Introductory course on using remotely sensed data and GIS in managing the environment. Students will discuss the gathering of remotely sensed data, the various facilities for remote sensing and their uses, the GIS processes for data storage and analysis, and the various applications of GIS capacities for environmental management. It should also have a bearing on the aspect of environmental monitoring. The topics start with geographic information system (GIS), to which students will gain experience in spatial data processing, production of high-quality maps or cartographic representation of the geographical space, and analysis using an open-source software, particularly QGIS. GIS topics are arranged with the anticipation that students acquire basic, intermediate, and advanced GIS operation skills. The process will already expose several cases for remote sensing. Finally, the basics of remote sensing will be the focus and basic activities in analyzing remotely sensed data. It is inevitable for the learning process to involve internet and computer access.
The course delivery will combine lectures through online platforms, online group collaboration, and self-directed learning through prepared lecture materials, localized multimedia tutorials, and online links. The instructor will post these materials and the assessment of learning on the university's online learning platform. The specific topics in this course have corresponding classwork like quick response posts, short quizzes, individual or group presentations of issues, class discussions, and case study searches. A significant requirement of the course is for the students to develop a capstone proposal to show the method's applicability in managing contemporary environmental concerns. The students can complete and present the vital requirement individually or in a group.
Knowledge obtained from this course offers students many opportunities to achieve or complete the learning objectives of other environmental science courses. In the future, the students might engage in works related to land management, land use planning, natural resource conservation and management, or other positions that may require spatial analysis. Hence, the course aims at preparing the students for such an opportunity.
- Teacher: Richie Lador