Spatial Information Research Project A

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2010:

Research Methods (615-610, 705-666 or equivalent).

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website:http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

The Spatial Information Research Project is a 50-point individual research project under academic supervision. Reflecting the interdisciplinary character of the course, the student has to find two supervisors; one of them has to be from Geomatics. The project will culminate in a thesis and a poster presentation.
Furthermore, pending the approval of both of their supervisors, students can stretch the research project over two consecutive semesters, for example by combining this Spatial Information Research Project A (12.5 points) with a Spatial Information Research Project B (37.5 points). This avenue shall particularly facilitate some flexibility in the choice of electives that are offered in particular semesters only, however, the approval is completely at the discretion of the supervisors. A project stretched over two semesters is still assessed as a whole at the end of the second component. The thesis and poster presentation have to cover the whole project.

On successful completion students will have the ability to:

• Define a research project in their subject matter
• Develop an approach in order to run a research project in their subject matter
• Use and develop associated technologies to according to their chosen methodology
• Interpret and discuss experimental results with respect to a hypothesis

A project stretched over two semesters is still assessed as a whole at the end of the second component. If this is the second component, then the following applies at the end of the semester. The research project (as a whole) culminates in a thesis, reporting about the addressed research problem, approach, results, and conclusions. The thesis will be assessed by two examiners,both possibly supervisors. At the beginning of the project the supervisor(s) will discuss with the student their expectations on a page or word limit on an individual basis, due to the variety of the
characters of research projects in spatial information such as fieldwork, programming, or literature review. Additionally the project outcomes will be presented at a joint poster session. The total mark consists of a 60% component for the report and a 40% component for the poster, the latter assessed in peer review. The total workload of a Spatial Information Research Project is 480 hours.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• Ability to apply knowledge of science and engineering fundamentals
• Ability to undertake problem identification, formulation, and solution
• Ability to conduct an engineering project
• Capacity for creativity and innovation
• Capacity for lifelong learning and professional development