GEOG 312 · Fall 2026 · Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:55 to 2:10 p.m., BGB 206
Everything here is tentative and subject to change. Chapter references are to Wu (2025), Introduction to GIS Programming. Labs are assigned in the week listed and are due the following week. Stay current by checking Canvas and this page.
| Wk | Dates | Topic | Reading & Lab |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 18 & 20 | Course introduction; overview of software tools; Python package management; Visual Studio Code and Git | Software Setup Ch. 1 to 4 |
| 2 | Aug 25 & 27 | Google Colab, JupyterLab, and Docker; variables and data types | Software Setup Ch. 5 to 7; Python Ch. 1 · Lab 1 |
| 3 | Sep 1 & 3 | Python data structures: tuples, lists, sets, and dictionaries | Python Ch. 2 · Lab 2 |
| 4 | Sep 8 & 10 | String operations and formatting | Python Ch. 3 · Lab 3 |
| 5 | Sep 15 & 17 | Loops and conditional statements | Python Ch. 4 · Lab 4 |
| 6 | Sep 22 & 24 | Functions and classes | Python Ch. 5 · Lab 5 |
| 7 | Sep 29 & Oct 1 | Working with files and exception handling; data analysis with NumPy and Pandas; midterm review | Python Ch. 6 to 7 · Lab 6 |
| 8 | Oct 6 & 8 | Oct 6: no class (Fall Break) · Oct 8: Midterm exam | Covers Software Setup and Python Fundamentals |
| 9 | Oct 13 & 15 | Introduction to geospatial Python; vector data analysis with GeoPandas | Geospatial Ch. 1 to 2 · Lab 7 |
| 10 | Oct 20 & 22 | Raster data with Rasterio; multi-dimensional data analysis with Xarray | Geospatial Ch. 3 to 4 · Lab 8 |
| 11 | Oct 27 & 29 | Raster analysis with Rioxarray; interactive visualization with Leafmap | Geospatial Ch. 5 to 6 · Lab 9 |
| 12 | Nov 3 & 5 | Nov 3: no class (Election Day) · Geoprocessing with WhiteboxTools | Geospatial Ch. 7 · Final project proposal due Nov 5 |
| 13 | Nov 10 & 12 | 3D mapping with MapLibre; cloud computing with Earth Engine and geemap | Geospatial Ch. 8 to 9 |
| 14 | Nov 17 & 19 | Cloud-native GIS with GeoLibre; hyperspectral visualization with HyperCoast; analytics with DuckDB; GDAL/OGR, Solara dashboards, and Apache Sedona | Geospatial Ch. 10 to 14 · Lab 10 · Project work |
| 15 | Nov 24 & 26 | Final project presentations I · Nov 26: no class (Thanksgiving recess) | Thanksgiving recess Nov 25 to 27 |
| 16 | Dec 1 | Final project presentations II; course wrap-up | Project notebook and report due Fri, Dec 4 |
Key Deadlines¶
| Date | What is due |
|---|---|
| Thu, Oct 8 | Midterm exam, in class |
| Thu, Nov 5 | Final project proposal, one page |
| Tue, Nov 24 and Tue, Dec 1 | Final project presentations |
| Fri, Dec 4 | Final project notebook and written report |
Labs are due the week after they are assigned. The exact date and time for each lab are posted on Canvas. Late labs lose 10% per day.
Other Dates to Know¶
Full session classes begin: Monday, August 17
Labor Day, no classes: Monday, September 7
Fall Break, no classes: Monday and Tuesday, October 5 and 6
Election Day, no classes: Tuesday, November 3
Thanksgiving recess, no classes: Wednesday to Friday, November 25 to 27
Full session ends: Tuesday, December 1
Study day: Wednesday, December 2; final exams: December 3 to 9
Dates follow the UTK 2026 to 2027 academic calendar (registrar.utk.edu). This course has no final exam during finals week; the final project takes its place.