This unit of study is aimed at advanced techniques in Remote Sensing (RS), linked with Geographical Information Systems (GIS), as applied to land management problems. We will review the basic principles of GIS and then focus on advanced RS principles and techniques used for land resource assessment and management. This will be followed by practical training in RS techniques, augmented by land management project development and implementation based on integration of GIS and RS tools. The unit thus consists of three separate but overlapping parts: 1) a short theoretical part which focuses on the concepts of RS; 2) a practical part which aims at developing hands-on skills in using RS tools, and 3) an application-focused module in which students will learn the skills of how to design a land management project and actualise it using integrated GIS and RS techniques.
Syllabus summary: Lectures will cover: Overview of the basic principles of Geographical Information Science (GISc), Advanced principles of remote sensing, Land resource information and data capture using RS, Digital elevation modelling and terrain analysis using remote sensing; Image enhancement and visualization; Image classification and interpretation; RS data interpretation for land resource inventory; RS and GIS for land use and land cover change analysis; Coupling of models of land resource assessment with GIS and RS. Fifty percent of learning time will be devoted to the design and implementation of projects, which can be selected from GIS and RS applications in: agricultural land management, vegetation studies, water and catchment (hydrological) studies; land-cover and land-use change modelling, pesticide and herbicide environmental risk assessment, environmental impact analysis, land degradation modelling including soil salinity, soil erosion, etc.

The concept and use of computer modelling in natural resource management is introduced in this unit of study, which is aimed particularly at non-programmers. The unit involves a combination of lecture and applied modelling skills, with students learning practical techniques that can be applied to different environmental issues.

This unit of study gives an overview of basic spatial data models, and enables students to understand the use of data from a variety of sources within a geographical information system (GIS). The analysis of spatial data, and its manipulation to address questions appropriate to planning or locational applications, will be addressed, as will the development of thematic maps from diverse data layers.

This course will provide the conceptual background to more advanced GIS analysis applications and spatial reasoning methods in the context of contemporary environmental issues. The course is designed to provide an understanding of spatial analysis techniques available within a GIS environment, explore a diversity of both social and physical environmental applications and address emerging issues in GIS research. A range of topics will be introduced including field based capture of spatial information, spatial data structures, surface modelling, visibility analysis, hydrological modeling, network analysis, spatial data uncertainty and social GIS. Conceptual material presented in lectures and tutorial workshops will be placed in an applied context through a series of laboratory and field sessions designed to strengthen practical understanding and awareness of GIS methods.

The unit of study explores how remote sensing has enabled the science of Earth Observation to become the most valuable and widely-used tool for characterising and quantifying Earths vegetation, geology and marine ecosystems. The study introduces the physical processes that influence how light interacts with materials of the Earth's surface, which is the basis for Earth Observation. The course uses state-of-the-art, industry-standard software to introduce many different techniques in the analysis and interpretation of remotely sensed data. We will explore different kinds of remotely sensed data, starting from a simple colour photograph to multispectral and hyperspectral data gathered from satellites and aircraft. Earth Observation is becoming an essential skill for anyone interested in the natural environment - skills which are applicable across a wide range of science and environmental disciplines. Starting off simply, you will acquire the skills and knowledge to enable you to map and quantify vegetation and geology using image data acquired in different parts of the world. The objective of this course is to 'demystify' the use of satellite data and to provide the essential theoretical and practical skills to enable students to process data acquired by Earth Observation satellites and aircraft.

The unit introduces methods associated with acquiring data in the field and examines issues associated with application of spatial data to environmental monitoring, terrain mapping and geocomputing. Students will learn both theoretically and practically how environmental data is collected using different remote sensing techniques, (pre)processing methods of integrating data in a GIS environment and the role of spatial data in understanding landscape processes and quantifying environmental change.

This unit provides students with an opportunity for research and in-depth inquiry in a spatial science topic of interest allowing students to further extend their knowledge or theoretical and conceptual material presented in other units. The research topic will be arranged between the student and supervisor and must have a spatial science focus. Potential topics range from modeling coastal impacts of predicted sea level rise, applying remote sensing in vegetation change detection to the spatial modeling of public transport accessibility. The project topic may involve a spatial modeling or field component, or may be entirely literature-based.

This unit of study explains the major coastal processes and systems of relevance to coastal zone management. These include rocky coasts and bluffs; beaches, barriers and dunes; and estuaries and inlets. The interactions between these processes and systems that are of most relevance to coastal management are highlighted, including coastal hazards such as beach erosion, dune migration, bluff retreat, coastal flooding and inlet closure/opening. Anthropogenic impacts are also analysed. The unit is presented in lectures and field excursions, the latter enabling each system to be examined first hand.

The field school will be based around visits to a series of coastal sites along the NSW coast. The unit will include a series of introductory lectures followed by visits to the sites where both unit staff and local coastal managers and stakeholders will address the students on the nature of the site, its historical development and contemporary coastal management issues and solutions. Sites will be selected to the representative of both the range of coastal systems present along the NSW coast, as well as the range of management issues presented by the sites.

This unit provides an in - depth understanding of the key geological, oceanographic,. biological and economic factors effecting climate change, energy generation and needs with specific reference to the Great Barrier Reef. Computer prediction of worst and best case scenarios are used to develop management strategies and policy implications. Learning activities will include a series of background lectures and research seminars, and tutorials on the development of a major research project. A major aspect of this unit is an independent research project conducted under the supervision of the course instructors. The unit concludes with a series of oral presentations based on student research. Assessment tasks will consist of two essays and a research project report and presentation. The curriculum in this unit is based on current research and a course book will be provided. This is a field intensive course held at One Tree Island Research Station. The course is ex-Gladstone Queensland and students are expected to make their own way there. The unit will be run over 8 days and there will be an additional course fee for food and accommodation, expected to be $600.

This unit is concerned with using GIS to analyse planning problems and undertake policy analyses. The unit will include a comprehensive introduction to mapping and the use of GIS: data structures, topology, projections, spatial and non-spatial queries. Australian census products will be described and students will be expected to analyse census statistics using GIS maps. The role of GIS in coordinating various forms of information for policy analyses, preparing master plans, in presenting information for development control, impact analyses and wider management purposes will also be covered. The use of GIS to support visualisation will be covered, using examples about designing development projects and planning instruments. Finally, the various forms of distributing maps to the public and policy-makers will be discussed.
The unit integrates the hands-on learning of GIS software with a `research-based` approach. Teaching will involve short lectures, studios and workshops. Assessment will be on a series of smaller assignments and a larger report prepared by each student that integrates GIS-based (and other) graphics into a coherent policy analysis. In addition, each student will make oral presentations on their work in studio sessions.

This unit will provide research training for students to synthesize and draw conclusions from their coursework experience and learning, and to enable them to revise and/or develop the necessary skills for undertaking research as part of their intellectual and/or professional growth. These skills include critical reading, developing the research proposal, developing a research plan with timelines and benchmarks, critical writing, library search techniques, use of referencing systems like EndNote, matters relating to intellectual property and authorship, how to follow instructions to authors and report presentation.