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Syllabus

Course description: The course explains digital representation and analysis of geospatial phenomena and provides foundations in methods and algorithms used in GIS analysis. Special focus is on terrain modeling, geomorphometry, watershed analysis and introductory GIS-based modeling of landscape processes (water, sediment). The course includes analysis from lidar data, 3D visualization, and exploratory land management design with Tangible GIS.

Prerequisites: NR/GIS 462 Intro to GIS recommended

Educational Approach: This course will consist of: lectures, readings, in-class exercises, homework assignments, and a major project. All the work will be collected within an electronic portfolio that will systematically include the work that you will do for this and previous GIS courses. Extra credits will be given for innovative solutions, creativity in problem solving and extensions to given tasks. Lectures on Tuesday will be followed by In-class practice on Thursday.

Class materials: see schedule, lectures and assignments

Textbooks: no required textbook, but the following are recommended

Software: GRASS GIS and ArcGIS, Google Earth, GPS visualizer

Grading policy: 30% homeworks, 20% midterm, 50% project

Office hours and email: 2127 Jordan hall, Tuesday and Thursday 3:00 - 4:00 pm; hmitaso@unity.ncsu.edu

Academic integrity: NCSU policy , see also Code of Student Conduct

Attendance policy: attendance checked at each class, see also attendance regulations and university definitions of excused absences

Accomodation of students with disabilities: see The university provisions and policies for disabled students

Topics

  1. Data acquisition and integration

    • mapping natural phenomena, concept of continuous fields and discrete sampling
    • units, projections, coordinate transformations, georeferencing
    • geospatial formats, conversions, geospatial data abstraction library
    • raster and vector representation, raster-vector conversions and resampling
    • data repositories, interpreting metadata, evaluating the data, accuracy, uncertainty, scale

  2. Data display and visualization

    • display of continuous and discrete data, use of color, shading, symbols, to extract the spatial pattern and relationships
    • 3D visualization: multiple surfaces and volumes, 3D vector objects
    • visualization for data analysis (lighting, zscaling, transparency, cutting planes, animations)
    • view/create maps/post your data on-line (Google Earth/Maps, GPS visualizer)

  3. Geospatial Analysis I-III

    • foundations for analysis of continuous and discrete phenomena
    • spatial interpolation and approximation (gridding)
    • neighborhood operations and buffers,
    • analysis and modeling with map algebra,
    • cost surfaces and least cost path,

  4. Terrain Modeling and Analysis (Geomorphometry I-III)

    • terrain and bathymetry mapping
    • mathematical and digital representations (point clouds, contour, raster, TIN)
    • resolution, scale, accuracy, uncertainty
    • DEM and DSM, working with multiple return lidar data
    • spatial interpolation of elevation data and topographic analysis
    • line of sight, viewshed analysis
    • solar irradiation, photovoltaic energy potential
    • time series of elevation data, analysis of coastal change

  5. Flow tracing, Watershed Analysis and Landforms I-II

    • methods for flow routing and flowaccumulation
    • extraction of stream networks
    • extraction of watershed boundaries and building watershed hierarchies
    • feature extraction, landforms

  6. Introduction to Modeling of Geospatial Processes

    • model formulation,
    • input data processing, calibration, validation
    • GIS-based hydrologic and erosion modeling
    • GIS Modeling with Open source GIS, Tangible GIS

  7. Project