 Hi there, I'm David DiBiassi. If you're watching this video, you're probably thinking about taking our course, making maps that matter with GIS. Or perhaps you've already registered for the course and you want to know what you've gotten yourself into. The course situates GIS within the broad scope of what the US Department of Labor calls the geospatial technology industry. We give equal time and attention to all three sectors of the industry. Positioning in data acquisition, analytics and modeling, and coding and app development. Technologically, we focus on cloud based web mapping software as a service, which has become a core component of the modern GIS platform. The course is also about how professionals learn on the job. We stress that lifelong learning is an essential competency in the rapidly evolving geospatial tech space. You'll be responsible for discovering, evaluating, and sharing information about key topics in our field. And finally, as the title implies, this is a course about why GIS matters. Each lesson begins with a case study about how geospatial technologies, methods, and people make the world a little bit better. So whether you're an experienced GIS user or are more or less new to the field, expect to be challenged, supported, and maybe even a little inspired.