SOIL&WAT 7030WT - GIS for Agriculture & Natural Resource Management

Waite Campus - Winter - 2017

This course involves teaching sessions that may be attended by both Undergraduate and Postgraduate students. Geographic information systems have become an important tool far beyond the geographic disciplines. Applications in the agricultural sciences and natural resource management range from basic research on environmental sustainability to farm management and regional product marketing. This course gives an overview of the history and the rapid recent development of this technology and gives examples of commercially available state-of-the-art tools. Hands on computer exercises teach generic GIS skills of data capture, processing and presentation of results. Special practical exercises emphasize precision agriculture and management of spatial variability in agricultural production systems. Students will learn what information can be derived from space and airborne remote sensing for land management and how remotely sensed imagery can be combined with other sources of information in order to efficiently manage land, increase production and reduce costs and consider environmental benefits.

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Course Details

Course Code	SOIL&WAT 7030WT
Course	GIS for Agriculture & Natural Resource Management
Coordinating Unit	School of Biological Sciences
Term	Winter
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	Waite Campus
Units	3
Contact	10 days during Winter Semester
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Incompatible	SOIL&WAT 3007WT, SOIL&WAT 3020WT, SOIL&WAT 7007WT
Assessment	Practical exercises, written exam, research project

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Bertram Ostendorf

Course Timetable

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

Course Learning Outcomes

A successful student in this course should be able to:

1	Understand the GIS concept in an interdisciplinary setting
2	Understanding of the basic concepts of precision agriculture
3	Understand spatial variability of the biophysical environment and how it affects the sustainable use of natural resources
4	Knowledge of the GIS marketplace and the different tools that are available
5	Skill to use ArcGIS for spatial data preparation, analysis and visualisation
6	In-depth skills of vector and raster processing
7	Demonstrate an understanding of how airborne and spaceborne imaging sensors can provide spatial information for landscape management
8	Show proficiency in integrating GIS data analysis with simple statistical analysis
9	Demonstrated ability to conceptualise, plan and conduct scientific research in the area of agriculture and natural resource management
10	Demonstrated ability for independent, critical and creative research

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)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1-6
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	7-10
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	9-10
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	9-10
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	10
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	10

Learning & Teaching Modes

This course consists of 2 weeks intensive lecture/practical sessions followed by independent research work.

Workload

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

This course consists of 2 weeks intensive lecture/practical sessions followed by independent research work.

Learning Activities Summary

Schedule
	Lecture	Lecture/Practical
Day 1	Introduction to GIS	Getting Started with ArcGIS Challenge: Examine spatial precision agriculture data on the computer and create a first map
Day 2	Creating Map Symbology Referencing Data to Real Locations	Creating Map Symbology Referencing Data to Real Locations Challenge: Align yield data to spatial information from SA government
Day 3	Organising Geographic Data Creating and Editing Data	Organising Geographic Data Creating and Editing Data Challenge: Create a new layer of soil pH
Day 4	Getting Started with GIS Analysis	Working with Geoprocessing and Modelling Tools
Day 5	Using GIS in Agricultural research Review and mid-term exam
Day 6	Introduction to Rasters and the Spatial Analyst	Getting Started with ArcGIS Spatial Analyst Working with Rasters / Displaying Rasters in ArcMap Working with Rasters / Managing Raster Data Challenge: Linking ArcGIS and Google Earth
Day 7	Topographic Analysis	Practical Map Algebra Analysing Surfaces Challenge: Comparing apples and oranges – normalising yield maps and linking GIS data with statistical models in Excel
Day 8	Interpolation	Interpolating Raster Surfaces Challenge (to be completed on day 9): Generating soil attribute surfaces and evaluating the results using residuals
Day 9	Spatial Statistics	Mapping Distance and Density Using Cell, Neighbourhood, and Zonal Statistics
Day 10	Introduction to projects Review and final exam

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

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

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Due	Weighting	Hurdle	Learning Outcome
Practicals	Formative & Summative	Daily submissions	33%	No	1-9
Exam	Summative	Day 5 & 10	33%	No	1-10
Research Project	Formative & Summative		34%	No	1-10

Assessment Detail

Practicals (33% of total marks):
Several short online multiple choice quizzes (false answers show web links to lecture material, quizzes can be repeated until successful). Daily submission of practical reports – results will be discussed in class the next morning

Exams (33% of total marks):
Mid-term exam on day 5, online, open book, internet usage permitted (8% of final grade)
Final exam on day 10, online, open book, internet usage permitted (25% of final grade)

Research Project (34%)
Part 1 Project Design (10% of total marks for research project):
The research project is chosen by the student. Students are required to conceptualise and design a small research project to apply and deepen the GIS skills. Project ideas, creativity and research design will be evaluated at 10%
Part 2 Project report (24% of total marks for research project)
Students are required to conduct and communicate GIS-based research through a written report. The report needs to include an introduction with citations from the literature, methods, results and conclusions. Students will receive individual support and feedback on the progress of their research project.

Submission

Late Submission
If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply. A penalty of 10% of the value of the
assignment for each calendar day that the assignment is late (i.e. weekends count as 2 days), up to a maximum of 50% of the available
marks will be applied. This means that an assignment that is 5 days late or more without an approved extension can only receive a
maximum of 50% of the marks available for that assignment

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 .

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
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
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鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.

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

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator

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