Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

None

Aims

The aims of the module are:-

1.       To give the student advanced first - hand experience of the GIS flowline from collection, representation, analysis through to presentation
2.       To build on their existing skills in these areas studied in stage 2 and consolidate the learning within a practical environment
3.       To allow the student to develop, more fully, the links between literature and theoretical based knowledge and field - based reality. This will help to develop a realistic and critical perspective on the practicalities and limitations of field research.
4.       To introduce core themes and technologies that will be expanded upon in their stage 3 studies.
5.       To further enhance group based working and core presentation skills, and prepare them for their dissertation study.

Two introductory lectures will take place to familiarise the students with the study area and the working practices and goals of the course. From the duration of the course, two days will be devoted to data collection, a further 3 days will be utilised in data validation and analysis. Two days will be used for data presentation. The final day will be utilised in completing written and oral reports.
This fieldcourse will be subsidised by the School, although a minimised cost, of the order of £200, will be payable by each student for this course.

(external factors may require that the course be run in a non residential manner from Newcastle)

Outline Of Syllabus

A fieldcourse in the UK to be held around the commencement time of Stage 3 studies. The course will integrate the material introduced in Stages 1 and 2 to real world geospatial problems, particularly from the perspective of terrain analysis, precise GNSS data collection, hydrological analysis, remote sensing, image classification, and 3D visualisation. This will be achieved through a mixture of lectures and workshops on the fieldcourse itself, but mainly through practical application of data collection in the field. The fieldwork will consist of a series of tasks that form an integrated practical GIS exercise.

The use of GIS analysis and remote sensing data processing will be compared and contrasted for application to DEM generation for water flow analysis including precise control, data capture and accuracy assessment, illustrating their complementarity and the role and importance of transformations or datums, terrain interpolation, data collection methodologies, and image classification algorithms. Students will have the opportunity to develop practical field -based skills, be introduced to new technologies and analytical techniques and be able to plan and structure their activities as a group.

The course will highlight practical problems and issues faced by geospatial professionals when designing, collecting and analysing field data. It will highlight real-world solutions and workarounds that give a flavour of the imperfectness and reality of data collection and analysis, outside the confines of academia.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

1.       Understanding of the processes, techniques and interconnectivity of the GIS flowline from data acquisition to data presentation.
2.       Ability to critically analyse data and suggest and implement validation procedures.
3.       Ability to select and apply spatial analytical techniques appropriately
4.       Capacity to assess and implement representational and visualisation techniques for spatial data

Intended Skill Outcomes

1.       Ability to collect, interpret and critically evaluate spatial data within the context of the task deliverables
2.       Ability to plan and implement fieldwork as a part of a team and in unfamiliar surroundings.
3.       Ability to report and present findings both orally and as written reports
4.       Increased familiarity with current spatial data handling tools and visualisation media

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

1.       Lectures introduce, develop and illustrate the study area and the existing available data and its shortcomings
2.       Fieldwork provides opportunities for student- led design and planning of the spatial data flowline as teams of 3-4 students. Training in fieldwork techniques and selection of suitable processes and analytical techniques and assistance in project design will be available from staff.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

1. Coursework provides an opportunity to (i) synthesize, interpret and critically evaluate a range of literature and primary and secondary data concerning spatial data handling in the study area within the context of the tasks set and (ii) demonstrate the capacity to communicate concisely and effectively in writing and through graphical presentations and to report scientific research in an appropriate manner. The coursework is presented through a formal written group report critiquing the data, analytical and representational techniques applied and an individual report focusing on a critique of the methodologies applied during the exercise.

2. Field presentation provide an opportunity, within the context of group exercises, to present the initial results of fieldwork, the context of the projects and to reflect on the developments and execution of small-scale research projects conducted in unfamiliar surroundings.

Project work to be marked and scaled individually according to staff and peer assessment of respective inputs. The presentation will be assessed by staff.

General Notes

The fieldcourse will be built around a series of exercises that consolidate learning from Stages 1 and 2 of the degree course and set it in a field-based problem-solving context. The exercises will include such problems as designing, through analysis and visualisation of DEM data, a sensor-network, analysing and validating land-cover or land-use classification from a variety of sources, carrying-out Multi-Criteria Analysis for planning activities, and generating high-quality visualisations, including in three dimensions.

Students will work in small groups through the exercises, assigning their own roles dependent on personal strengths and skillsets. Staff will offer advice and guidance but most planning and implementation of geospatial techniques will be down to the students own initiative. The purpose is to allow students to put into practice the theory that has been learnt in their studies to data.

Geospatial tools (such as UAVs, hand-held GNSS/GIS technology, and software) will be made available for use as deemed necessary by the students. Data should be collected or accessed throughout the fieldcourse to enable the required analysis to be undertaken to achieve the required goals.