Geographic Information Systems and Earth Observation
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| ENGR4015 | Engineering Research | 4 | 10 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- ENGR4015
- School
- Engineering Research
- Level
- 4
- Credits
- 10
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
The module will proceed through eight core subject areas over the course of a term; these are detailed below. These will be supplemented by highlight lectures on remote sensing and its applications to engineering and environmental challenges.
1. Digital Geographic Information (GI) in the Public Domain: 1.1 Geographic Information Systems (GIS); 1.2 GIS Applications: Human, Business & Retail; 1.3 GIS Applications: Physical & Environmental; 1.4 GI 'Beyond the Desktop'; 1.5 Module Overview
2. The Geospatial Research Agenda: 2.1-2.3 Geospatial Research at Ordnance Survey: Parts I, II & III; 2.4 Mobile & Distributed Technologies
3. The changing nature of GI & Volunteered GI: 3.1 GIS & People; 3.2 Web 2.0 & Volunteered GI; 3.3 Exploiting the Mobility of the Crowd; 3.4 The Digital Earth Initiative; 3.5 Google Earth
4. What can Mobile Computing offer Geography? 4.1 The Global Positioning System (GPS); 4.2 GPS in Mobile Devices; 4.3 Capturing Experience of Place; 4.4 Crowd Sourcing & Citizen Science; 4.5 Mobile GIS
5. Mobile Mapping & Pedestrian Navigation: 5.1 Map Generalisation; 5.2 Case Study: Rural Mapping; 5.3 Navigation & Landmarks; 5.4 Designing Maps for Mobile Devices; 5.5 Case Study: Urban Wayfinding
6. Location-Based Services (LBS): 6.1 Technological Underpinnings of LBS; 6.2 Applications of LBS; 6.3 Context of Use and Usability; 6.4 Augmented Reality (AR) Browsers; 6.5 Recent Advances in Mobile AR
7. Locative Media: 7.1 Geofences & Mediascapes; 7.2 Case Study: Augmenting the Visitor Experience; 7.3 Case Study: Weather Walks; 7.4 Revealing Hidden Environments; 7.5 Situational Relevance & Audio
8. Visibility-based mobile interaction: 8.1 Visibility as a Trigger; 8.2 Measuring the Effectiveness of Visibility Triggers; 8.3 Case Study: Edinburgh Augmented Reality System; 8.4 Geowands; 8.5 Combining locative media and visibility
Reassessment for this module will consist of 100% coursework.
Target Students
This module is aimed at students enrolled on the MRes in Geospatial Systems; 4 minimum to 8 maximum per year
Classes
- One 1-hour tutorial each week for 11 weeks
- One 1-hour seminar each week for 5 weeks
- One 1-hour practicum each week for 5 weeks
- One 2-hour lecture each week for 11 weeks
Lectures will run throughout the term and be based on two hours, separated by time for the students to prepare based on provided video material. Each lecture will be followed by 1h a tutorial. Practicals will consist of a seminar one week, followed by a 2h practical in week two, cycling through 5 practicals in this way over a 10-week period.
Assessment
- 30% Practical: Participants will undertake 5 practicals, as detailed below, writing these up after the last one Practicals Sessions: 1 Introduction to GIS; 2 Spatial data capture; 3 Spatial analysis with vector data; 4 Spatial analysis with raster data and spatial decision making; 5 Understanding spatial statistics and patterns in decision making
- 30% Presentation: Participants will create and give a short presentation on a relevant topic
- 40% Report: Participants will write a 2000-word essay focused on research challenges
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
The module aims to explore the ways digital Geographic Information is being used in the public domain, in particular in connection with location-aware mobile devices and multi-dimensional geo-visualization techniques. The module encourages you to think critically about how geospatial technologies can be made to work effectively, and the research challenges that exist in terms of design and human computer interaction, making connections to other disciplinary perspectives beyond geography. In addition, it introduces various ways that we capture data using Earth Observation and other tools, and the engineering and environmental applications that these data support.Learning Outcomes
The students will gain knowledge and understanding of the following:
- The fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems and their human, business, retail, environmental and physical applications.
- The research agenda and how Geographic Information is used to pursue research goals in both academia and in significant industrial players such as the Ordnance Survey.
- Ways in which GI are captured, including conventional mapping, crowd sourcing, mobile devices, modern surveying techniques and Earth Observation.
- How Geographic Information is incorporated into a range of modern technologies such as location-based services, augmented reality, mobile mapping and navigation services.