May 12 & 13 Oshawa & Whitby
View programs
Ministry-approved title: Geographic Information Systems for Data Analytics
The Geographic Information Systems for Data Analytics (GISD) Ontario College Graduate Certificate builds practical skills in spatial data management, automating scripting, and geospatial analysis within a modern data science context. Students work across both industry-standard and open-source ecosystems, writing scripts that automate workflows, transforming large spatial datasets, and producing publication-quality maps and visualizations. A second semester capstone with selected industry partnership opportunities brings these skills together in a self-directed portfolio project.
Delivered fully online, the program offers a flexible structure with recorded lectures and is designed for students balancing work, family responsibilities, or other commitments. Reduced workload options are also available, providing additional flexibility while maintaining a clear path to completion.
OR
Applicants who are internationally educated in a non‐English speaking country must meet Durham College’s English Language Proficiency Policy
Recommended:
View full requirements
View full costs
View all courses
View all career options
Fill out the form to get more information on your program of interest, upcoming events, and how to become a Durham College student. By submitting your information below, you consent to Durham College contacting you via email and/or SMS with a minimum of 4 messages per month. You may withdraw consent at any time.
Please contact the international office.
Maps shape how the world is understood, and this program prepares students for careers in spatial data analytics. As a rapidly growing field, spatial data analytics requires professionals who can work across the full data pipeline, from raw data to actionable insights. Applied skills in data management, scripting, spatial analysis, visualization, and strategic thinking are developed across two progressive semesters.
Students learn to write scripts and manage data alongside courses in organizational strategy, data governance, project management, and ethical decision-making. The result is a graduate who can not only build an analysis pipeline but explain its value, manage its delivery, and apply it responsibly within an organization.
Throughout the program, students work with real datasets and open-ended problems that reflect industry conditions. Debugging, troubleshooting, and decision-making around tools and methods are treated as core competencies. This combination is what separates a technician from a professional. By the end of the second semester, students are working with the same types of challenges encountered by professional analysts.
The second semester capstone brings the full arc of the program together in a self-directed project, with selected opportunities to work alongside industry partners on real organizational challenges. Students leave with work that is genuinely their own and a portfolio that demonstrates what they can do, not just what they studied.
Graduates find high-paying career paths across municipal and federal government, engineering, utilities, environmental consulting, healthcare, forestry, planning, First Nations organizations, and information technology – wherever data and maps support decision-making.
The courses listed below are for incoming students. If you are a current student, please refer to your program of study for the year you began your program. Your program of study can be found on MyDC.
Courses, course descriptions and delivery formats are subject to change.
Online
Detailed schedules, with course-specific delivery information, will be available after registration. Courses, course descriptions and delivery formats are subject to change.
The fees below are estimates only based on information available at the time of publication, and do not include the cost of textbooks. There may be additional costs; however, not all courses require textbooks.
School is an investment in your future, and financial support is available to help you succeed.
DC's Financial Aid and Awards is here to help you access funding and opportunities that make pursuing your education easier and more achievable:
Visit Financial Aid and Awards to explore all the options to help finance your education.
In the second semester, students complete a capstone project that draws on the full scope of the program, including scripting, data management, spatial analysis, and visualization. Working with a dataset and problem of their choosing, students design and implement an end-to-end analysis workflow, document their process, and present their findings.
Selected students have the opportunity to collaborate with industry partners on real organizational challenges, adding professional context to the experience. As a self-directed, portfolio-focused project, the capstone reflects individual interests and career goals rather than a prescribed problem with a predetermined solution.
To help students have the best learning experience possible, Durham College’s IT Services department has identified technology recommendations for each program based on course needs and software requirements. While not required, students may want to consider these suggestions if they are purchasing a computer or laptop for the upcoming academic year.
MAY 12 & 13 OSHAWA & WHITBY
App Store
Google Play