GEOG 3027 - Advanced Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2025
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code GEOG 3027 Course Advanced Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Coordinating Unit Geography, Environment and Population Term Semester 2 Level Undergraduate Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 3 hours a week Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y Prerequisites GEOG 2129 or SOIL&WAT 3020WT or SOIL&WAT 3007WT or SPATIAL 3020WT or SPATIAL 3007WT or another introductory GIS course approved by the Course Coordinator plus another 3 units of Level II undergraduate study Assumed Knowledge It will be assumed students have proficiency at research and written skills for Level III as well as basic familiarity with GIS systems Assessment Workshop portfolio, Minor practical report, Major practical report Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Douglas Bardsley
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .
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Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
1. To perform sophisticated raster and vector GIS analysis in a GIS environment;
2. To understand the structure, advantages and limitations of raster datasets;
3. To develop a broad appreciation of spatial analysis techniques and application areas;
4. To develop specific skills in the construction and manipulation of raster data sets;
5. Be able to explore and solve spatial problems using GIS techniques and technology
6. To develop skills in the creation, management and delivery of spatial data in an online GIS environment
7. To learn how to interpret and present the results of spatial data analysis through high quality reportsUniversity 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) Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth
Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.
1, 2,3,4 ,5 Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving
Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills
Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.
1,2 ,3,4 ,5 ,6 Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness
Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.
4, 5, 6 Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency
Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.
3,4 ,5, 6 Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.
1,2 ,3,4 , 6, -
Learning Resources
Required Resources
Book Title: An Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (4th Edition)
Author: Ian Heywood, Sarah Cornelius, Steve Carver
Year: 2011
Publisher: Prentice-Hall
ISBN-13: 978 0 273 72259 5
Adelaide Uni Library:
- Two online copies of this book are available from the Adelaide University Library as single use eBooks (i.e. only one person at a time can access each one).
- The Barr Smith Library also holds 7 print copies, with three of these in the High Use Collection available for short term (3 hour) loan.
- The Waite Library has 1 print copy.
Make sure you order the book by Heywood - there are other books with the same title by other authors!
It is available from Dymocks:
- eBook for $63.59
- hardcopy for $108.99
Recommended Resources
Optional/Alternative Textbook
Book Title: Geographical Information Systems (2nd Edition).
Author: Julie Delaney and Kimberley Van Niel
Year: 2007
Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN-13: 978-0-195-55607-0
There are 3 copies of this book at the Barr Smith Library (1 reserve and 2 for general borrowing) and 1 copy at Waite Campus Library. Copies of this book are also available to purchase from Unibooks. This book is useful as it is written be Australian authors and provides Australian examples of GIS in action.
Other Recommended Resources
Supplementary reading in additional GIS texts is highly recommended to improve understanding of the concepts and procedures behind the theory and practice to which students are exposed each week.
Book Title: Geographic Information Science & Systems (4th Edition)
Author: Paul A. Longley, Michael F. Goodchild, David J. Maguire, David W. Rhind.
Year: 2015
Publisher: Wiley
ISBN: 978-1-119-03130-7
There are currently three copies in the Barr Smith Library.
Book Title: The Routledge Handbook of Mapping and Cartography
Editors: Alexander J. Kent and Peter Vujakovic
Year: 2017
Publisher: Routledge
eBook ISBN: 9781317568223
eBook available in the library.
More recent. Some sections useful, but a bit heavy in places.
Any similar basic GIS text would also be appropriate.Online Learning
Online Textbooks
There are a variety of online texts available, some of which are extremely comprehensive.
• www.spatialanalysisonline.com – 5th Edition, 2015 - Extremely comprehensive text by Michael De Smith, Mike Goodchild and Paul Longley;
• natureofgeoinfo.org – An open geospatial textbook edited by David DiBiase, hosted by Penn State University;
• giscommons.org – GIS Commons: an introductory textbook on GIS by Michael Schmandt, Sacramento State University;
• www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/contents.html - “The Geographer’s Craft”. Older online text compiled by Kenneth Foote;
• www.esri.com/industries/ebooks - an excellent source of free E-books on a wide variety of GIS topics. Covers the application of GIS in a wide range of industry sectors.
Websites
• www.gis.com - a good overview of GIS and geographic thinking. Includes glossary and career links;
• www.esri.com – students should familiarise themselves with this website, particularly the
Support and News sections. It is recommended that you follow the use and developments of the software under the Publications area of the News section.
Other websites as presented during lectures/workshops
Software
The specialist GIS software – ArcGIS - used in this course is available throughout many of the teaching labs throughout the University which are only open 8am – 6pm.
You should find that ArcGIS is installed in the following locations:
• All Students: Hub Central suites
• Science Students: Any of the science faculty suites
• Humanities Students: Napier 106, Napier 107 and Napier 202.
Please take into account the access restrictions when planning your assignment work.
The software is also available for home use or on other university computers through APAPT. Please contact Technology Services or the course coordinator if you are having problems accessing this.
Hardware
It is strongly recommended that you do all coursework on your U drive as this can be accessed from any university computer, or from your home computer through ADAPT, and is regularly backed up. -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
Lectures supported by problem-solving workshops which develop lecture material.Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
1 x 1-hour lecture (or equivalent) per week 12 hours per semester 1 x 2-hour workshop (or equivalent) per week 24 hours per semester 3 hours reading per week 36 hours per semester 2 hours research per week 24 hours per semester 2 hours assignment preparation per week 24 hours per semester TOTAL WORKLOAD: 10 hours per week 120 hours per semester
Learning Activities Summary
This is indicative of the lecture and workshop activities. There may be some variation.
Week Lecture Workshop 1 Course Outline / Intro GIS Revision Vector Spatial Analysis 2 Metadata and Spatial Data Source The Geodatabase / Distance Calculation 3 Concepts of Raster GIS Working with Raster Data 4 Raster Analysis Techniques Raster Data Management and Analysis 5 More Raster Operations and Functions More Raster Data Analysis 6 Topographic Modelling & Process Modelling Raster Modelling 7 Drones in Policing Raster Modelling(continued) 8 Surface and Hydrological Modelling Topographic Surface Analysis 9 GIS and the Web Field Data Collection 10 Drones in Environmental Management Mapping Field Data 11 Linear Networks Network Analysis 12 Course Review Major Report Assistance Specific Course Requirements
This course requires that you have completed an approved introductory GIS course using ArcGIS software (e.g. GEOG 2129: Introductory GIS).
It assumes you have a basic level of computer literacy and familiarity with Microsoft Windows, Word and Excel. -
Assessment
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 Weighting Workshop Portfolio (in 3 parts) 30% Minor Practical Report 30% Major Practical Report 40% Assessment Related Requirements
Students will need access to GIS labs/computer rooms and relevant software. This will be provided by the University.Assessment Detail
You must complete and submit for assessment all of the components. If you fail to complete all components, you may receive a Fail grade regardless of your achievement in the completed assessment components.
Weekly Lecture and Workshop Portfolio - 30%
Most weekly workshops will include an assessment task which allows students to demonstrate both the successful completion of the workshop tasks, and their understanding and application of the skills and techniques which they are learning week by week. Most weeks there is also a component of short questions based on the lecture material. Full details of the assessment task are made available each week. Many of these assessment tasks will be completed in the workshop. Students will record their answers in a portfolio to be submitted in 3 parts throughout the course.
Minor Practical Report - 30%
This report is based on a revision of the Vector GIS analysis skills students should have learnt in your Intorductory GIS course.
It will help develop their research and report writing skills. It requires students to apply the knowledge and vector GIS techniques they have learnt to conduct a GIS analysis of Stormwater and Road Networks in the Onkaparinga Catchment near Adelaide. This assignment tests student ability to work independently in using basic GIS skills and techniques, and through presentation of the results of the analysis in a formal report, to demonstrate an understanding of spatial relationships and data issues. Full details will be provided separately. All documents and data will be available on MyUni.
Major Practical Report - 40%
This report is based on the Raster GIS analysis skills students have learnt in this course.
It will further develop their research and report writing skills. It requires students to apply the knowledge and raster GIS techniques they have learnt to one of two projects:- Climate Change Vulnerability on the Fleurieu Peninsula
- Site Selection of a New Police Station in Metropolitan Adelaide
Submission
All assessments will be submitted via MyUni.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 .
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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.
SELT feedback from recent years has led to the allocation of some assessment marks towards the weekly workshops. Review of indivudal course components is undertaken each year following student comments/discussion throughout the course as well as the formal SELT process. -
Student Support
- Academic Integrity for Students
- Academic Support with Maths
- Academic Support with writing and study skills
- Careers Services
- Library Services for Students
- LinkedIn Learning
- Student Life Counselling Support - Personal counselling for issues affecting study
- Students with a Disability - Alternative academic arrangements
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Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
- Academic Credit Arrangements Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progress by Coursework Students Policy
- Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy
- Copyright Compliance Policy
- Coursework Academic Programs Policy
- Intellectual Property Policy
- IT Acceptable Use and Security Policy
- Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy
- Reasonable Adjustments to Learning, Teaching & Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy
- Student Experience of Learning and Teaching Policy
- Student Grievance Resolution Process
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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.
