What kind of Math is involved in GIS?

Question

I'm considering majoring in geography so that I can get GIS skills and work in a career related to conservation. However, my math skills suck and I struggle with basic algebra. If I am learning GIS, how much math is involved, and equally important, what kind of math must one become proficient at (trigonometry? Calculus? Algebra?).

Answer 1

I would suggest looking at Statistics.  I took two statistics classes as an undergrad and one class as a grad student.  They've proven pretty helpful, especially with respect to regression analysis.  ESRI just added more geostatistics capabilities to their software, so apparently users have been asking for such features.  Statistics was by far the easiest and most interesting math class I have taken.  It was the most practical and it's pretty easy to see its value when you're taking the class.  In Calculus, I sometimes wondered if I'd ever find this stuff useful at work.  Not the case with Statistics.  It always seemed valuable.

Answer 2

Your gramma is that bad I would work on that first

Answer 3

I have a degree in Geography with a minor in GIS.  I wasn't required to take a math class, per se, for that degree. The class I took was called Spatial Analysis, which is basically statistics for social science majors.  You won't need to know any trig or calculus.  You will probably need to know algebra, but most geographers use software like SPSS or Minitab to do the calculations.  My advice to you is to go ahead and do it. If you like geography and GIS, the one class shouldn't stop you.  Plus, most geography professors know that geography students aren't math people and will slow down the course and/or offer extra help if you need it.

Geographers rock!