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Overview

The ability and capacity of forest, woodland and land managers to make more informed decisions relating to the environment is of utmost importance as society strives towards a more sustainable future. An integral part of land management decision in the forestry and land management sector is the use of GIS. The ability to use GIS software for spatial data analysis and the creation of high quality GIS outputs is a key skill for a career in forestry or land management. This module will introduce students to Geographical Information Systems (GIS): their design, utility and their potential to accurately identify important features of an area of land to enable better land management decisions.

Applications of GIS for land management decision-making. Professional approaches to describing areas of land: Site Descriptions. Geospatial data types, raster and vector data; primary sources, data capture; secondary data sources, data providers; data export formats and data translation; data projections, OSGB and WGS84 latitude longitude; Global Positioning System (GPS), aerial photography interpretation, remote sensing, position fixing; organisation of geospatial data; Structured Query Language (SQL); geoprocessing, overlay and boolean data, spatial sampling, modelling and analytical approaches; potential uses of GIS utilising a range of examples.

Assessment Strategy

Threshold – Most sections of the site description pro forma are completed, but some important maps and details are missing. Most material is in the correct section(s). Text is of a general nature but not clearly linked to important features and characteristics of the study site. Maps are included but they cannot easily be interpreted. (Grade C; mark range 50-59%)

Good – All sections of the site description are completed using the pro forma provided, with all important maps and details included. Material is entered in the correct section(s) of the pro forma template. Text aids interpretation of maps. Text is clearly linked to important features and characteristics of the study site. (Grade B; mark range 60-69%)

Excellent - All sections of the site description are completed using the pro forma provided, with all important maps and details included, to a standard comparable to that of the site description section of a professional management plan. Material is entered in the correct section(s) of the pro forma template. Relevant text expertly aids interpretation of maps, which are referred to clearly. The site description provides a comprehensive overview of all important features and characteristics of the study site. (Grade A; mark range 70-100%)

Learning Outcomes

• Create maps using GIS that are easy to interpret and that, in combination with appropriate text, tables, graphs and figures, provide a comprehensive overview of important features and characteristics of an area of land.

• Master appropriate techniques using GIS to create a Site Description of a professional standard for an area of land, in a format that can be used for land management decision-making.