GYM4920

Geographical information systems (GIS) for environmental science

(ART)

Associate Professor Jim Peterson

6 points + 3 hours per week (average) + First or second semester or summer school + Clayton + Mixed mode + Students taking this unit in fully mixed mode must have access to a PC running Windows NT/2000 and modem + Prohibited combination: GES3820 and GES3810

Synopsis: General nature of spatial data and of digital spatial data and of thematic mapping, analogue to digital data conversion, data quality, georeferencing, geocoding ground control points, raster and vector approaches, spatial analysis with geocoded data, boolean overlay, Digital Elevation Models and their use in terrain analysis, GIS project formulation (data and information flow paths, primary and derived map layers, identification of relevant themes), multispectral image data and image processing, applications to thematic mapping (habitat, potential soil wetness, buffers, deforestation, terrain parameter mapping, conflict resolution etc), nature of project management.

Assessment: Written (2000 words): 45% + Practical examination plus practical exercises: 30% + Unseen theory exam (2 hours): 25%