GIS2405 Spatial Analysis and Modelling

Assessment

Assessments Details
Description Marks out of Wtg (%) Due date

Assignment 1 (Problem Solving 1) 250 25 14 June 2024

Assignment 2 (Problem Solving 2) 350 35 12 July 2024

Assignment 3 (Problem Solving 3) 400 40 9 August 2024

General Instructions for Assignments

1. The assignment file(s) must be submitted by 11.55 pm on the due date using UniSQ time
(as displayed on the clock on the course home page; that is, Australian Eastern Standard
Time).

2. The assignment must be submitted electronically as a Microsoft Word (.docx) file (not
pdf) via the Assignment submission link provided on the Course homepage (StudyDesk).
Please use the file naming convention “last name_initial_AssignNo_GIS2405.docx”, e.g.
“Smith_A_Assign3_GIS2405.docx”.

3. UniSQ policies about assessments (including submission, extension, and penalties for late
submission) can be found at this link. An excerpt regarding penalties for late submission
is provided below:

“Assessment Items given marked Grades and submitted after the published due date
without an approved extension or submitted after the revised due date where an extension
has been granted, will incur a penalty of 5% of the Mark awarded to the Student, per
Calendar Day late. For example, if the Student receives 35 marks out of a possible 50
marks for an Assessment Item that is submitted three (3) Calendar Days late, 15% of the
Student's mark (3 days x 5% per day x 35 marks) will be deducted (5.25 marks).

Assessment Items submitted more than 10 Calendar Days after the published due date
without an approved extension, or more than 10 Calendar Days after the revised due date
where an extension has been granted, will receive a Mark of zero.”

4. Present your answers in a format that enhances readability and depicts a professionally
done work. There will be mark deduction for poor presentation (refer to Marking Rubric
for details).

| GIS2405 Spatial Analysis and Modelling – Assignment 3 1

 5. Assignment answers must be written in your own words. Avoid copy-and-paste scheme
as plagiarism is taken very seriously. Use correct reference citations by using the Harvard
AGPS referencing style < https://www.usq.edu.au/library/referencing/harvard-agps-
referencing-guide >. There will be mark deduction for missing or improper referencing
(refer to Marking Rubric for details).

6. You should be aware of UniSQ’s expectations for academic integrity as they apply to this
assessment.

• The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool or technology (e.g. ChatGPT,
GPT-4, AlphaCode, GitHub Copilot, etc.) to answer any question in this assessment
is not allowed. Copying exact text (or slightly modified version) produced by
generative AI in your assessment is not permitted.

• Answers cannot include cut-and-paste material other than your own work except
where there is clear acknowledgment or reference to the work of others.

7. If you have questions/clarifications about the Assignment questions, please send them to
the course Study Desk under the “Ask Question Forum”, specifically to the “Questions
About Assignment” thread.

About Referencing
1. Citing reference is required for any ideas/concepts/information obtained from external
sources. Be aware that referencing is not about copying ‘word for word’ from a reference.
It is about obtaining ideas/concepts/information and presenting it in your own words (i.e.
paraphrasing) while acknowledging the source as a reference.

2. Listing the references at the end does not mean you have used them. The in-text citation
is critical whenever you use those references. If you are unsure about the method of in-
text citation, please refer to the Harvard AGPS referencing guide in web link indicated
above.

3. Do not put Web references (URLs) within the text. Instead, identify the author/owner
of the Web site and cite it in-text while providing full details in the reference list.

4. Do not provide references after each question. A full reference list should be provided
in alphabetical order at the end of the Assignment document.

| GIS2405 Spatial Analysis and Modelling – Assignment 3 2

Assignment 3
Description Marks out of Wtg (%) Due date

Assignment 3 (Problem Solving 3) 400 40 9 August 2024

Coverage:
• Modules 8-10
• Hands-on skill and knowledge of ArcGIS Pro

Aim:
This assignment is designed to assess your knowledge and understanding of the following topics:

• Network analysis
• Fuzzy sets and fuzzy geographical objects
• Issues and trends in spatial data analysis and modelling
• Use of ArcGIS to process spatial datasets

Specific Instructions for Assignment 3

1. Answer all questions given below. Be clear, structured, concise, but adequate in
presenting your answers.

2. The number of words for your answer is indicated in each question and sub-question.
You are not obliged to reach these minimum and maximum numbers to get the full mark.
However, please note that if it is longer than necessary and contains unnecessary
materials, it might start to lose marks; if it is too brief and simplistic, then there is nothing
to earn marks.

3. ArcGIS Pro is needed to answer selected questions in Assignment 3. The datasets are
provided in the Study Desk.

4. You can use any study materials provided to you in this course. The use of extra materials
or additional resources is allowed and encouraged, provided that you will cite them.
5. Specific details on marking each assignment question are provided in the Marking
Rubric. You must consult the Marking Rubric while answering assignment questions.

6. Neatly drawn illustrations can help in presenting and supporting your answer. You can
either draw your own illustration or obtain it from other sources. For the latter, you must
provide the reference for the source(s).

7. If you will include any illustration, it is important to describe its meaning and/or relevance
to the question.

| GIS2405 Spatial Analysis and Modelling – Assignment 3 3

Questions
Question 1 (50 marks)
Q1a. The shortest distance is not always the best distance to take when travelling from one point
to another. Explain this idea using network analysis in a GIS context. (200-300 words, 50 marks)

Question 2 (50 marks)

Q2a. One of the issues or problems in spatial data analysis refers to the geographical scale at
which analysis is performed. In your own words, explain this issue and provide your own
example. (200-300 words, 50 marks)

Question 3 (300 marks)

Scenario
Assume that you are a GIS consultant who is required to map highly suitable sites for a resort
and retreat facility intended for nature lovers, eco-tourists, bushwalkers and the like. Using the
GIS weighted linear combination modelling approach, you will need to produce a raster map
(i.e. the final output layer) showing the suitability (as a continuous surface map) of the area for
the above purpose.

Instructions
• You are free to implement any processing techniques you want, as long as they are
necessary and correct to achieve the goal.

• Only the above 11 maps should be considered for the construction of suitability map. You
may, or may not, use all the 11 maps. It will be your decision on how many maps you
will use. But you will need to justify your choice. You cannot use maps from other
sources. However, if you want, you can derive other layers from these 11 layers only,
e.g., derive a hillshade map from a DEM.

• You are free to use any GIS processing operations/techniques, such as reclassification,
rasterization, buffering, map overlay, interpolation, local functions, weighted overlay,
etc. These techniques are examples only – you may not need all of these, or there could
other operations not mentioned here.

• You are not required to use the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in assigning weights.
You must provide your own weights and scale rating for the datasets.

• The spatial datasets and metadata files were provided in the Study Desk.

• You can make assumptions if needed. However, please state your assumptions.

| GIS2405 Spatial Analysis and Modelling – Assignment 3 4

Spatial Datasets
A folder containing the spatial datasets for the project scenario will be provided to you via the
course StudyDesk. The key GIS datasets have metadata files located in the designated folder.

An overview of the ArcGIS interface with datasets shown is provided below (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Spatial datasets provided for the project.

You were provided with the following raster and vector maps (collectively called “base maps”
for this Assessment):

1. Condamine_Boundary
2. Place_Names_Selected
3. Roads
4. Drainage_250K
5. Aspect
6. DEM
7. Land_Cover
8. Land_Use_2019_Tertiary
9. Land_Use_2019_Secondary
10. Land_Use_2019_Primary
11. Slope_percent

| GIS2405 Spatial Analysis and Modelling – Assignment 3 5

Questions
Q3a. Identify all spatial datasets used (i.e. base maps and derived maps ready for overlay)
and justify their inclusion in the model you used for the suitability mapping/modelling.
Present your answer using a table. You can include references/sources in the table if you
think they are needed. An example is provided below. (250-350 words, 125 marks)

Table 1. Summary table of spatial datasets used and their justifications*

Base Maps Derived maps Justifications for including or

ready for overlay not including in the model
1) DEM catchment • Catchment boundary map
boundary, viewshed was included because
[describe here] (Smith et al.,
2019).
• Viewshed map is important
due to [describe here]
2) Land Use_2019 none Not used because [describe here]
(Jones, 2016)
3) etc.
4) etc.
* the above details are examples only.

Q3b. Name and justify the specific operations or techniques (e.g. reclassification, calculate,
buffering, overlay, etc.) that you implemented to generate the suitability map. In your
answer, indicate the input dataset that you used for each specific operation/technique, and
the justification for its use. Present your answer in a bullet list or a table. Examples are
provided below. (250-350 words, 125 marks)

• Vectorise the dem.tif map. This is needed because [state your reason/justification here].

• Reclassify the road map. This is needed because [state your reason/justification here].

• Interpolate the slope map. This is needed because [state your reason/justification here].

• etc.

Tips:
1. To learn about the GIS datasets, you can look at the “Metadata” folder. For example, if
you want to know the corresponding descriptions (class definitions) of “Land_Cover”
raster values in the attribute table, you need to look at the “Land_Cover_ESRI.pdf” in
the “Metadata” folder.

2. You can use the supplied project file (.aprx) “Assignment3_GIS2405.aprx” of ArcGIS
Pro for a ready-made display and symbolisation of the different datasets.

3. If you want to generate a distance/proximity layer, it is highly recommended that you

use the “Euclidean Distance” tool in Spatial Analyst to create raster output, rather than
use the vector-based tool “Buffer”. Avoid the “Buffer” tool for this case study.

| GIS2405 Spatial Analysis and Modelling – Assignment 3 6

Q3c. Copy-and-paste in your Assignment document all (a) derived maps used immediately prior
to raster map overlay and (b) the final output raster (suitability) map. No need for
elaborate and professional-style map layout. A screen capture of each map with label/name
of map, colour, and the corresponding legend is sufficient for this purpose. (50 marks)

| GIS2405 Spatial Analysis and Modelling – Assignment 3 7