Courses / Module

This module delivers an introduction to databases which culminates in a broader treatment of spatial databases. Spatial databases are databases specifically design to manage spatial or geographical data. The module provides an introduction to Structured Query Language (SQL) where no previous experience of SQL or databases is assumed. The module will provide students with a broad understanding of the challenges of working with spatial data and other types of spatially-related information. Using a relational database approach the module considers several key aspects of spatial data science or spatial analysis including:
• relational database models for spatial data;
• spatial data structures; spatial data integrity; spatial data manipulation;
• spatial algorithms used in Geographic Information Systems (GIS);
• spatial analysis techniques including statistical approaches for spatially-informed decision making;
• spatial data visualisation using GIS;
• spatial data formats (PostgreSQL PostGIS database, GeoJSON, ESRI Shapefiles, CSV);
• alternative database models for geospatial data.

The course offers students an introduction into spatial and non-spatial SQL with treatments of modern topics in SQL such as Window Functions, query optimization, and so on included. Working with NoSQL and unstructured sources of geospatial data are also discussed.

The course offers a mixture of laboratory-based course work and an individual portfolio project which combines SQL and GIS.