2021/2022

2021/2022

DM270

GEO/04 (PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND GEOMORPHOLOGY)

DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

NATURAL SCIENCES

PERCORSO COMUNE

1°

(04/10/2021 - 14/01/2022)

6

60 lesson hours

Italian

ORAL TEST

ZUCCA FRANCESCO - 6 ECTS

Basic computer skills: Operating systems (Win, Linux, Android); concept and management of files and directories: creation, copy-transfer-download, compacting-unpacking; use of office automation tools (spreadsheets) and text editing; Internet searches with keywords, concept and basic use of the cloud

Basic statistics: means, variance, standard deviation, concept of distribution and ability to display data (histograms, dispersion diagrams, boxplots)

Basic cartography: the concepts of cartographic projections, reading skills of topographic and thematic cartography, extraction and measurements of planar and altimetric positions and distances and extraction of topographic elements (profiles)

Research skills in university bibliographic databases.

The aim of the course is to produce specialized knowledge in the field of geographic data, GIS and spatial analysis applied to ecological and environmental problems also of a global nature, developing skills oriented to problem solving with a spatial component (implicit and explicit ) and the integration in GIS systems of the knowledge obtained by the student in different areas of the course of study and personal experience. Therefore, to develop skills to manage complex application and research contexts to respond to the 2030 Agenda for global sustainable development, which clearly suggests the qualified and intense use of geospatial data and Earth observation (EO) to measure environmental trends and monitor the progress of an important part of the Sustainable Development Goals of the same Agenda.

The perception and cognition of geographic phenomena, domains of geographic information and elements of geographic information.
References on reference and projection systems.
Vector and raster models.
Topological relationships, spatial distributions, uncertainty models.
Advanced general analysis and morphological analysis of raster data.
Data abstraction: classification, selection and generalization.
Techniques of graphical-spatial representation. Web mapping and visualization; visualization of the temporal component and the uncertainty of geographical data.
Use of models to represent information and data. Data models; DB design and modeling tools, conceptual, logical and physical models.
Spatial data operations: transformations of representation: data models and format conversion, interpolation, conversions, generalization, aggregation and scales. Classification and transformation of attributes.
Spatial database operation: basic geometric and analytical measurements, geographic distribution measurements, identification of spatial patterns and clusters. Spatial relationships analysis.
Development of geographic data production techniques: GPS and Remote Sensing. Principles and uses.
GIS integration and modeling tools and programming languages ​​(R, Python.)
GIS applications and tools for ecological (botanical and ecological) issues: connectivity, corridor and habitat modeling.
Development of ecological DB-GIS using FOSS softwares.

In the initial part of the course frontal lessons dedicated to the exploration of the theoretical components of the program, which will leave room for flipped approaches developed both as a peer instruction f.c. both as problem based learning f.c. aimed at realizing individual and group competence with discussion of problems and presentation of projects.
Computer exercises and outdoor activities to discover and use smart measurement and production technologies of geospatial data.
Specific in-depth seminars on GIS and its relationship with ecological issues made with tutors in attendance and also based, if necessary, on specific webinars of international teachers and researchers.

-Principles of Geographic Information Systems - An introductory textbook
Otto Huisman and Rolf A. de By eds. Publisher: ITC 2009, ISBN-13: 9789061642695 (available from the teacher)

-Spatial Thinking in Planning Practice: An Introduction to GIS - Yiping Fang, Vivek Shandas, and Eugenio Arriaga Cordero (available at link
http://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=pdxopen)

- Applied Spatial Data Analysis, 2013, Bivand, Pebesma and & Gómez-Rubio, UseR! Series, Springer, 2nd ed., xviii+405 pp., Softcover, ISBN: 978-1-4614-7617-7 (available from the teacher)

- Geospatial Analysis - A comprehensive guide, a free web-based GIS resource - de Smith, Longley & Goodchild, 2013, 4th ed., (available at link http://www.spatialanalysisonline.com/)

- Remote Sensing of the Environment: An Earth Resource Perspective, Jensen, John R., 2007, 2nd Ed., Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 592 pages (available from the teacher)

- Remote Sensing of Biomass - Principles and Applications, Fatoyinbo (editor), ISBN 978-953-51-0313-4, 334 pages, Publisher: InTech, Chapters published March 28, 2012 under CC BY 3.0 license DOI: 10.5772/696 (available at link http://www.intechopen.com/)

Students will also be provided with materials, lecture notes and case studies in English.

The assessment of the actual acquisition of the learning outcomes will be verified both through the evaluation of the results of the singular activities during the period of flipped classroom (singular and team) as well as through the evaluation of public presentations of essays (15%) of short researches carried out by the students in the working groups, in order to develop also a self-evaluation and comparison ability; at the end of the course, the realization and presentation of a personal research (15%) on topics defined in advance with the teacher and tutors and based on case history from the literature, and a test analysis of a GIS project (70%) to be realized on PC.

Non-attending students are required to contact the teacher in due advance to define a specific training course and the sharing of teaching materials.