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
- Discussion → What is space? Fundamental terms.
- Lecture → Types of Spatial Problems
- 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
- 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

Referents + Information

Session
- Workshop → Referents, continued
- AI Topic → What is AI?
Readings Due
- Taxonomy of Computable Space for Spatial AI
Assignment Due
- Referents + Information

Session 05 → 2026 Oct 08

What is machine learning?

Session
- Workshop → Referents of Information
- AI Topic → Machine Learning Concepts
- Slides → Systems of Location
Readings Due
- An Introduction to Machine Learning (Lisa Tagliaferri at Digital Ocean)
- AI is a lot of work (TheVerge)
Recommended Watching
- But what is a neural network? | Chapter 1, Deep learning 18m39s.

Session 06 → 2026 Oct 15

No class.

Session 07 → 2026 Oct 22

Location

Session
- Workshop → Systems of Location
- Discrete + continuous space
- Coordinates + zones
Readings Due
- “Generative AI exists because of the transformer.” Financial Times, 2023 Sept 12. By Visual Storytelling Team and Madhumita Murgia.
- How AI reduces the world to stereotypes (restofworld.org)
Assignment Due
- Systems of Location

Session 08 → 2026 Oct 29

Position + Movement

Session
- Review → Zones
- Workshop → Position and Positioning
- Topic → Static and Dynamic Spatial Reasoning
- AI Topic → Generative AI + LLMs
References
- Prepositions of Place and Movement
Recommended Watching
- AlphaGo - The Movie | Full award-winning documentary 1h30min
Assignment Due
- Zones

Session 09 → 2026 Nov 05

Proximity and Direction as Connection

Session
- Topic → Definitions of Distance (Metric Spaces)
- Workshop → Proximity as Connection
- Workshop → Direction as Connection
Assignment Due
- Position and Movement (PDF)

Session 10 → 2026 Nov 12

Environments

Session
- Topic → Configuring Models of Environments
- Workshop → Mapping Physical to Virtual Space
- Technical → Pose detection, object detection
Assignment Due
- Directionality (PDF)

Session 11 → 2026 Nov 19 (remote)

Place referents and place(ment)

Session
- Remote desk crits
Assignment Due
- Project Proposal

Thanksgiving! → 2026 Nov 19