Applied GIS and Geoinformatics for Urban Spatial Analysis

This course focuses on advanced spatial analysis using GIS/Geoinformatics in an urban context. The overall aim is to provide the participants with a solid understanding of relevant theories and methodologies within fields such as urban mobility, accessibility to services and jobs, socio-spatial patterns and inequalities, and urban expansion processes. The theoretical background will be discussed during the classes and the practical implementation will be tried out in a number of practical exercises.

GIS and Geoinformatics represent the backbone for many tasks related to urban and regional spatial analysis and planning. GIS includes tools for spatial statistics, analysis and modeling. It thereby facilitates the practical implementations of methods and algorithms that benefit from the large amount of available geodata including digital maps and registers. Recent development trends show an increased public and private awareness of the geospatial component of management and planning tasks. Advanced knowledge of potentials and pitfalls of doing GIS-based spatial analysis and optimization enables geographers with GIS/Geoinformatics competences to play a key role in this process. Finally, the recent advances in the accuracy of satellite images as well as the availability of these data makes urban remote sensing a very relevant discipline for providing additional geospatial information in urban areas where updated maps are less common, f.ex. fast-growing African cities.