convener: Dr Bruce Doran (Fenner School)

This course is based around a land use evaluation of the Kioloa Coastal Campus.

Students learn a wide range of GIS-based skills such as:

1. How to understand and manipulate spatial data.
2. How to use GIS software to build spatial models for erosion, conservation, wildlife habitat, forest, agriculture, fire and building suitability.
3. How to combine disparate datasets to create scenario-based outcomes to assist in complex decision making processes.

Lectures provide theoretical and practical background to spatial analysis (2 x 1-hour lectures per week).

Practical sessions: Weekly attendance in labs is a key part of the course. All lab work contributes towards the major project (1 x 2-hour pracs per week).

A major 1-day field excursion allows students to “ground truth” their remote sensing vegetation classification.

Proposed Assessment: Project based on lab work (40%), field journal (10%) and two term tests(50%).

Text Book: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (fourth edition), (2008) by Chang, K.

Prerequisites: 24 units towards a degree.

Further information see StudyAt: ENVS2015