121-542 Geographical Analysis and GIS

Admission to the postgraduate diploma or fourth year honours or masters programs in geography, environmental studies, urban planning and comparable fields.

This subject is designed to give students of environmental research and planning a sophisticated knowledge of computer-assisted geographical analysis, and how to use, creatively, a geographic information system (GIS). More specifically, the power of modern computers and applied artificial intelligence will be enlisted to address some of the 'great unsolved problems of geography' - facilities placement, route finding, epidemiological inference, pattern classification, catchment analysis, urban morphology and landscape interpretation. Introductory practical exercises will help students become innovative applicators of the ArcMap GIS software package, which will be used to study databases, geocomputation, spatial algorithms, interpolation, digital elevation mapping, error propagation, diffusion, emergence, cellular automata, buffering, neural prediction, data matching, scripting and planning support systems. Tutorials will then amplify students' appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of GIS for policy making, along with how its capabilities can be extended by intelligent add-ins to better understand and manage the social and natural environments.

• advanced research and presentation skills;

• ability to engage effectively with others in field situations;

• ability to work independently;

• ability to write concise reports or essays.

A 2-hour examination 60% and practical and written work totalling 3000 words comprising five small practical GIS assignments 20% (due during the first half of semester) and a tutorial paper 20% (due at the end of semester).