Learn GPS and Google Maps to Spatial Computing online for free

University of Minnesota and cousera offers an online course on GPS and Google maps to social computing for free.

This course introduces concepts, algorithms, programming, theory and design of spatial computing technologies such as global positioning systems (GPS), Google Maps, location-based services and geographic information systems. Learn how to collect, analyze, and visualize your own spatial datasets while avoiding common pitfalls and building better location-aware technologies.

About the course:
From Google Maps to consumer global positioning system (GPS) devices, spatial technology shapes many lives in both ordinary and extraordinary ways. Thanks to spatial computing, a hiker in Yellowstone and a taxi driver in Manhattan can know precisely where they are, discover nearby points of interest and learn how to reach their destinations.

Spatial computing technology is what powers the Foursquare check-in, the maps app on your smartphone, the devices used by scientists to track endangered species, the routing directions that help you get from point A to point B, the precision agriculture technology that is revolutionizing farming, and the augmented reality devices like Google Glass that may soon mediate our interaction with the real world.

• Duration: 8 weeks
• Timings: 4 to 10 hours / week

To apply, click here.