451-312 GIS and Remote Sensing for Environmental Science

Note

Credit can not be gained for this subject and any of 451-305, 451-412, 451-413 and 451-415.

Credit Points

Coordinator

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

The objective of this subject is to develop basic skills in digital image data processing and interpretation and geographic information systems.

Remote Sensing Component. Principles of remote sensing; electromagnetic radiation; human vision; spaceborne and airborne sensors; introduction to digital image processing including stretching, digital filters, arithmetic manipulations, image classification, rectification and geocoding.

Geographic Information Systems Component. Introduction to the information society and information management; definition of GIS; the range of GIS applications; the use of GIS for decision making; integration of GIS with other technologies; geographic referencing methods; geographic data structures and models; relationships between geographic features; database definition and modelling; introduction to the technology associated with GIS.

Assessment

Not more than three hours of examinations at the end of the semester. Assignments and practical exercises totalling not more than 40 pages. The relative weighting of the assessment components will be provided to students at the beginning of the subject

Prescribed Texts

• Burrough, P.A, Principles of Geographic Information Systems for Land Resources Assessment. (Oxford University Press: New York 1986).
• Lillesand, T.M. and Keifer, R.W, Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation. (Wiley and sons: New York 2nd ed 1987).