MSc in Geographical Information Science  MSc in Geographical Information Science University of Nottingham ../webroot/files/Institutions/cover_photo/1564642957nottingham.jpg

INTRODUCTION The MScDiploma course in Geographical Information Science (GIS) offered by the School of Geography at the University of Nottingham provides a broad theoretical and practical background in the rapidly developing field of GIS for graduates in geography, civil engineering, architecture and planning, and for professionals working in fields such as planning, the utilities, environmental management, surveying and cartography. The broad aims of the course can be summarised as follows: ? to familiarise students with the technical and applied aspects of GIS to enable them to communicate effectively with technical specialists in the areas of GIS hardware and software, ? to provide our students with a breadth of understanding of GIS applications that is sufficient to allow them to work effectively with people from a range of disciplines and backgrounds, ? to develop students? confidence in handling new problems and processing, analysing and visualising data to support the decision-making process. ? to develop presentational and communications skills so that graduates can interact with senior management, with other members of a team and with clients. The MSc Diploma in GIS is recognised and supported by: National Environment Research Council European Social Fund Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Some examples of career paths taken by students graduating from the course include software engineer, GIS officer in local government, researcher, analyst, and sales and marketing. A small sample of employers include the Ordnance Survey, QinetiQ, WS Atkins, EDS, Mapinfo, ESRI, Laser-Scan, Experian and various local governments and educational establishments. The MSc in GIS represents excellent preparation for anyone thinking of undertaking a PhD, as reflected by the recognition and support received from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) for the period 2001 - 2006. The MSc in GIS is associated with two new Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). Spatial Literacy in Teaching (SPLINT) This CETL will facilitate the development of a national learning and teaching resource for the enhancement of spatial literacy within and beyond existing subject boundaries. The centre will exploit developments in personal navigation technology, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Virtual Reality (VR). The Nottingham component of SPLINT will be run jointly by the School of Geography and the Institute of Engineering, Surveying and Space Geodesy (IESSG). The School of Geography at Leicester is the lead institution and University College London is the third partner. Visual Learning Lab (VLL) This CETL is based solely at Nottingham and involves a number of departments looking at the evaluation of visual approaches to teaching and learning. The VLL will provide expertise in the evaluation of cartographic, animated and multidimensional geographic representations used within the MSc in GIS and offer additional resources through centralised Teaching and Learning Observatories. COURSE OUTLINE Semester 1 Frontiers in Geographical Information Science Models, Mapping and Visualisation Programming for Geographical Applications Spatial Analysis Semester 2 Applications of GIS (Group Project) Data Capture, Storage and Management Image Processing for Remote Sensing Spatial Modelling Plus tutorials, optional module and visiting speaker series Summer: Dissertation RESOURCES The Graduate Computing Laboratory is presently used for all teaching on the MSc in GIS and contains around 25 high-spec PCs running a range of software including GIS packages such as Arcview, ArcGIS, Idrisi and Mapinfo Image Processing software including Erdas Imagine and MIPS (written by Prof. Mather) Modelling and visualisation software including Panacea, Pov-Ray, and Bryce programming environments including Visual Basic and VRML and other packages including MS Office Professional and SP

2.1(Upper 2nd class hons degree or international equivalent)