GEOG 597 - Geospatial Intelligence Principles and Methods in the Cyber Domain
This is a sample syllabus.
This sample syllabus is a representative example of the information and materials included in this course. Information about course assignments, materials, and dates listed here is subject to change at any time. Definitive course details and materials will be available in the official course syllabus, in Canvas, when the course begins.
Overview
This special topic course focuses on applying the principles and methods of geospatial intelligence in today’s networked, distributed, and asynchronous world. Such an application of geospatial intelligence requires addressing problems from the perspective of social and technical choices that involve hardware, software, networks, data, and people. Participants in the course will apply the principles of geospatial intelligence, examine examples of adversarial use of cyber in the form of case studies, and apply methods and techniques to understand cyber capabilities considered threats to United States interests.
Objectives
At the course completion, participants will:
- recognize the geographic aspects of the cyber domain,
- describe the nature of cyber threats,
- complete an analysis following the geospatial intelligence principles and methods, and
- evaluate a geospatial intelligence analysis based on the standards set forth in ICD 203.
Required Materials
Typically, there are no required materials for this course. If this changes, students will find a definitive list in the course syllabus, in Canvas, when the course begins.
Prerequisites
This course is available to any graduate student. The goal is to have a class actively interested in the topic and as varying as possible with respect to age, gender, nationality, professional experience, and education.
Expectations
What I Expect of You
Students are expected to spend approximately 120 hours of in- and out-of-class work (12 hours per week) to successfully complete this 3-credit seminar. Faculty will have approximately 40 hours of student contact. Contact with students will be via Penn State connectivity (email, chat, Teams, etc.), Zoom, the Internet, and phone calls. Faculty will mentor student team members through the project development.
Benefits. You will acquire an understanding of geospatial characteristics of cyber threats, apply geospatial intelligence to anticipate such threats, employ Intelligence Community Directive 203 to evaluate geospatial intelligence of cyber threats, and exercise geospatial thinking and work practices.
What You Can Expect of Me
We are using an online learning environment for this course, and, as such, my 'office' is also online. Please feel free to contact me directly with questions, and I will respond to you within 24 hours. If it is something that is more easily addressed through an online meeting, please get in touch with me, and we can arrange a time to talk that works well for both of us. If I am going to be out of touch for a while, I will let you know ahead of time.
Major Assignments
The products of the course are a presentation and a paper.
Course Schedule
| Week | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Geospatial Intelligence and Cyberspace |
| 2 | Geospatial Analytic Principles, Methods, and Standards |
| 3 | Internet & Networking Crash Course |
| 4 | Information Denial and Deception in Cyberspace |
| 5 | Case Study |
| 6 | Case Study |
| 7 | Student Research Proposal Mini-Conference |
| 8 | Case Study |
| 9 | Case Study |
| 10 | Student Conference |