Can Free (and Open Source) Software and Data be Used to Underpin a Self-Paced Tutorial on Spatial Databases?

• Published in: Transactions in GIS Vol. 16; no. 4; pp. 435 - 454
• Main Author: Ellul, Claire
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.08.2012
• Subjects: Anthropology; Colleges & universities; Computer programs; Curricula; Data management; Education; Freeware; Geographic information systems; Open source software; Remote sensing; Source code; Students; Studies; Surveying; Teaching
• ISSN: 1361-1682; 1467-9671
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9671.2012.01321.x

University College London's Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (CEGE) offers a number of Masters programmes in topics related to Geomatics, including Surveying, Hydrographic Surveying, Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Science. Data management, and in particular the technology and applications of Spatial Databases, forms a key part of the curriculum on these courses. Interest in Spatial Databases is, however, more widespread – especially with the increasing understanding of the relevance of geospatial techniques to fields as diverse as anthropology and architecture. This article describes the development and evaluation of a self‐paced hands‐on course on Databases and Spatial Databases for CEGE students, presented to students to complement and enhance in‐class teaching. The article focuses on both pedagogical elements of self‐paced learning and the suitability of Free and Open Source Software and Open Data (PostgreSQL/PostGIS, Quantum GIS, Open Street Map) for the Spatial Databases curriculum. The resulting material was evaluated by a cohort of 25 students in 2010, and their feedback (very positive) and the overall results provide an interesting insight into suitable methods to employ when teaching technical subjects to a cohort having differing background skill levels.