GEOG 103G Mapping Our World

This course will introduce you to contemporary geospatial technologies such as web-mapping, GPS and tracking devices (such as your phone) and GIS. It covers key concepts and principles behind these tools and their use, as well as offering practical experience through laboratories. We will also discuss critical and theoretical perspectives on the tools, their use, and their social impacts.

By the end of this course you will know about:

• The historical development of mapping
• The range of current geospatial technologies
• Key mapping concepts and components: scale, variable selection, aggregation and validation
• The mapping process: how meaning is constructed in maps
• The principal sources of geospatial data for New Zealand
• How to read a map in a critical way
• Using Google Earth to read landscapes
• Making maps using ArcGIS in accordance with cartographic principles
• Simple classification and change detection using satellite imagery

Examination (50%)
Practical work (30%)
Test (20%)

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