96688 - Geomatics and Survey for Green

Academic Year 2022/2023

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Sciences and Technologies for Green and Landscape (cod. 5830)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student acquires the basics of cartography and the main contents relating to the techniques of analysis and survey of the territory and green areas. In particular, the student is able to use commonly used digital cartographic databases, geographic information systems and relevant digital systems and tools for mapping and representing the territory and green systems. The student is also able to communicate and work in a team with different professional figures (engineers, architects, planners, landscape architects, urban planners, geographers, landscape ecologists, ...), also for the purpose of drafting and interpreting cartographic drawings.

Course contents

Teaching unit #1) Presentation of the course unit and introduction to cartography 

Illustration of the course contents and theoretical and practical teaching activities. Presentation of the time-scheduling of the activities, of the assessment methods, of office hours and use of teaching documentation.

Basics of geodesy and cartography: introduction to land survey and representation and geomatics. Planimetric and elevation survey: relationships between physical earth surface and reference surfaces, general setting of the survey: measurements and survey operations. Cartographic representation of the survey. Operational land survey procedures, from general to detail phases.

References surfaces: geoid, ellipsoid, relationships between physical earth surface, ellipsoid, and geoid. Datum, geographical coordinates, map plan coordinates. Approximate reference surfaces and relevant validity domains for planimetric and elevation surveys.

Expected knowledge and skills: at the and of this teaching unit the student knows the basics of geodesy underlying the survey and representation of portions of the earth surface, and is capable of making the most suitable operational choices according to the kind of representation and extension of the area.

Teaching unit #2) Cartography and geographic information systems

The planimetric cartographic representation: deformations, main map projections, map scale, map graphical error. General information about maps: index maps, precision, derivation, base and thematic maps.

Gauss projection. Map projections used in Italy. The UTM system (UTM ED-50 e UTM-WGS84). Gauss-Boaga system. Geographic and planimetric coordinate systems: coordinate transformations.

Italian IGMI cartography. Use of geographical and planimetric map grids.

Regional and municipal technical maps: general characteristics, content, precision, survey and update techniques, legend.

Cadastral maps: general characteristics, land and building cadastre, index map, maps, land parcel, update.

Land use/cover maps, thematic maps and geodatabases for land and green areas mapping and analysis.

Digital maps, georelational systems, GIS and map thematization, GIS spatial analysis.

Expected knowledge and skills: at the end of this teaching unit the student knows the digital cartographic databases of common use and the geographic information systems for the mapping and management of the territory and green systems, and knows how to use them as a reference basis in the design and management open spaces.

Teaching unit #3) Digital cartography and GIS Practical lessons.  This teaching unit adheres to the experimentation of blended teaching models and takes place partly online and partly in presence: see the teaching methods section for more information.

Presentation of the GIS suite. Main commands and functions. Online digital map databases. Adding data, themes, identification of vector and raster maps. Image management. Creation and editing of maps and feature attribute tables. Vectorization and hints of photointerpretation. Creation of reports. Selection of features based on attributes or location, complex selection. Join and spatial join. Projection definition and transformation. Main geoprocessing functions: proximity and density analysis, buffer, overlay mapping, clipping, merging. Analysis and interpretation of thematic maps. Preparation of print and export layouts. Hints of creation and management of geodatabases and applications to landscape and green areas analysis.

After learning the main features of the GIS platform, students will prepare a GIS project on a study area agreed with the professor, performing some basic analysis on it, such as an analysis of the evolution of land use and some analyzes relating to the structural / infrastructural system, to green systems, to environmental features, and to demographic aspects, and producing a paper consisting of some thematic synthesis maps.

Teaching unit #4) Land and green areas survey

Basics of land survey and topographic measurements for map production and update, mapping and design of landscape and green areas.

Introduction to traditional land survey, satellite land survey, and combined land survey.

Techniques and main tools for the detail traditional land and green areas survey and relevant operational methods. The survey by means of polar coordinates: polar / cartesian coordinates transformation. Measurements in the traditional survey: horizontal angles, vertical angles, distances. Inclined distance, plan distance, difference in altitude. Total station: illustration, functioning, setting, collimation and measurement. Distance measurement. Detailed land survey (celerimetric survey). Measurements and errors: hints of empirical compensation. Polygonal: empirical compensation of measurements. Reference point networks, IGMI and cadastral networks.

Satellite survey (GNSS): the system, general principles, point positioning / relative positioning, static/dynamic measures, post-processing and real-time survey, DGPS and RTK survey, errors, altitude in GPS survey, data processing, survey planning.

Expected knowledge and skills: at the end of the teaching unit the student knows the main techniques for the detailed instrumental land survey through on-field measurements, relevant application domains, accuracy levels, operational procedures, and is capable of autonomously defining the most suitable tools and operational procedures, according to the extension, typology, and complexity of the area, of the specific goal of the survey, of the characteristics of the area, and operational conditions.

Teaching unit #5) Demonstration of land and green areas survey 

Celerimetric land survey of a green area through a total station: planning, setting the total station, detailed survey.

Satellite land survey of a green area. Survey of single points, trajectories, derived points. Joining different land surveys.

Expected knowledge and skills: at the end of the teaching unit the student is capable of setting, planning and carrying out autonomously the main land survey operations and of elaborating the results. Moreover, the student is capable of evaluating the outputs of a land survey according to the application context and relevant expected accuracy. At the same time, the student is capable of setting and developing a land survey in teamwork. The student is also capable to work together with other practitioners in the design of landscape and green areas for what concerns land survey and representation, gaining autonomous evaluation and communication and relational skills.

Readings/Bibliography

The teaching material of each teaching unit is made available on "Virtuale" in advance. Lecture notes given by the professor represent a useful base if integrated by notes taken by students during the lessons. For further in-depth study of specific subjects and in particular in case the student can not attend the lessons or can attend only part of them, it is warmly recommended to refer to specific chapters of the following books (please contact the teacher in advance):

• Genio rurale Vol. 1. Carte, misure, rilievi. di R. Cannarozzo, L. Cucchiarini, W. Meschieri. Zanichelli. 2016.

• Sistemi Informativi Territoriali, F. Migliaccio, D. Carrion, UTET Università, 2020.

• GIS e ambiente, Guida all'uso di ArcGIS per l'analisi del territorio e la valutazione ambientale. Giancarlo Graci, Paolo Pileri, Marco Sedazzari, Dario Flaccovio Editore, 2008;

• Manuale ArcGIS 10, Guida pratica con esercizi svolti, Autori: Giovanni Salerno - Barbara Guandalini.

Teaching methods

The theoretical notions are taught through lectures supported by the projection of the teaching material. Practical knowledge and skills are provided through demonstrations and guided exercises conducted through the use of GIS software for spatial analysis and land survey digital instruments.

The teaching adheres to the experimentation of teaching with a blended model.

In particular, the didactic innovation section refers to didactic unit 3.
Didactic units 1 and 2 (total of 18 hours) will be carried out in presence and will serve as an introduction to the activities of didactic unit 3 (26 hours) subject to experimentation. In teaching units 1 and 2, the teacher introduces the theoretical principles relating to the activities to be carried out in teaching unit 3 which is the subject of the experimentation. The subsequent teaching units 4 and 5 (total 16 hours) will be carried out regularly in presence.

The breakdown of teaching unit 3 being tested is described below. It should be remembered that the theoretical principles relating to the activities to be carried out in the teaching unit 3 object of the experimentation will be provided with the teaching units 1 and 2, which will be carried out in presence before the teaching unit 3 and will therefore act as an introduction to the activities object of the experimentation.

Learning by experimentation (online, distance) - 18 hours
In an initial phase, the teacher illustrates in online lessons - working on the PC with GIS software on a case study - the types of practical territorial analysis activities that the students will then be called to carry out (in presence) on a case study they have identified . In particular, the teacher illustrates the methods for retrieving, using and displaying data, and the tools and methodologies for analyzing and reading data, recording the demonstrations with Panopto and making the videos thus created available to students on Virtuale, in preparation to practical activities.
In a second phase, the students, with remote activities carried out online under the supervision of the teacher suitably integrated by individual study, learn the activities carried out on the computer, reviewing and deepening the videos made available and therefore learning to carry out these activities by replicating them on their own pc.
Experimentation part (in presence, under the supervision of the teacher) - 8 hours
The students, with face-to-face activities carried out under the supervision of the teacher suitably supplemented by individual work, each with reference to their own case study agreed with the teacher, find the necessary digital cartographic material and carry out the territorial analysis on the identified case study, arriving at prepare the final papers that will form part of the assessment for the exam.

Considering the type of activity and teaching methods adopted, the attendance of this course unit requires that the students have already participated in training modules 1 and 2 on safety in the study places, [https: //elearning-sicurezza.unibo .it /] in e-learning mode.

Assessment methods

The assessment is done through an oral examination during which knowledge and skills acquired about each of the theoretical and practical teaching units are evaluated. In particular, a question is asked to the student for each of the teaching units 1, 2 and 4, then the exam passes to the discussion of the GIS paperwork produced within the unit 3 and of the relative GIS functionalities used (the students must bring to the examination a digital version in PDF of the elaborate), and of one application question focusing on the use of cartography and/or land and green areas survey, aimed at verifying the knowledge and skills acquired in teaching units 3 and 5: the student is introduced to a theme inspired by a simplified hypothetical real application case, and he/she is asked to argue orally explaining the procedures and methods to be used for the resolution of the problem, putting together the knowledge and skills acquired in the fields of map production / upgrade / use, and land survey setting and execution. The student must achieve a sufficient level of knowledge in all the teaching units, and the overall assessment is made by jointly taking into account the level of knowledge and skills acquired by the student in relation to the contents of all the teaching units.

In particular, the vote will be determined as follows:
- question on the theoretical contents of teaching unit 1: 20%
- question on the theoretical contents of teaching unit 2: 20%
- question on the theoretical contents of teaching unit 4: 20%
- discussion of the GIS paperwork produced in unit 3 and related GIS functions used: 20%
- question related to the use of cartography and/or the execution of a land and green areas survey: 20%.

Dates, times and locations of the examinations are published on the website of the degree course. Subscriptions through the AlmaEsami web application.

Teaching tools

Theoretical class lessons are supported by PC and projector. Practical lessons are carried out by means of GIS software for spatial analysis.

Office hours

See the website of Daniele Torreggiani