6 CP, 3 lectures + 1 tutorial, held regularly in the summer semester

Legal requirements are making environmental information systems an increasingly relevant topic. This module addresses this topic primarily from a methodological perspective. In this application-oriented module, the knowledge imparted in the Computing Science modules ‘Algorithms and Data Structures’ and ‘Information Systems’, as well as mathematical methods, are explored in greater depth within an applied context. Furthermore, it consistently highlights various challenges associated with the use of Computing Science methods in a specific field of application.

With its overview of topics in geoinformatics, the module offers the opportunity to focus on practical applications during the course of study, which in particular also opens up interesting topics for a final dissertation.

Module objectives/competencies:

Students taking the module will gain an overview of the phases and key aspects of environmental information processing. They will learn

□ how to apply basic processing algorithms for data classification and data preparation,

□ compare, evaluate and design data structures for storing spatial and temporal data,

□ how to use the basic functions of a geographic information system in practice,

□ to understand, evaluate and apply basic data mining techniques,

□ to understand, apply and evaluate basic geostatistical methods,

□ to understand and evaluate a multi-criteria decision-support method.

You will gain an overview of various areas of application for the provision and use of environmental information, in particular its provision on the internet.

module content:

Environmental information systems provide information on the state of the environment for government bodies and public institutions, businesses and interested members of the public. The collection, storage and analysis of this information also present interesting challenges from a Computing Science perspective.

As part of the lecture, we will examine the individual steps involved in processing environmental information, i.e.

□ examine issues relating to data collection and preparation,

□ familiarise ourselves with data structures and database concepts for efficient access to (typically) spatial data,

□ introduce methods for data analysis (particularly from geostatistics and data mining),

□ introduce a method for multi-criteria decision support, and

□ discuss the concept of metadata to support the provision of data.

The ‘Environmental Information Systems’ module is complemented by the ‘Modelling and Simulation of Ecological Systems’ module, which deals with the dynamic aspects of environmental systems (primarily ecological systems). However, the modules are independent of one another in terms of content.