GEOG 7007 - Applied Spatial Analysis

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2022

This course is suitable for those with or without previous Geographical Information Systems (GIS) experience. The course is based on spatial (geographic) data, and how it can be utilised within a GIS environment. This includes the input, storage, and management of spatial data; analysing and modelling spatial data; and the various outputs (maps and charts) from a GIS. It illustrates the use of that data to solve real-world problems in a wide variety of applications. The coursework has a strong practical focus, and students will gain experience in field data collection, and the construction, manipulation, and interpretation of data in a GIS environment. Lectures provide the theoretical foundation of the principles behind the fundamental concepts of spatial analysis and mapping within a GIS. This includes the vector and raster data models; projections and coordinate systems; spatial analysis tools and methods; map design and spatial data visualisation techniques; where and how to source spatial data; data quality issues; and how GIS has been used in different industries and fields of research. Practical workshop sessions build on the content covered in lectures, guiding students in the development of increasingly sophisticated spatial analysis capabilities and the creation of high-quality maps, using commercial GIS software. Students will learn how to interpret and present the results of spatial data analysis through high-quality technical reports. Students with existing skills in GIS analysis are encouraged to develop and apply data analysis techniques to propose, construct and carry out a major research project in an area of their own interest.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code GEOG 7007
    Course Applied Spatial Analysis
    Coordinating Unit Geography, Environment and Population
    Term Semester 2
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 6
    Contact Up to 6 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Incompatible GEOG 5007, GEST 5007
    Assumed Knowledge Previous GIS experience would be an advantage but is not essential
    Course Description This course is suitable for those with or without previous Geographical Information Systems (GIS) experience.

    The course is based on spatial (geographic) data, and how it can be utilised within a GIS environment. This includes the input, storage, and management of spatial data; analysing and modelling spatial data; and the various outputs (maps and charts) from a GIS. It illustrates the use of that data to solve real-world problems in a wide variety of applications. The coursework has a strong practical focus, and students will gain experience in field data collection, and the construction, manipulation, and interpretation of data in a GIS environment.

    Lectures provide the theoretical foundation of the principles behind the fundamental concepts of spatial analysis and mapping within a GIS. This includes the vector and raster data models; projections and coordinate systems; spatial analysis tools and methods; map design and spatial data visualisation techniques; where and how to source spatial data; data quality issues; and how GIS has been used in different industries and fields of research.

    Practical workshop sessions build on the content covered in lectures, guiding students in the development of increasingly sophisticated spatial analysis capabilities and the creation of high-quality maps, using commercial GIS software. Students will learn how to interpret and present the results of spatial data analysis through high-quality technical reports.

    Students with existing skills in GIS analysis are encouraged to develop and apply data analysis techniques to propose, construct and carry out a major research project in an area of their own interest.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Bingjie Song

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

    There will be:
    • Two one-hour lectures every week for 12 weeks.
    • A two-hour workshop every week for 12 weeks.
    • A second two-hour workshop/tutorial every week for 12 weeks.
    The Lecture and Workshop coursework incorporates both theory and practice in an integrated and flexible schedule which allows practical experience to align very closely with theoretical learning. Classes will be held each week (week 1-12).
  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

    1. Understand GIS concepts and spatial analysis techniques in an interdisciplinary setting;
    2. Identify and source data for use in evidence-based decision making;
    3. Apply ArcGIS for spatial data preparation, analysis and visualisation with sophisticated skills of vector and raster processing;
    4. Demonstrate proficiency in integrating GIS data analysis with simple statistical analysis;
    5. Prepare a professional-standard GIS report;
    6. If they choose to, demonstrate the ability to conduct a GIS research project in the area of their choice.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)

    Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth

    Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.

    1,2,3,4,5

    Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving

    Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.

    2,3,4,5

    Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills

    Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.

    2,3,4,5

    Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness

    Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.

    1,2,3,4,5

    Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency

    Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.

    2,3,4,5

    Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence

    Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.

    5
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    Book Title: An Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (4th Edition)
    Author: Ian Heywood, Sarah Cornelius, Steve Carver
    Year: 2011
    Publisher: Pearson Education Limited
    ISBN-13: 978 0 273 72259 5


    Adelaide Uni Library:
    • Two online copies of this book are available from the Adelaide University Library as single use eBooks (i.e. only one person at a time can access each one).
    • The Barr Smith Library also holds 7 print copies, with three of these in the High Use Collection available for short term (3 hour) loan.
    • The Waite Library has 1 Print copy.
    It is highly recommended that you purchase your own copy of this book.
    Make sure you order the book by Heywood - there are other books with the same title by other authors!

    It is available from Dymocks:
    • eBook for $63.59
    • hardcopy for $108.99
    Readings are set for all lectures and some workshops, and are expected to be completed BEFORE the lecture or workshop.


    Recommended Resources
    Supplementary reading in additional GIS texts is highly recommended to improve understanding of the concepts and procedures behind the theory and practical to which students are exposed each week.

    The following book is a useful secondary resource since it is written by Australian authors and provides Australian examples of GIS applications.

    Book Title: Geographical Information Systems (2nd Edition).
    Author: Julie Delaney and Kimberley Van Niel
    Year: 2007
    Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN-13: 978-0-195-55607-0
    There are 3 copies of this book at the Barr Smith Library (1 reserve and 2 for general borrowing) and 1 copy at Waite Campus Library. 
    In addition, I particularly recommend:

    Book Title: Geographic Information Science & Systems (4th Edition)
    Author: Paul A. Longley, Michael F. Goodchild, David J. Maguire, David W. Rhind.
    Year: 2015 
    Publisher: Wiley
    ISBN: 978-1-119-03130-7
    There are currently three copies in the Barr Smith Library.


    Book Title: Principles of Geographical Information Systems (3rd Edition)
    Author: Peter A. Burrough, Rachael McDonnell, and Christopher D. Lloyd.
    Year: 2015 
    Publisher: Oxford UP
    ISBN: 9780198742845 (paperback); 0198742843 (paperback)
    There is currently 3 copies available at the Barr Smith Library, one of these in the High Use Collection (available for 3 hour loan).


    Book Title: Geographic Information Analysis (2nd edition)
    Author: David O'Sullivan and David J. Unwin.
    Year: 2010
    Publisher: Wiley
    ISBN-13: 978-0-470-28857-3
    This book is available online from the Adelaide University Library for unlimited simultaneous users. There are currently also two copies in the Barr Smith Library.


    Any similar basic GIS text would also be appropriate


    Online Learning

    MyUni

    All lectures will be recorded and available through MyUni.
    All lecture slides, workshop instructions and workshop data will also be available through MyUni.


    Online Textbooks

    There are a variety of online texts available, some of which are extremely comprehensive:


    Websites

    There are many websites with information about GIS, the industry, and using GIS, including:
    • www.gis.com - a good overview of GIS and geographic thinking. Includes glossary and career links;
    • www.gislounge.com - GIS Lounge is an information portal, providing links to numerous news items, tips, and resources including introductory texts on all things GIS. This site is run by Caitlin Dempsey who has authored numerous articles about GIS and the spatial industry; and
    • www.sssi.org.au – peak body for the surveying and spatial sciences in Australia. This site provides information about education/careers, and links to local events in South Australia and other States/Territories such as Spatial Information Day (spatialinformationday.org.au). The Free Student Program offers membership and various benefits to students with an interest in GIS, including access to discounted events held in Adelaide.


    Software

    • The GIS commercial software that will be used in this course is yet to be confirmed. It will either be 
      • ESRI ArcGIS Desktop 10.8.1 or
      • ESRI ARCGIS PRO

    This software is available in limited teaching labs across the University from 8am – 6pm, Monday to Friday.

    You should find that ArcGIS is installed in the following locations:
    • Science Students: Any of the science faculty computer suites
    • Humanities Students: Napier 106 and Napier 107
    • Waite Campus Computer Labs in Charles Hawker Building
    • Some computers on level 3 and 4 in the Hub.
      (The short access (quicks) and the training room don’t have ArcGIS, but the longer term use PC's on level 3 should)

    Although ArcGIS is not available for standalone installation on your personal computers, it can be accessed anytime through the University’s ADAPT platform (Any Device, Any Place and Time) from any computer connected to the internet. Please review the setup guides and instructions for using ADAPT. Please contact Technology Services or the course coordinator if you are having problems accessing this. Unfortunately, ADAPT is not a very stable environment when using ArcGIS!

    Please take into account any access restrictions when planning your assignment work.

    Hardware

    It is strongly recommended that you do all coursework on your U drive as this can be accessed from any university computer, or from your home computer through ADAPT, and is regularly backed up.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    There will be:
    • Two one-hour lectures every week for 12 weeks 
    • A two-hour workshop every week for 12 weeks 
    • A second two-hour workshop / tutorial every week for 12 weeks
    Coursework - Lectures and Workshops:
    The Lecture and Workshop coursework incorporates both theory and practice in an integrated and flexible schedule which allows practical experience to align very closely with theoretical learning. Classes will be held each week, including weeks 1 and 12.

    Because of the integrated and interactive nature of these classes it is important that students commit to attending all sessions.

    Independent Research:

    An opportunity to perform an independent research project (instead of the Major Report) will be negotiated for each student with the course coordinator.

    If they avail of this opportunity, students can discuss their individual projects at the second workshop/tutorial each week and work through issues.

    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    You will need to allocate appropriate time for your study (contact and non-contact time). University policies suggest that for a 6-unit course that there should be 20-24 hours of learning activities per week:

    Lectures 2 hours per week
    Workshops / Tutorials 4 hours per week
    Assignments: Reading 4 hours per week
    Assignments: GIS analysis 5 hours per week
    Assignments: Report writing 5 hours per week
    Total Workload 20 hours per week

     
     
    Learning Activities Summary
    This course challenges students to expand their knowledge of spatial information science and GIS procedures.

    The theoretical foundation of the principles behind GIS analysis are covered in some depth by the lectures, while practical workshops guide students in the development of increasingly sophisticated spatial analysis capabilities.

    Students will have short weekly assignments based on both the lecture and workshop material. 

    Students will use their new skills to also produce 2 major reports. For the second report, they will be given the opportunity to propose, construct and carry out a research project in an area of particular interest to them, if they so choose (rather than the set tasks).  Tutorials will be utilised to direct each student's major assignments or individual research project.


    Lecture Schedule:
    (The order and title of these activities may vary slightly)

    Week  Topic 1 Topic 2
    1 Course Introduction and Overview Spatial Data, Projections and Coordinate Systems
    2 Cartography and Spatial Data Visualisation Spatial Data Models
    3 Concepts of Vector GIS Spatial Analysis with Vector GIS
    4 Applications of GIS in Criminology Social Applications in GIS
    5 Allied Technologies - GPS and Remote Sensing Precision, Accuracy and Error
    6 Environmental Applications of GIS and Remote Sensing Summary of Course to date
    7 Course Outline of Remainder of Course Metadata and Spatial Data Source
    8 Concepts of Raster GIS Raster Analysis Techniques
    9 More Raster Operations and Functions Topographic Modelling & Process Modelling
    10 Drones in Policing Surface and Hydrological Modelling
    11 GIS and the Web Drones in Environmental Management
    12 Linear Networks Course Review

    Workshop / Tutorial Schedule:
    (The order and title of these activities may vary slightly)

    Week Workshop 1 Workshop / Tutorial 2
    1 Getting Started with GIS: Intro to ArcMap Scale, Coordinate Systems, Distance Measures and SQL Queries
    2 Cartographic Practice Working with Non-Spatial Data
    3 Vector Spatial Analysis 1 Vector Spatial Analysis 2
    4 Digitising and Working with Base Maps     Integrating Census Data
    5 Data Collection via Mobile Phone Creating a Web Map of Collected Survey Data
    6 Assistance with first report Assistance with first report
    7 Vector Spatial Analysis The Geodatabase / Distance Calculation
    8 Working with Raster Data Raster Data Management and Analysis
    9 More Raster Data Analysis Raster Modelling
    10 Raster Modelling(continued) Topographic Surface Analysis
    11 Field Data Collection Mapping Field Data
    12 Network Analysis Assistance with second report
    Specific Course Requirements
    Students must have a Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent.

    It will be assumed students have
    • proficiency at research and written skills
    Some students may have also completed one of the following:
    • Introduction to GIS (GEOG 2019);
    • GIS for Environmental Mgmt (SOIL&WAT 3007WT or SPATIAL 3007WT);
    • GIS for Ag & NRM (SOIL&WAT 3020WT or SPATIAL 3020WT);
    • Other GIS courses


  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary

    Weekly Workshop Assignments: 40%

    Minor Report: 25%

    Major Report: 35%

    Assessment Related Requirements
    Students will need access to GIS labs/computer rooms and relevant software. This will be provided by the University.
    Assessment Detail
    You must complete and submit for assessment all of the components. If you fail to complete all components, you may receive a Fail grade regardless of your achievement in the completed assessment components.

    Weekly Workshop Assignments 
    40%
    Most weekly workshops will include an assessment task (e.g. quiz questions, short answers and/or a map) which allows students to demonstrate both the successful completion of the workshop tasks, and their understanding and application of the skills and techniques which they are learning week by week. Most weeks there is also a component of short quiz questions based on the lecture material. Full details of the assessment task are made available as appropriate each week. Many of these assessment tasks will be completed in the workshop. 


    Minor Report
    25%
    This report is based on the Vector GIS analysis skills students have learnt in the first half of this course.
    It will help develop their research and report writing skills. It requires students to apply the knowledge and vector GIS techniques they have learnt to conduct a GIS analysis of:
    • Stormwater and Road Networks in the Onkaparinga Catchment near Adelaide
    This assignment tests student ability to work independently in using basic GIS skills and techniques, and through presentation of the results of the analysis in a formal report, to demonstrate an understanding of spatial relationships and data issues. Full details will be provided separately. All documents and data will be available on MyUni.


    Major Report
    35%
    This report is based on the Raster GIS analysis skills students have learnt in second part of this course.
    It will further develop their research and report writing skills. It requires students to apply the knowledge and raster GIS techniques they have learnt to one of three projects:
    • Climate Change Vulnerability on the Fleurieu Peninsula
    • Site Selection of a New Police Station in Metropolitan Adelaide
    • A research project of the student's own choice
    This assignment tests student ability to work independently in using more advanced GIS skills and techniques, and through presentation of the results of the analysis in a formal report, to demonstrate an understanding of spatial relationships and data issues. Full details will be provided separately. All documents and data will be available on MyUni.
    Submission
    All assessments will be submitted via MyUni.

    There will be penalties for late submission so make sure extensions are negotiated with the course coordinator.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.