Online Graduate NanoCert^® in Geospatial Intelligence

This course focuses on intelligence analysis including the analysis of international threats to security. The course will provide students with a foundation of human cognition in an effort to help understand why we think the way we do, how we come to formulate biases, and the many analytical, perceptional, and cognitive errors we frequently make in conducting analyses. Students will be provided with a foundation from which to understand and conduct critical analysis. This course affords an opportunity to look at a variety of case studies related to both US and foreign threat analysis and action, including the evolution of responses to threats, perspectives on threat action, principles of threat analysis and response, and assessments of successes and failures of such actions. Students will develop a comprehensive knowledge of intelligence analysis, how intelligence agencies assess and counter international threats in order to guard global security interests, and how various threats affect national security policy and decision-making. (Prerequisite: SSGS500)

This course will focus on advanced geospatial analytic techniques and how these techniques aid in decision making in various operational environments. This course will include study of geospatial collections and teach the application of theory and practical utilization of analytical tools, techniques and procedures. Students will be exposed to and are expected to develop an understanding of emerging technology, trends and intelligence applications within the discipline of geospatial intelligence. The course will focus on geospatial concepts, techniques, and maximize focus in geospatial in support of emergencies, national and human disasters, and national security environments. (Prerequisite: SSGS500)

The purpose of this course is to teach the student how the current I&W system is organized, how it is supposed to work in theory, and how it has actually worked in practice. In addition, students will examine the traditional and alternative approaches to the I&W process. Students will learn about the various types of intelligence indicators and how they fit into the process of intelligence prediction, which is an implied function of I&W. Students will also examine various historical case studies to learn about the four basic "sources of error" in I&W.