 These are maps, and this is the Geospatial Revolution. Hi, I'm Anthony Robinson from Penn State. The explosion of location-aware technology and digital mapping tools has completely transformed how people interact with geography. We've gone from paper maps to amazing interactive systems to help us make better analytical decisions, easily find our way to new destinations, and to locate the nearest source of delicious breakfast food. Geography provides the context in which our lives take place. It's much more than just names on a map. It's the science of place and space. Unfortunately, most folks have little exposure to the science, so math geeks like me are still far too rare. In the timeless words of Miss Teen South Carolina 2007, it's unfortunately true that some Americans don't have maps. This makes me very sad. I hope this class helps a lot more people know how to make their own maps, and that they understand their power and value. And aside from simply making your first maps, I want you to make good ones, not bad ones. If you decide to join this class, you'll learn how the geospatial revolution has impacted everyone. You'll gain hands-on experience using the latest mapping and spatial analysis tools, and you'll learn core concepts in cartography, geographic information science, and spatial thinking. We're going to work with real-world examples that you can understand geography beyond the surface level. We'll explore what makes spatial information special, how spatial data is created, and how spatial analysis works. And we'll design maps so that they can tell great stories. To be successful in this class, you'll need to be comfortable with trying new technology and capable of completing lab exercises, quizzes, and readings on your own. This course is designed for aspiring geographers, so it won't be really useful if you're already a geospatial guru, unless you really like to look at me. So I think you should totally join this class. I think where is more important than ever, and I'm excited to make some maps together.