The course allows you to acquire GIS (Geographic Information System) software tools, very useful for the visualization and interrogation of digital cartography, and to learn where to find and how to manage the increasing amount of cartographic information and geo-referenced data sources made available via web. The course is therefore very operative, with computer exercises applied to different interdisciplinary fields of study of the territory and the environment.
The course provides the operational tools GIS for research, visualization, interrogation, management and simple spatial analysis of digital cartography and the most common geo-referenced data sources. It allows to face concrete applications in different fields of study of urban and natural environment, from urban planning to geotechnics, hydrology, hydraulics and transport, as well as the management of inspections and surveys on digital cartographic support.
Theoretical-practical acquisition of management techniques and simple analysis of geo-referenced spatial data, as a tool to support land and environment management as well as decision support.
Ability to analyse results as a function of metric resolution of data.
Use of GIS Free and Open Source software in accordance with the directive of the Minister for Innovation and Technologies of 19 December 2003 that encourages the use of these technologies.
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Theoretical lessons followed by computer classroom lessons to put these notions into practice.
The course is held in Italian but slides and bibliographical references are available in English.
Introduction to GIS tools
Geographic Information Systems (GIS): basic operating logic and functionality, overview of application areas, main existing software (in particular Free and Open Source)
Digital mapping: conceptual and logical data models (raster and vector, fields and entities), nominal scale and resolution, hints at topology, metadata and European directive INSPIRE
Recall to the most widely used reference systems and cartographic projections
Reference systems and cartographic projections: their characteristics, the EPSG international codes, the georeferencing process
GIS data sources
The official Italian cartography: characteristics and availability
Digital Terrain Models (DTM): characteristics, data structures, (interpolation methods)
Photos and Orthophotos: information on optical characteristics, acquisition procedures, storage formats, orthophotos and satellite images
Notes on LiDAR and GNSS data
Introduction to GeoWebServices: Availability and use of geographical data via web.
Introduction to GeoDataBases: their structure and SQL queries
Introduction to QuantumGIS
Project setup and data import in QGIS
Visualization and integration of different data sources
Importing WMS services and importing OpenStreetMap data
Management and simple analysis of DTMs in QGIS
Image management and georeferencing
Operative exercises
Example of application in hydrology: analysis of basins
Example of application in river hydraulics: management and analysis of river sections and/or flood areas
Example of application in geotechnics: extensive analysis of factors predisposing to landslide failure
Example of application in urban planning: analysis of risk propensity cartography and intersection with ISTAT data.
Example of application in trasport: Analysis of transport networks
Example of a guided application on site inspection management: GPS tracks and photos taken (possibly including data acquisition on site)
Example of a guided application for publishing GIS maps on the web
Lecture notes and material provided by the teacher.
Texts for consultation:
Burrough P.A., McDonnel R.A., Principles of Geographical Information Systems, Oxford University Press, 1998.
Longley P.A., Goodchild M.F., Maguire D.J., Rhind D.W., Geographic Information Science and Systems, Ed. John Wiley & Sons, 2015, ISBN: 1118676955, 9781118676950.
Ricevimento: By appointment, by calling (+39) 010 353 2421 or sending an e-mail (bianca.federici at unige.it)
BIANCA FEDERICI (President)
ILARIA FERRANDO
DOMENICO SGUERSO
beginning of the second semester
Oral exam (in Italian or English), with presentation of an application realized by the students in small groups.
The exam includes an oral test, with presentation and discussion of an application made in small groups aimed at a deepening of a guided exercise carried out during the course. In this test will be ascertained also the theoretical knowledge of some fundamental concepts for a correct management of the geographic data, such as the reference systems and the cartographic projections, the resolutions and accuracies, and of some techniques of elaboration of the same.
