planners amounts, in large measure, to these information processing activities:

Designers and Planners

Collect, organize and analyze information as a means of understanding projects and their context
Create new information by combining existing information with ideas or with other information
Select, transform, present and explain information in order to instruct, persuade and lead.
Share information with colleaques, clients and critics to better collaborate and participate as a member of a team or society.

Our work is oriented toward improving the built environment. Each term, every GSD student whatever their program, is concerned with how a geographical site, its context and associated spatial processes relate to one-another in space and over time. Paper maps, statistical digests and physical models have always been important tools for designers seeking to understand the context of projects. In the past decade, digital media and the internet have come to replace paper maps as the primary means of recording and sharing contextual information. At the same time, the quantity and diversity of spatial information available to designers has increased tremendously. Part of the challenge of design research and education is understanding what might be learned from all of these new information sources -- how do they affect our ways of understanding places: developing new ideas, communicating, collaboration? Information technology has changed the environment for design and the opportunities and expectations for design practice and scholarship.

The GSD has an important place in the history of the development of today's ubiquitous technology for spatial representation and analysis, and their application in design curriculum. Many of today's pioneers of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were associated the GSD's Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis (LCGSA) between 1965 and 1989, and many of the fundamental data and software models for GIS were developed here. For more information about the history of GIS at the GSD, see Nicholas Chrisman's 2006 book, Mapping The Unknown: How Computer Mapping Became GIS at Harvard. Though the LCGSA has disbanded, the geographic information systems remain imbedded in the GSD's curriculum and infrastructure.

In keeping with the mission of the Harvard Design School to prepare designers to lead in an information infused future, we maintain an excellent facility for learning about and using digital spatial data and geographic information systems. While at the GSD, all students have access to the finest software resources for working with spatial data; a great and growing collection of detailed place-based information. We pride ourselves on our technical documentation and instruction regarding: compilation and sharing place-based information; transformation of spatial data and ideas into useful logical models; development and communication of ideas through maps and broad-scale 3d Models. For more information on these subjects explore the links on the left side of this page.

We hope that by maintaining an excellent environment for developing, transforming and sharing information about places, our students will have every opportunity to learn how to use geographic information effectively and responsibly; and our graduates will uphold high standards for information management in their own firms, agencies and communities.

Paul Cote
Geographic Information Systems Specialist
Harvard University Graduate School of Design




	Geographic Information Systems (+/-) Geographic Information Systems in the Design School Getting Started With ArcGIS at the GSD GIS Software Manuals GIS Courses at the GSD Links for GSD GIS Fans Data Resources (+/-) GIS Data Resources GSD Data Collection Downloading US Census Data: 2000 - 1970 US Business Directory Digital Elevation Models Sources of Geographic Images Data Handling (+/-) Understanding GIS Data, Metadata and Schema ArcMap 101: Exploring Peoria Data Beginning a GIS Database Concepts of Geographical Referencing Systems Why Don't My Layers Line Up? AKA: ArcMap Projections Tutorial Georeferencing Scanned Maps and CAD Data Reclassifying Data with Lookup Tables Converting GIS Layers to DXF Geocoding Clipping an Ocean Polygon Effective Cartography (+/-) Elements of Cartographic Style Basic Cartography in ArcMap Mapping with Quantitative Data About Mapping Census Data Mapping Census Data Tutorial Analytic Techniques (+/-) Modeling What's Important A Development Buildout Model Real Estate Tutorial Guidelines for Documenting Models Mastering Relational Procedures in ArcMap Vector GIS Procedures in ArcMap Vector GIS Procedures in ArcMap (08 Version) Raster GIS Procedures in ArcMap Classifying Satellite Images Designing for Visibility Zakem Bridge View Corridors Evaluating Development Scenarios Topographic Modeling in 3D (+/-) Experimenting with Zoning Dimensional Regulations in 3d A rough Understanding of 3D Site Context with ArcGlobe Graphics and Animation in ArcGlobe Basic Terrain Modeling (ArcGIS) Experimenting with Massing Scenarios in SketchUp Beginning a 3d Site Model in SketchUp Good Site Model Structure in Sketchup Interchanging 3D Data between ArcGIS and 3dStudio Topographic Modeling in FormZ (+/-) FormZ 101: A Field of Dreams Modeling Terrain with Contours and Surfaces (formZ) Modeling Surfaces with Mapped Images (formZ) Analytical Graphics from 3-D Site Models (formZ) Metropolitan Scale 3d Models (+/-) The Boston Virtual City Collective Retrieving Scenarios from the Metropolitan Model Repository Creatning Historic and Future Scenarios Studying Urban View Corridors Integrating Administrative CAD Data, GIS and Google Earth Export NYC Data to Sketchup
				Geographic Information Systems in the Design School The Graduate School of Design (GSD)is home to Harvard's graduate programs in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Design and Urban Planning. Each of these endeavors, whether in an academic or a professional setting are very information intensive. The work of designers and planners amounts, in large measure, to these information processing activities: Designers and Planners Collect, organize and analyze information as a means of understanding projects and their context Create new information by combining existing information with ideas or with other information Select, transform, present and explain information in order to instruct, persuade and lead. Share information with colleaques, clients and critics to better collaborate and participate as a member of a team or society. Our work is oriented toward improving the built environment. Each term, every GSD student whatever their program, is concerned with how a geographical site, its context and associated spatial processes relate to one-another in space and over time. Paper maps, statistical digests and physical models have always been important tools for designers seeking to understand the context of projects. In the past decade, digital media and the internet have come to replace paper maps as the primary means of recording and sharing contextual information. At the same time, the quantity and diversity of spatial information available to designers has increased tremendously. Part of the challenge of design research and education is understanding what might be learned from all of these new information sources -- how do they affect our ways of understanding places: developing new ideas, communicating, collaboration? Information technology has changed the environment for design and the opportunities and expectations for design practice and scholarship. The GSD has an important place in the history of the development of today's ubiquitous technology for spatial representation and analysis, and their application in design curriculum. Many of today's pioneers of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were associated the GSD's Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis (LCGSA) between 1965 and 1989, and many of the fundamental data and software models for GIS were developed here. For more information about the history of GIS at the GSD, see Nicholas Chrisman's 2006 book, Mapping The Unknown: How Computer Mapping Became GIS at Harvard. Though the LCGSA has disbanded, the geographic information systems remain imbedded in the GSD's curriculum and infrastructure. In keeping with the mission of the Harvard Design School to prepare designers to lead in an information infused future, we maintain an excellent facility for learning about and using digital spatial data and geographic information systems. While at the GSD, all students have access to the finest software resources for working with spatial data; a great and growing collection of detailed place-based information. We pride ourselves on our technical documentation and instruction regarding: compilation and sharing place-based information; transformation of spatial data and ideas into useful logical models; development and communication of ideas through maps and broad-scale 3d Models. For more information on these subjects explore the links on the left side of this page. We hope that by maintaining an excellent environment for developing, transforming and sharing information about places, our students will have every opportunity to learn how to use geographic information effectively and responsibly; and our graduates will uphold high standards for information management in their own firms, agencies and communities. Paul Cote Geographic Information Systems Specialist Harvard University Graduate School of Design