GRS-21306 Spatial Data Infrastructure

Course

Credits 6.00

Language of instruction:

English

Assumed knowledge on:

GRS-10306

Continuation courses:

GRS-20306, GRS-20806, GRS-30306

Contents:

This course deals with the main concepts of Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI). Several SDI-aspects will be studied and analyzed, such as: spatial datasets (core datasets). SDI-technology, SDI-policy, SDI-use, standardization and juridical issues. Anyone who gets involved in setting up or managing a proper SDI for an area needs to be familiar to this kind of issues.

Learning outcomes:

After the course, students are expected to be able to:
- describe the main components of a spatial data infrastructure (spatial data, technology, standardisation, policy and people) and their roles;
- understand and apply the main concepts of spatial data infrastructures;
- use web technology to access spatial data and services;
- develop and criticize strategies for spatial data infrastructures development.

Activities:

This course on 'spatial data infrastructures' is partially based on a problem-based learning environment in which students are confronted with series of cases. During this course a new case is presented at the beginning of each week. A case is presented as a description of a set of apparently unrelated phenomena or events, which need to be clarified in a meaningful context. Tutored groups comprising 6 students start to discuss cases in terms of concepts, underlying processes, principles or mechanisms in order to discover an underlying implicit problem. The group follows a systematic working procedure to analyse the problem. The course materials to solve these case-related problems come from several sources: elucidating excursions, lectures presented by material experts, exercises within an internet environment, learning book and lists of links to informative web sites.

Examination:

Final assessment is based on individual case study presentation, Groups case study presentation, Groups case video presentation, Individual written paper and a written exam.

Literature:

Bregt, A., Crompvoets, J., Introduction to Spatial Data Infrastructures, 2006