The University of Melbourne
Faculty of
Architecture Building & Planning

705-411/611 GIS for Planning and Management A

 

Updated Lecture Materials

 

Lecturer

·         Lindsay Smith, lsmith@sunrise.sli.unimelb.edu.au,

          Rm C401 Engineering Building C (building 174)

Tutor

·         Erwin Taal, e.taal@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au

Contact

·         2 hours of Lectures and 3hrs of Practical Work per week have been allocated

·         Lectures: 12.00pm to 2pm Wednesdays Harold Woodruff Theatre Microbiology Building

·         Practical Work – 10am to 1pm Thursdays or Fridays in CAD Computer Lab (Room 306) - 3rd Floor Architecture Building (Building 133)

Course Objectives

·         To introduce students to methods of environmental/geographic data collection and interpretation.

·         To develop an understanding of spatial analysis techniques and modelling.

·         To develop hands-on knowledge of Geographic Information Systems and their use in Environmental Planning.

Content

·         The collection and processing of environmental/geographic information: data base management systems; computer mapping and geographic information systems (GIS). Applications in land capability assessment, habitat assessment, terrain analysis, location analysis and land use planning and management.

Practical Exercises and Data

·         6 Practical Exercises and assignments for the semester.

·         Assignments are due the following week by 5.00pm the day before the practical.

·         Links to the instructions and data for the exercises are detailed below

Assessment

·         6 Practical Exercises (35 %).

·         Major Assignment (25 %)

·         One 2-hour written examination at the completion of the semester (40%).

Subject Resources

·         A web page is maintained and updated regularly for the subject. Anything you need to know – look here first. http://www.geom.unimelb.edu.au/cgism/GISA

·         Over the last 2 years we have developed a number of multimedia based "Teaching and Learning Tools" (TLTs) for GIS education. You will find links to specific modules in the week-by-week program below. You can see the full development so far here

·         Past Exam Papers here

·         A CD of lecture notes and practicals and other resources will be distributed amongst the class in the first week of lectures.

·         ArcView 3.2 Software is available to borrow from the architecture library for you to install on your own computer subject to the University Site Licence.

·         Reading List Here

Webraft

·         In addition to these web pages, this subject will utilise the ITS WebRaft facility. Students automatically have access to WebRaft and the subject pages for this subject once they are enrolled in this subject. WebRaft is available at: webraft.its.unimelb.edu.au. The username and password you require is your central its account details. ITS can clarify these issues. WebRaft provides students with 10 megabytes of disk space for the semester, a list of all students and their respective e-mails enrolled in this subject, and perhaps most importantly, a discussion forum for issues relevant to this subject. Please ensure you have access to WebRaft - its full capabilities will be discussed in Week 1. Upload instructions are here.

 

For building locations see http://www.pb.unimelb.edu.au/other/maps/


Course Details

Subject Structure

The course is presented in lecture/lab format. A two hour lecture describes the concepts and theory while the lab emphasises skills development and practical application. The laboratory component includes a series of introductory exercises followed by a project requiring more in-depth analysis of a particular planning or management issue.

The Lecture/Lab sequence will focus on raster or grid based spatial analysis. This type of analysis is best suited for rural and wildlands applications or for modelling terrain for rainfall and runoff studies. Software used will be ARCView 3.2 running on Windows 95/98/NT/2000. ARCView is a user friendly GIS. Version 3.2 is not the latest version but can be used without a hardware lock which means that you can install it on your own computers.  The raster component is called SPATIAL ANALYST. This will be our primary analytical tool. ARCView can be customised and programmed using its own scripting language called AVENUE which is similar to Visual BASIC.

Software and Textbooks.

This is commercial software which cannot normally be made available for home use. However we have a University wide site license which permits student copies.

You can install ARCView on your own computer by borrowing the appropriate CDs and signing the declaration form. You must agree to remove the software after completion of the course.

The manuals for ARCView are available on line. Hard Copy materials are on reserve in the Architecture Branch Library.

Assessment

Assignments should be submitted, no later than the Thursday 5.00 pm before the next lab session, by using the University’s WEBRAFT system. The assignment should be submitted as an uncompressed Microsoft WORD file uploaded to WEBRAFT. To use WEBRAFT you must have an active University e-mail account.

Request for extension of time or special consideration may be made to the Faculty (ABP) on the forms available from the office and will be dealt with by the normal faculty process. Late work without a formal extension will lose 20% of its assessed mark. You will also have difficulty doing subsequent assignments if you get behind.

The Major Project to be developed at the end of the semester will be conducted as a small planning consultancy style exercise. The product will be a report complete with maps, charts and visualisation. Requirements and assessment criteria will be provided during the semester.


Laboratory Sessions

Lab sessions are scheduled for three hours and the laboratories are booked for this period. There will be formal demonstration/tutorial in the sessions in the first 8 weeks of the semester. Later in the semester when you work on projects the lab time may be less formally structured but someone will be there to assist which project issues.

There are 3 essential requirements for use of  the lab and submission of assignments.

You will HAVE to have a login on the Architecture, Building and Planning computer system. You create your account interactively using the console at the 4th floor help desk.

It is ESSENTIAL that you have ZIP disk (100 Mbyte) to use to store your files. You can by these at the computer shop in the Union building. There is no other storage available on the computer and you will need the ZIP disk to store your work from week to week – and also to take away to use on other computers.

Everyone MUST have an active University e-mail account as this is necessary for use of WEBRAFT. Check the ITS web pages if unsure about this.

A swipe card system exists to support printing.

If you have problems outside of class, the best method for reaching the instructor is by email. You will find email is the most efficient way to set up appointments and to ask questions and get replies to problems you have in class.


 

Semester Schedule - GIS for Planning and Management

Week

Topic

Lab/Assignments

%grade

Week 1

Intro to Subject, Lab Organisation, Intro to GIS (PowerPoint file), intro to databases.HTML version AV preliminaries.

Lab introduction, Map layout

 

Week 2

Building a raster data base

·          Data entry and data base design

·         Data scales

·         Resampling (see also the interactive examples)

Assignment 1

Due Lab Week 3

5%

Week 3

Secondary data generation

·         terrain modelling,

·         proximity

·         reclassification

Assignment 2 
Due Lab Week 4 

6%

Week 4

Combination of factor maps

·         Boolean Analysis (1)    (2)    (3)

·         working with ordinal data.

·         ordinal examples & flow charting 

Assignment 3
Due Lab Week 5 

 

6%

Week 5

·         Linear Overlay - ratings and weightings, 

·         Non-linear models, 

·         Rules of Combination, Predictive Modelling 

Assignment 4
Due Lab Week 6 

6%

Week 6

·         Viewshed modelling,  and in Power Point version. (also ArcView notes)

·         Hydrological modelling  (& PPT)

Assignment 5
Due Lab Week 8

6%

Week 7

·         Neighbourhood analysis, see also TLT and Excel example 

 

No Lab

 

Easter Non Teaching Week

Week 8

·         Project Introduction.


 Assignment 6
Due Lab Week 9 

6% 

Week 9

·         GIS and Visualisation

·         GIS and dynamic modelling  

Project work

 

Week 10

·         Generalisation issues

·         Raster storage issues

·         Uncertainty and error issues

Project work 

 

Week 11

·         Applications of GIS

·         Issues in Using GIS

Project work 

 25%

Week 12 

·         Exam Review 

Project to be uploaded to Webraft by Friday May 30

40%