Foundations of Spatial Information

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

120 hours

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For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Spatial information is ubiquitous in decision making. Be it in urban planning, in traffic management, in wayfinding, in issues of environment and sustainability, or in economic contexts: the question of 'where' is a fundamental one. Spatial information is also special in many respects, such as its dimensionality, volume, or a phenomenon called autocorrelation. We will discuss representations and analysis of this information in spatial information technologies from location-based services to geographic information systems. Topics addressed are observing the environment; spatial and spatiotemporal data representations, spatial analysis and spatial communication

Upon successful completion students will have the ability to:

• Describe and discuss the process from observing the environment to representing information about the environment
• Identify and assess fundamental data structures and analysis procedures associated with spatial information
• Discuss the use of geographic information in decision making
• Apply basic practical skills in the use of GIS software

• A 30 minute written exam, mid-semester (10%)
• A 2-hour written exam, end of semester (45%)
• Four practical assignment reports of about 5 pages length each, due evenly throughout the semester (40%)
• An oral presentation of 5 minutes at one of the lecture dates (5%)

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This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On successful completion, students will have:

• The ability to apply knowledge of science and engineering fundamentals
• The ability to undertake problem identification, formulation, and solution
• The ability to communicate effectively, with the engineering team and with the community at large
• An understanding of professional and ethical responsibilities, and a commitment to them
• A capacity for lifelong learning and professional development