Content, progress and pedagogy of the module

The course includes two main topics: 1) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) on acquiring, handling, analysing and visualising geographic data with an emphasis on learning the key data types and the public Danish geodata infrastructure used by private and public agencies, and 2) Ecosystem modelling where ecological models are applied to quantify and evaluate environmental changes and effects of perturbations on ecosystems.

The course covers basic concepts and advanced GIS aiming at functions relevant to municipalities, governmental institutions, and the engineering consulting business.

Learning objectives

Knowledge

Students that have passed the module should be able to

• explain the basis of analogue and digital cartography.
• explain digital geodata types: the vector data model and raster data model
• describe geospatial data resources and key national data infrastructure
• communicate hypotheses and assumptions behind functional models
• describe where and how ecological modeling is used

Skills

• demonstrate proficiency in all the steps of a GIS project: data capture, building and editing geodatabases, data transformation and analysis, map layout and digital cartography, assessment of data accuracy and quality.
• search, identify, and retrieve digital geographic data from various sources, including the public Danish geodata infrastructure
• select appropriate geographical data models and analysis required for a given task and argue for the choices made
• produce composite maps from multiple sets of digital map sources
• develop simple models and simulate environmental changes
• use models to quantify relations between perturbations and effect on an ecosystem
• analyze model output in relations to conservation and management of ecosystems
• evaluate data quality and model outputs

Competences

• demonstrate comprehensive insight into maps in general and GIS in specific – from map reading to collecting, storing, transforming, and presenting digital spatial data
• apply maps and spatial analytical results to problem-solving and communication
• evaluate the usefulness of ecological modeling to describe relations between perturbations and ecological effects
• evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different ecological models
• critical thinking and ability to communicate model assumptions and limitations

Type of instruction

• Lectures and theoretical or practical exercises

Extent and expected workload

150 hours

Exam

Exams