OVERVIEW

The teaching provides the necessary tools for the management and analysis of the different spatial data sources available today relating to both the terrestrial and marine environment, including the newest and highest resolution ones such as Lidar digital terrain models and satellite images. Several areas of application of the exercises will be addressed through the software GIS (Geographic Information System), for planning, management and monitoring the environment.

The use of free and open source geographic software (GFOSS) and the expertise acquired in the management of geographic data ensure that the teaching contributes to the pursuit of the UN 2030 Agenda's Sustainable Development Goals no. 4, 5, 10, 11, 15.

The teaching will develop the following transversal skills and competences (soft-skills): teamwork with a collaborative and constructive attitude; strategic thinking and critical thinking; effective communication and argumentative skills.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The teaching provides the necessary tools for the management and analysis of the various spatial data available today relating to the terrestrial, marine and aerial environment, including the most recent and high-resolution ones such as LiDAR Digital Terrain Models and satellite images. Several applications supporting the management of the environment will be addressed through open source GIS (Geographic Information System) software.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Theoretical and practical acquisition of the techniques for the treatment of georeferenced data, as a tool to support environment management as well as decision support system.

Ability to identify the most suitable cartographic data and the necessary processing to achieve the expected result.

Ability to analyse results according to the metric resolution of the data.

Use of free and open source software in accordance with the directive of the Minister for Innovation and Technology, December 19, 2003 to encourage the use of these technologies.

The following transversal skills and competences (soft-skills) will also be developed, which will allow the relevant Open Badges to be awarded:

• functional literacy - advanced level
• personal competence - advanced level
• social competence - advanced level
• learning to learn competence - advanced level
• project creation competence - advanced level

with emphasis on group work with a collaborative and constructive attitude, strategic thinking and critical thinking, effective communication and argumentative skills.

PREREQUISITES

none

TEACHING METHODS

Frontal theoretical lectures are alternated with computer-based lectures and team working to put these notions into practice in real application situations.
Lessons will be held in the classroom, but will also be available in synchronous and asynchronous online modes.

The following innovative and interactive teaching tools are used:

- instant polls, both to stimulate students' attention and to check their level of learning, developing the ability to learn how to learn.

- Team Working and Problem Based Learning, applied in the context of GIS exercises both guided by the teacher and carried out independently in groups, developing literacy, personal and social skills as well as in project creation.

The teaching is held in English.

Students who have a valid certification of physical or learning disability recorded at the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances relating to lectures, teachings and examinations should contact both the lecturer and Prof. Federico Scarpa (federico.scarpa@unige.it), the Polytechnic School disability contact person.

Working students are advised to contact the lecturer at the beginning of the teaching in order to agree on teaching and examination arrangements that, while respecting the teaching objectives, take into account individual learning methods.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Numerical cartography: hints at acquisition methods, from traditional to numerical cartography, error of graphism and nominal scale, metric and semantic data, topology, metadata.

Geographic Information System (GIS): operating logic and functions; major existing software, primarily free and open source; applications overview.

Data and georeferencing: recalls of the main reference systems and cartographic projections, management of georeferenced data in different datum, the EPSG codes, georeferencing procedure, official and crowdsourcing cartography available via web.

Raster and vector data: data models and main operators, including matrix algebra, reclassification, report, geoprocessing and network analysis.

DataBase: structure, queries and SQL; major software and their spatial extension for the treatment of georeferenced data; interaction within GIS software.

Digital Terrain Models: data characteristics and structures, interpolation methods for their construction, morphological analyses, characteristics and management of LIDAR data.

Digital images: aerial and satellite image acquisition methods, orthophotos, geometric and radiometric resolution, spectral signature, characteristics of the most common file formats. Processing by means of colour compositions and spectral indices of satellite images; automatic pixel-based, supervised and unsupervised image classification, and hints at object-based techniques.

WebGIS and Geoservices: features and operation logic of the techniques for publication, consultation and processing of geographic data through the web.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lecture notes and material are provided by the teacher via aulaweb.

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.

Neteler M., Mitasova H., 2008. Open Source GIS: A GRASS GIS Approach. Third edition. 420 pages, Springer, New York (ISBN-10: 038735767X; ISBN-13: 978-0387357676).

Online User Manual of GRASS: http://grass.osgeo.org/documentation/manuals/

Online GRASS Tutorial: http://www.ing.unitn.it/~grass

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

https://corsi.unige.it/10720/p/studenti-orario

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The examination consists of an oral test, comprising:

- presentation and discussion of an application realised in GIS in small groups (2 to 4 people) aimed at analysing the territory for its management/planning;

- questions relating to essential theoretical concepts for the correct management of geographical data, such as reference systems and cartographic projections, the concept of cartographic scale, the characteristics of different data formats, the fundamental concepts of orthophotos, image classification, databases and geoprocessing.

The examination may be conducted online in the cases provided for in the University Regulations.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The following will be assessed:

- the critical discussion of the results obtained in the application aimed at analysing the territory in a GIS environment;

- the quality of the oral presentation, as it is considered preparatory to the students' future working life, enabling them to better acquire the ability to share ideas and work in a team;

- the knowledge of essential theoretical concepts for the correct management of geographical data in a GIS environment.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Working students and students with SLD, disability or other special educational needs certification are advised to contact the teacher at the beginning of the course to agree on teaching and examination methods that, in compliance with the teaching objectives, take account of individual learning methods.