ENCN205 — GIS Component: Lecture Slides, Labs & Demos

University of Canterbury · Applied Data Analysis for Civil and Natural Systems · Backup copy of the lecture slides, labs and interactive demos posted on Learn

Lecture slides (PDF)

1. Lecture 1 — Why Location MattersLecture01_WhyLocationMatters.pdf
2. Lecture 2 — Data Quality & EthicsLecture02_DataQualityEthics.pdf
3. Lecture 3 — Spatial Data ModelsLecture03_SpatialDataModels.pdf
4. Lecture 4 — CRS & ProjectionsLecture04_CRS_Projections.pdf
5. Lecture 5 — Spatial RelationshipsLecture05_SpatialRelationships.pdf
6. Lecture 6 — Cartography EssentialsLecture06_CartographyEssentials.pdf
7. Lecture 7 — Vector AnalysisLecture07_VectorAnalysis.pdf
8. Lecture 8 — Hydrological AnalysisLecture08_HydrologicalAnalysis.pdf
9. Lecture 9 — Raster AnalysisLecture09_RasterAnalysis.pdf
10. Lecture 10 — Risk Assessment & MCELecture10_RiskAssessmentMCE.pdf
11. Lecture 11 — The Future of GISLecture11_FutureOfGIS.pdf

Labs

Work through each lab in order: read the instructions, complete the notebook in Jupyter, then complete the sign-off quiz on Learn and upload the PNG it gives you there. Keep the data/ folder next to the notebooks. Download all labs as one ZIP (notebooks, instructions and data, about 13 MB).

1. Lab 0 — SetupInstall the Python environment and run your first map (ungraded, but required before Lab 1).Instructions · Notebook (.ipynb)
2. Lab 1 — Spatial Data & CRSReading, exploring and reprojecting spatial data with GeoPandas.Instructions · Notebook (.ipynb)
3. Lab 2 — Vector AnalysisBuffers, spatial joins and overlays on eastern Christchurch.Instructions · Notebook (.ipynb) · christchurch.gpkg
4. Lab 3 — Raster AnalysisDEM, slope and hazard mapping on Banks Peninsula.Instructions · Notebook (.ipynb) · banks_peninsula_dem.npy · banks_peninsula_meta.json
5. Lab 4 — Network RoutingWrite Dijkstra's shortest-path algorithm and route across the Christchurch road network, including the 2011 Avon bridge closures.Instructions · Notebook (.ipynb) · christchurch_roads.gpkg

Interactive demos

1. Lecture 1 — Why Location MattersLayer Explorer: toggle spatial layers over eastern Christchurch and see how patterns emerge only when layers are combined.
2. Lecture 2 — Data Quality & EthicsQuality Impact Explorer: how positional error, completeness and currency change an engineering decision.
3. Lecture 3 — Spatial Data ModelsVector vs Raster: the same landscape represented two ways, and what each model does well.
4. Lecture 4 — CRS & ProjectionsWhy Projections Matter: distances and areas in WGS84 vs NZTM2000, and what goes wrong when CRS is mismatched.
5. Lecture 5 — Spatial RelationshipsSpatial Query Explorer: intersects, within, touches and friends, tested live on real features.
6. Lecture 6 — Cartography EssentialsMap Styling Lab: classification methods, colour schemes and the choropleth trap.
7. Lecture 7 — Vector AnalysisBuller River Catchment Workflow: buffer, spatial join, dissolve and clip step by step.
8. Lecture 8 — Hydrological AnalysisFrom DEM to Catchment: fill sinks, D8 flow direction, flow accumulation, stream threshold and pour-point catchments on the Charteris Bay DEM.
9. Lecture 9 — Raster AnalysisDEM Explorer: slope, hillshade and map algebra on Banks Peninsula.
10. Lecture 10 — Risk Assessment & MCERisk Calculator: hazard × exposure × vulnerability, with adjustable multi-criteria weights.
11. Demo Answer GuideModel answers to the guided questions of every demo above — attempt the questions first, then check.
12. Study Tool355 multiple-choice questions by exam topic group, with feedback on every answer — pick the groups you want to revise.
13. Lecture 11 — The Future of GISFlood Exposure Map built live with an AI coding agent.