University of Michigan students can register now for a new Fall 2017 course I am offering, Introduction to Urban Informatics (URP 535). The course description is below, please contact me with any questions.

URP 535: Introduction to Urban Informatics

Fall 2017, Tues/Thurs 1-2:30 PM, Room 2210 Art & Arch. Building

Prof. Robert Goodspeed (rgoodspe at umich.edu)

This new course, open to graduate and undergraduate students of all disciplines, provides an introduction to the emerging field of urban informatics, an interdisciplinary field of research and practice that uses information technology for the analysis, management, planning, and usability of cities. Seminar and lecture sessions cover topics related to the use of urban technologies, including civic technology, indicators, smart cities, and performance management. Given these diverse application areas, the course is centered on a series of hands-on technical labs which are designed to build on the knowledge typically covered in a standard course in statistics. Lab topics include the use of databases, application programming interfaces, and web-based visualization and spatial data analysis. It is intended to serve as an introduction for more advanced coursework in databases, GIS, or data analysis. The course is being offered as part of a new Rackham Graduate Certificate in Urban Informatics which will launch during the 2017-2018 school year, but students are invited to register regardless of whether they intend to complete the certificate. Prerequisites: None, but statistics background is recommended.