GIS and GNH

GIS in the Land of the Thunder Dragon

Gross National Happiness in Bhutan

"GNH is more important than GDP" - His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck

Gross National Happiness or GNH is a philosophy that was first coined by the 4th King of Bhutan His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck in the 1970's. GNH in modern day is used as a framework by Bhutan's government for the development of the nation. GNH focuses on achieving modern development while adhering to values that prioritize balancing material and non-material gain. The goal of GNH is to reach development within both of these categories, by focusing on everything included that is essential for the happiness of Bhutan's people.

4 Pillars and 9 Domains of GNH ( Source )


The Class

The participants of the UC Davis' Study Abroad course GIS in the Land of the Thunder Dragon spent four weeks in Bhutan and completed the UC Davis course LDA/ABT 150 (Introduction to Geographic Information Systems) and LDA/ABT 198 (Directed Group Study covering the intercultural aspects of the country and its culture). For their coures projects, the students took one or several of the four pillars of GNH; Good Governance, Sustainable Socio-economic Development, Preservation and Promotion of Culture, and Environmental Conservation to heart.

Students, instructors, and local interns in traditional Bhutanese attire on the final day of class. (Photo by Bob Brewer, On-Site Coordinator for the course.)

Student Final Projects

In groups of 2-3, students tackled pressing issues relating to Bhutan using locally acquired data and relating to at least one of the GNH Pillars or Domains. The data came from many sources within Bhutan, but were not well organized nor documented (which is how GIS data collection usually occurs in real life!). Students were required to use at least 5 data layers and perform spatial analysis to answer a spatial question that the group defined. They proceeded using the 5-step Geographic Approach:  Ask/Acquire/Examine/Analyze/Act .

Results were presented in an interactive Story Map ( https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-storymaps/overview ). Projects were presented in-person to faculty and students of the  Royal Thimphu College , where the Bhutan Study Abroad class is based, on the final day of class. Nearly all the students dressed in traditional Bhutanese attire during their presentations, as pictured above.


Each of the student final GIS projects is listed below. Under the title image of each, click on the button to see the interactive Story Map.









Learn more about the UC Davis Bhutan Study Abroad course

For more information about this and other study abroad courses, please visit the Global Learning Hub at  https://globallearning.ucdavis.edu/ .

For specifics about this course, which will be taught again in Summer 2020, please contact the instructor, Karen Beardsley, kbeardsley@ucdavis.edu.

For a short introduction to the course, view the YouTube video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZDV5Vu6sTA&feature=youtu.be ) produced by one of the Bhutan 2019 students, Ruby Houchens.

This Story Map was developed by Oliver Sandoval (a student from the GIS class) and Karen Beardsley (kbeardsley@ucdavis.edu).


4 Pillars and 9 Domains of GNH ( Source )

Students, instructors, and local interns in traditional Bhutanese attire on the final day of class. (Photo by Bob Brewer, On-Site Coordinator for the course.)