Undergraduate - UnitATS2780 - Geographical analysis

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2012 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Monash Passport category	Research Challenge (Investigate Program)
Offered	Clayton First semester 2012 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Dr. Xuan Zhu and Dr. Stephen Legg

Notes

Previously coded GES2910

Synopsis

Environmental science, geography, geology, biology, ecology, urban and regional planning, demography, marketing and business planning all involve questions that are concerned with geographical patterns and processes on or near the surface of the Earth. To answer these questions requires access to geographical or spatial information which is characterized by geographical locations on the Earth's surface, and requires that spatial data associated with geographical locations from different sources be integrated and analysed. This unit introduces basic principles, methods, techniques and applications of geographical analysis. Topics cover the concepts of geography and geographical analysis, the particular ways of spatially representing the real world, the methods for visualising spatial patterns and processes, and geographical information systems (GIS). It equips students with fundamental knowledge and skills in constructing, managing, analyzing, integrating and communicating spatial data, which are essential for investigations in geography, environmental science, and other scientific or social studies that have a spatial dimension.

Outcomes

To introduce basic concepts of geography and geographical analysis;
To develop knowledge in methods and techniques of geographical analysis, including spatial reasoning, mapping, spatial data manipulation and analysis in GIS;
To develop skills and competency in basic methods of spatial reasoning and geographical analysis through hands-on practicals and projects using real-world data;
To provide a flavor of the breadth and depth of applications of GIS.