Advanced Topics in GIScience

This subject is not offered in 2013.

120 hours

Successful completion of the following subject is required:

None

None

None

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

Geographic Information Science (GIScience) is the science behind geographic information technology. It addresses fundamental questions of capturing, maintaining and communicating about space and time at geographic scale in an interdisciplinary manner, involving philosophy, cognitive psychology, linguistics, logics, geography and artificial intelligence. This subject will introduce into GIScience by studying selected advanced topics. It is run as a seminar, such that students will read and discuss during the semester some landmark papers of the discipline and focus on active research areas at the University of Melbourne. Attendance of research higher degree students will enrich the discussions by linking the topics to their current research. Students will gain an overview and significant insight into the way of thinking in GIScience, how to collaborate with researchers in this discipline, or about career pathways

On successful completion the students will be able to:

• Identify and define fundamental theories of geographic space and geographic information
• Read and discuss critically research papers and research methodologies
• Classify and interpret current research in Geographic Information Science

• Discussion document about one paper of about 1000 words (25%)
• An oral introduction of this paper in a seminar session (10%)
• Over the semester weekly written reviews of the class discussion of about 200 words (totals 25%)
• Participation in at least 8 seminars is required to pass the subject
• End of semester essay of 3000 words with a 24-hour turnaround (40%)

Variable reading lists of research papers, handed out at the beginning of the semester

TBA

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On successful completion students should have the:

• Ability to communicate effectively, with the engineering team and with the community at large
• Ability to manage information and documentation
• Understanding of professional and ethical responsibilities, and commitment to them
• Capacity for lifelong learning and professional development