2024 Faculty Courses School of Environment and Society Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Graduate major in Urban Design and Built Environment
GIS and Digital Image Processing for Built Environment
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Urban Design and Built Environment
- Instructor(s)
- Masashi Matsuoka
- Class Format
- Lecture (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 7-8 Thu
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- UDE.E402
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2024
- Offered quarter
- 1Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 14, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This course focuses on the characteristic of geospatial information in geographic information system (GIS) and basics of digital images for built environment evaluation and disaster management. Particularly, the principles of remote sensing is introduced to students who are beginners in this field. The fundamental knowledge on the physics of remote sensing, data acquisition, and observation platforms such as UAV, airborne, and satellite are learned. Multispectral, hyperspectral, thermal, and LiDAR imaging, and image analysis of raster data is introduced. Because sensors and observation systems are constantly advancing, the newest technology in the field is also discussed. Students will have good understanding and basic skills of remote sensing through this course.
Course description and aims
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1) Understand the basics of GIS and explain the application examples.
2) Explain the framework of remote sensing, the principles of electromagnetic waves, and the characteristics of sensors.
3) Explain the characteristics of analog and digital information and their differences.
4) Acquire the procedures of image processing, and classify the land surface by satellite images.
Keywords
remote sensing, geographic information system (GIS), image processing, satellite, built environment
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
At the beginning of each class, questions of the previous class are discussed. In the class, students are given exercise problems related to the lecture given that day to solve. To prepare for the class, students should read and check what topics will be covered from the materials uploaded on web site in advance. Required learning should be completed outside the classroom for understanding and review new technologies.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Overview of GIS and remote sensing | Understand the overview of GIS and remote sensing technologies for built environment |
| Class 2 | Fundamentals and application of GIS | Understand the basic of GIS, data structure, recent GIS applications, and international standard |
| Class 3 | Fundamentals of remote sensing | Understand the framework of remote sensing and basic of electromagnetic waves |
| Class 4 | Sensors and satellite observation | Understand the various sensors and satellites observation |
| Class 5 | Digital imagery | Understand analog to digital conversion for raster images and image characteristics |
| Class 6 | Image analysis #1 | Explain and demonstrate the basic of image processing such as enhancement and edge extraction |
| Class 7 | Image analysis #2 | Classify land surface by supervised and unsupervised image classification methods |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
no required
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Thomas M. Lillesand, Ralph W. Kiefer, Jonathan Chipman: Remote Sensing and Image Interpretation, sixth edition, John Wiley and Sons, Inc.,
Tutorial: Fundamentals of Remote Sensing: http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/geomatics/satellite-imagery-air-photos/satellite-imagery-products/educational-resources/9309
Evaluation methods and criteria
mid-term report (30%) and final report (80%)
Related courses
- UDE.S534 ： Remote Sensing for Disaster Management
Prerequisites
no required in advance
Other
The lecture notes, the report assignment and other materials will be opened on T2SCHOLA.