METHODS OF TERRITORIAL ANALYSIS WITH GIS PRACTICE

- to learn methods for the analysis of territorial spatial phenomena
- to introducing students to the tools for managing and processing spatial-temporal data
- to acquire operational capabilities with GIS tools applied to environmental management

- to analyise the spatial features of socio-ecosystems by integrating economic and environmental approaches, in order to support spatial planning and decision processes

Basic knowledge of statistics and computer science

Theory
- Introduction and main definitions
- Human cognition of geographical space
- Natural resources and land use
- Principles of spatial ecological analysis
-Geographical information and introduction to GIS
- Data models and reality
-Maps and spatially distributed indicators and indices ()
- Introduction to spatial modelling
- Introduction to geostatistics
- Discrete and continuous fields
- Concepts of environmental valuation in a geographical context
- Introduction to spatial multi-criteria analysis
Applications
-Field works and computer labs with GPS and GIS tools on the following topics:
- agroecosystems
- land cover/use change
- biodiversity
- climate change
- spatial multicriteria analysis.

Teaching materials made available by the instructor through the Moodle web:

The final evaluation and grading is based upon a written test, covering all the topics of the class and a written report to be developed upon the work carried out in the computer lab and during the field visit.

The course foresees a series of lectures making use of powerpoint presentations made available to students since the beginning of the course, seminars (given also by external experts), and individual and group works conducted by students and reported back to the class at the end of the course.
Practical work consists of both field work and computer laboratories.
The blog functionality provided by the Moodle platform is used for on-line communication with students.
The final exams consists in a written test (open questions), and a final report on the results of applied activities.

Italian

Course materials (powerpoint slides, homework, forum, etc.) can be found in the Ca' Foscari Moodle web site: http://moodle.unive.it/

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