Department of Geography & Resource Management
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
GRM 1024 Geoinformatics and Information Technology
Second Term, 2010-2011
Lecturers:
Prof. Lin Hui
Mr. Wong Kwan Kit, Frankie
ELB 615
FYB 205
huilin@cuhk.edu.hk
kkit@cuhk.edu.hk
Graduate:
Assistants
Ms. Meng Lina
Ms. Yang Jinghui
FYB 216
FYB 234
mlina@cuhk.edu.hk
yangjh@cuhk.edu.hk
Lecture:
Wednesday 4:30 – 6:15 pm
FYB LT4
Laboratory:
Group 1 T6-T8 1:30 – 4:15 pm
Group 2 W6-W8 1:30 – 4:15 pm
FYB 222
FYB 222
Website:
Please login the university webCT site.
http://webct.cuhk.edu.hk/webct/
Course Description
Making the best use of modern IT to study is a fundamental tool for every university student.
This course introduces the background and use of IT, in particular geoinformatics in
geographical and resource management studies.
Geoinformatics, a relatively new terminology, comprises studies which deal with technologies
in the acquisition, storage, management, interpretation, analysis and presentation of spatial
data. It is closely linked and rooted in the technologies of cartography, remote sensing,
geographic information systems and surveying. This course introduces geoinformatics
technologies and how these technologies are used in geographical studies. It discusses the
nature and variety of spatial data, methods to acquire them, techniques used to interpret and
analyze them and how they are integrated in geographic information systems (GIS).
Conventional methods of map and photo interpretation are studied. More recently developed
technologies in remote sensing, GIS and global positioning systems (GPS) are introduced.
As a first year course, other learning skills such as library search, referencing of literature and
search of geographical data from useful websites are also practiced.
Learning Objectives



To understand the importance of data and information for geographical studies
To have a basic understanding of various types of spatial data
To have a fundamental concept of what geoinformatics is, how spatial data are being
handled with these technologies and how they can serve geographical and resource
management studies
Course Schedule
Week
1
Month
January
2
3
4
5
February
6
7
8
March
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
April
Date Topic
12 IT Development and GIScience
 IT development
 What is GIScience
 Problem solving with GIScience
19 From Maps to GIS
 Functions of Maps
 Types of Maps
 Integration of Spatial Data in GIS
26 Nature of Spatial Data
 Classification of spatial data
 Location and georeferencing
 Attribute
 Time
2 Lunar New Year Holiday
9 Collecting Spatial data
 Field studies
 Digital Maps in Hong Kong
 Global Positioning Systems
16 Images: Aerial Photographs and Satellite Images
 Information from Images
 Principles of Aerial Photographs
 Interpretation of Aerial Photographs
23 Images: Aerial Photographs and Satellite Images
 Types of satellite
 Information available from satellites
2 Mid-term Test
Images: Aerial Photographs and Satellite Images
 From data to applications
9 GIS Principles
 Components of GIS
 Software/Hardware
 Users/Organization
16 GIS Principles (continued)
23 GIS Data Input
 Map
 Image + Map
30 GIS Data Models
 Raster
 Vector
 Topological
 TIN
6 Analysis with GIS
 Spatial data query
 Measurement
 Buffer
 Overlay
13 Applications
 Urban planning
 Resource management
20 Applications
Laboratory Schedule
Week
Month
3
Jan
7
Feb
10
Mar
11
Mar
12
Mar
14
Apr
Date
Group
25
26
22
23
15
16
22
23
29
30
12
13
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
2
Laboratory
Use of Library Resources and
Referencing for Literature
Interpretation of Aerial Photographs
Spatial information in Hong Kong
Basic GIS operations
Desktop mapping
Spatial analysis
Assignment
Week
Month
7
14
15
Feb
Apr
Apr
Due
Date
25
15
21
Assignment
Geographical information in Hong Kong
Understanding Spatial Data Models
Spatial analysis
Details of the assignment will be sent out three weeks before the due date. It will be posted on the
course webCT for you to download.
Assessment
Laboratory
Assignment
Mid-Term Test
Examination
30%
15%
15%
40%
Honesty in Academic Work
Attention is drawn to University policy and regulations on honesty in academic work, and to
the disciplinary guidelines and procedures applicable to breaches of such policy and
regulations. Details may be found at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/ .
With each assignment, students will be required to submit a signed declaration that they are
aware of these policies, regulations, guidelines and procedures.
For assignments in the form of a computer-generated document that is principally text-based
and submitted via the plagiarism detection engine CUPIDE, the statement, in the form of a
receipt, will be issued by the system upon students’ uploading of the soft copy of the
assignment. Assignments without the receipt will not be graded by teachers.
References
Course materials are kept in the course website. This website includes basic lecture notes, course
calendar, references, chatroom, bulletin board and links. You can find more materials available via
this website.
Reading materials will also be kept in the GRM1024 Box in the departmental reference room.
*
Books reserved in the CC Library.
General Text (Required Readings)
*
Clarke, K.C., 2003, Getting Started with Geographic Information Systems, 4th edition, PrenticeHall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. (check also http://www.prenhall.com/clarke for online
information of this book)
Chrisman, N.R., 2002, Exploring Geographic Information Systems, 2 nd edition, Wiley, New York.
Davis, B.E., 2001, GIS: A Visual Approach, 2nd edition, Onward Press, Albany.
DeMers, M.N., 2005, Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems, 3rd edition, John Wiley &
Sons, New York.
*
Lo, C.P. and Yeung, A.K.W., 2007, Concepts and Techniques of Geographic Information Systems,
2nd edition, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
*
Longley, P.A., Goodchild, M.F., Maguire, D.J. and Rhind, D.W., 2005, Geographic Information
Systems and Science, 2nd edition, John Wiley & Son, Chicester. (check
http://www.wiley.com/gis for online information of this book)
On Cartography (Recommended Readings)
Campbell, J., 1991, Introductory Cartography, 2nd edition, Wm. C. Brown, Dubuque.
Kraak, M.J. and F.J. Ormeling, 2003, Cartography, Visualization of Spatial Data, 2nd edition,
Pearson, Harlow.
Robinson, A.H. et al., 1995, Elements of Cartography, 6th edition, John Wiley & Sons, New York.
On Remote Sensing
Arnold, R.H., 1997, Interpretation of Airphotos and Remotely Sensed Images, Prentice-Hall, New
York.
Avery, T.E. and G.L. Berlin, 1992, Fundamentals of Remote Sensing and Airpohto Interpretation,
Fifth Edition, Macmillan, New York.
*
Lillesand, T.M., R.W. Kiefer and J.W. Chipman, 2004, Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation,
4th Edition, John Wiley and Son, New York.
Spectral Imagery Training Center, 1997, Multispectral Imagery Reference Guide, Logicon,
Fairfax, Virginia.
Parkinson, C.L., 1997, Earth from above: using color-coded satellite images to examine the global
environment, University Science Books, Sausalito, California.
Strain, P. and F. Engle, 1992, Looking at Earth, Turner Pub. Atlanta.
http://www.ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/ccrs/learn/tutorials/fundam/fundam_e.html (Tutorial of Canada Centre
for Remote Sensing)
http://research.umbc.edu/~tbenja1/ (Remote sensing core curriculum of Americal Society of
Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing)
On Surveying and GPS
Chen Yong-qi, 1995, Global Positioning System and Its Applications, Department of Geography
Occasional Paper No. 125, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
McElroy, S., 1996, Getting Started with GPS Surveying, GPSCO, Bathurst.
Ritchie, W. et al., 1988, Surveying and Mapping for Field Scientist, Longman, Harlow.
http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/education/curricula/giscc/units/u017/u017_f.html
http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes/gps/gps_f.html
On Geographic Information Systems
Bernhardsen, T., 2002, Geographical Information Systems, An Introduction, 3rd Edition, Wiley,
New York.
Heywood, I., Cornelius, S., and Carver, S. 2002. An introduction to Geographical Information
SYstems, 2nd edition, Prentice Hall, Harlow.
http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/giscc/
(Core curricula in Geographic Information Science of National Center for Geographic Information
and Analysis)
http://www.gis.com/
Feedback of Evaluation (confirmed by Prof. Lin on phone)
 Early Course Evaluation
 Course Evaluation