Spatial Computing Course Materials

Spatial Computing Course → Syllabus / Materials

Session 01 → 2026 Sep 10

What is Spatial Computing?

• Lecture → Introduction to the Course
• Intro Survey
• Workshop → Urban Observation with Teachable Machine

Session 02 → 2026 Sep 17

Types of Spatial Problems

• Session
  1. Discussion → What is space? Fundamental terms.
  2. Lecture → Types of Spatial Problems
  3. Workshop → Technical Setup with Claude Code + Netlify/GitHub
• Readings Due
  • “The Japanese words for “space” could change your view of the world.” Quartz Magazine, Jerrold McGrath, 2018 January 18. (PDF, Link)
  • “Spatial Computing” by Simon Greenwold. MIT, 2003. (PDF, pgs 8-46).
• Optional Readings
  • Space: A History. Ancient Greek notions of space. (PDF, pgs 11-36)
  • Thrift, Nigel. (2003). 5 Space: The Fundamental Stuff of Human Geography. Key Concepts in Geography. 2. (PDF, pgs 96-105)
• Assignment Due
  • Teachable Machine Images
  • Submission Form (day of class)

Session 03 → 2026 Sep 24

Object Referents

• Session
  • Workshop → Techniques for referencing objects and people
• Readings Due
  • https://academy.claude.com/courses/claude-code-101
  • Algorithms for Decision Making (Ch 1) by Mykel J. Kochenderfer, Tim A. Wheeler, Kyle H. Wray. 2020.
• Tech Prep Due
  • Sign up for a Claude Pro account. (I’m working on getting SVA IXD to cover the charge, so hold off on getting an account until we know.)
  • Sign up for a Netlify account (recommended) OR a GitHub account (if you don’t already have one). These are both free and will allow us to deploy simple websites.

Session 04 → 2026 Oct 01

Environment Modeling

• Session
  • Lecture → Mapping and modeling environments
  • Workshop → Systems of Location, Discrete + Continuous Space
• Readings Due
  • Taxonomy of Computable Space for Spatial AI

Session 05 → 2026 Oct 08

Proximity as Connection

• Session
  • Lecture → Definitions of Distance (Metric Spaces)
  • Workshop → Proximity as Connection
• Watchings Due
  • AlphaGo - The Movie | Full award-winning documentary 1h30min

Session 06 → 2026 Oct 15

Directionality as Connectivity

• Session
  • Workshop → Directionality as Connection

Session 07 → 2026 Oct 22

Position + Movement

• Session
  • Lecture → Static Spatial Reasoning
  • Workshop → Position + Movement
• References
  • Prepositions of Place and Movement

Session 08 → 2026 Oct 29

Place Referents + Place(ment)

• Session
  • Workshop → Place referents and place(ment)
• Readings Due
  • Newton from Archetype AI

Session 09 → 2026 Nov 05

Body Referents

• Session
  • Workshop → Techniques for referencing humans in space

Session 10 → 2026 Nov 12

Occupancy and Presence

• Session
  • Workshop → Occupancy + Presence

Session 11 → 2026 Nov 19

Way-Finding + Way-Signaling

• Session
  • Lecture → Way-finding, way-signalling, routing, path-finding.
  • Workshop → Finding our way.
• Watchings Due
  • The Fastest Maze-Solving Competition On Earth

Thanksgiving! → 2026 Nov 19

Session 12 → 2026 Dec 03

• Project workshop.

Session 13 → 2026 Dec 10

• Project workshop

Session 14 → 2026 Dec 17

Demo day!

Recommended Readings on Artificial Intelligence

• Russell, Stuart J., and Peter Norvig. (2022). Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach. Chapter 01, Introduction. (PDF, pgs 19-53).
• “Generative AI exists because of the transformer.” Financial Times, 2023 Sept 12. By Visual Storytelling Team and Madhumita Murgia.
• AI is a lot of work (TheVerge)
• How AI reduces the world to stereotypes (restofworld.org)

• An Introduction to Machine Learning by Lisa Tagliaferri at Digital Ocean. (Link)
• But what is a neural network? | Chapter 1, Deep learning 18m39s.
• Algorithms for Decision Making (Ch 1) by Mykel J. Kochenderfer, Tim A. Wheeler, Kyle H. Wray. 2020.