BB836: Geographical Information systems (GIS) in Environmental monitoring and Climate adaption

Study Board of Science

Teaching language: Danish, but English if international students are enrolled
EKA: N110013102
Assessment: Second examiner: Internal
Grading: 7-point grading scale
Offered in: Odense
Offered in: Autumn
Level: Master's level course approved as PhD course

STADS ID (UVA): N110013101
ECTS value: 10

Date of Approval: 12-05-2020


Duration: 1 semester

Version: Archive

Comment

04011801 (former UVA) is identical with this course description. 
This course contains a field trip to Svanninge in week 43. 

Enrollment in this course means a payment of 350 kr. per student. Each student will be asked to pay a couple of weeks before the field trip via Blackboard.

Entry requirements

None

Academic preconditions

Students taking the course are expected to: 

  • Have a professional level at least equivalent to the 3rd year Bachelor student.

Course introduction

The aim is to introduce GIS (MapInfo) theory and its applicability within environmental and nature conservation and climate adaptation. The students will learn the GIS-tool through practical environmental cases: where they prepare, implement and create environmental maps and treat and manipulate the data. 
The intention is that the students reach a level, so GIS can be used during the master project. The topics is: evaluate nutrient runoff from catchments with varying land use, climate adaptation plans where topographic models assists creation of hydraulic buffers in the landscape, analysis of marine environmental conditions to fulfill the EU’s Water Frame Directive and coupling of dynamic models to GIS-tools to improve the spatial ecosystem analysis.  

The course builds on the knowledge of cell terrestrial nature, ecology, environmental quality and assessment of pollution in streams. Some courses are running in parallel to and earlier during the study programme.

In relation to the competence profile of the degree it is the explicit focus of the course to:

  • Enter into academic collaborations and structure personal learning.
  • Provide GIS skills and conduct GIS investigations based on biological theories, and express, evaluate and discuss the results.

Expected learning outcome

The learning objectives of the course are that the student demonstrates the following GIS expertise’s:
  • Create, optimize and maintain GIS-databases.
  • Register digital data into basic and thematic maps.
  • Using drones for ground truthing of spatial data.
  • Understand and use different types of projections.
  • Critical analysis of the quality of GIS-data.
  • Use GIS data- and map-manipulation facilities including: Aggregating, combining, deleting, overlaying and splitting.
  •  Analyze spatial data by database queries (SQL). 
  • Evaluate maps and themes with 0, 1, 2 and 3D-analyser. 
  • Create thematic maps.
  • Use Vertical Mapper to generate topographic models and analyze spatial gradients.
  • Use GIS to analyze complex environmental problems (thru cases).

Content

The students will through weekly assignments work with GIS themes that exemplify how the environmental authorities (ministry, regions and municipalities) use GIS. Thematically it includes: spatial analysis of habitat fragmentation of protected nature, land use and nutrient loading in relation to possibilities to fulfil the EU Water Frame Directive. Buffering increased precipitation to avoid flooding. Using GIS for spatial analysis of marine environmental quality.

Literature

Heywood et al. An introduction to GIS. 4. udg.
Booklet
Original artikler

See Blackboard for syllabus lists and additional literature references.

Examination regulations

Exam element a)

Timing

January

Tests

Project report, presentation and oral defense of report.

EKA

N110013102

Assessment

Second examiner: Internal

Grading

7-point grading scale

Identification

Full name and SDU username

Language

Normally, the same as teaching language

Examination aids

Not specified, a closer description of the exam rules will be posted under 'Course Information' on Blackboard.

ECTS value

10

Additional information

The examination form for re-examination may be different from the exam form at the regular exam.

Indicative number of lessons

94 hours per semester

Teaching Method

Activities during the study phase:
  • Finishing GIS-analysis.
  • Writing tutorial reports from exercises.

The course includes a 5-6 days residential part where the students are staying on the Institute field station in Svanninge Bjerge (Southern Funen). Here ground truthing and GIS expertise are trained.

Teacher responsible

Name E-mail Department
Mogens Flindt Mrf@biology.sdu.dk Biologisk Institut

Timetable

Administrative Unit

Biologisk Institut

Team at Educational Law & Registration

NAT

Offered in

Odense

Recommended course of study

Profile Education Semester Offer period