TI 307 Statistics in Geography

Credits:  5 ECTs
Lecturer: Dr. Chaosheng Zhang
Office: 108 Geography Department 
Phone: 00 353 91 49 2375
Email:  Chaosheng.Zhangnuigalway.ie
Lectures:   Tues 4-5, EN301 Room 1
                  Wed 1-2, GIS Lab/AC213

Aims and Objectives

This course introduces students to the basic and popular methods of statistics and their applications in geography, enabling students to perform critical analysis of doing researches in geography. Students will gain a good understanding of concepts of geographic data, descriptive methods, data presentation, statistical tests for probability distributions and comparison of different samples, and correlation analysis. Meanwhile, students will be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of these methods, and how to apply them appropriately to analyse and interrogate geographical problems.

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General Course Outline

Lectures

    * Basic concepts
    * Descriptive methods
    * Data presentation
    * Statistical tests for probability distributions and comparison of different samples
    * Correlation analysis

Computer Practical

    * SPSS is selected as the main software for this course

Teaching and learning methods:

      12 hours lecture, 12 hours computer practical (One hour each per week)
       Tutorial (Extra hours for finishing assignments will be provided) 

Textbooks

1. Ian Diamond and Julie Jefferies, 2001/2002/2004. Beginning Statistics: An Introduction for Social Scientists. SAGE Publications: London. 154pp.
2. Neil J. Salkind, 2004/2007/2008.  Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics. 3rd Edition. SAGE Publications: London. 405 pp.
3. David Ebdon, 1985/…/2001. Statistics in Geography. Blackwell Publishers: Oxford. 232 pp.

Reading materials from the lecturer:

Zhang, C.S. and Zhang, S. 1996.  Robust-Symmetric Mean: A New Way of Mean Calculation for Environmental Data.
Geojournal 40(1-2): 209-212.

Zhang, C.S., Selinus, O.1998. Statistics and GIS in environmental  geochemistry -- some problems and solutions.  Journal of Geochemical Exploration. 64:339-354.

Zhang, C.S. 2006. Using multivariate analyses and GIS to identify pollutants and their spatial patterns in urban soils in Galway, Ireland. Environmental Pollution 142(3): 501-511.

Zhang, C.S., Jordan, C., and Higgins, A., 2007. Using neighbourhood statistics and GIS to quantify and visualize spatial variation in geochemical variables: An example using Ni concentrations in the topsoils of Northern Ireland. Geoderma 137(3-4):466-476.

Zhang, C.S., Fay, D., McGrath, D., Grennan, E., Carton, O.T., 2008. Statistical analyses of geochemical variables in soils of Ireland. Geoderma 146(1-2): 378-390.   

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Examination

    * TWO assignments      Assignment 1 50%
                                       Assignment 2 50% 

There is no final exam for this course. All the marks will be given based on continuous assessment of assignments. The deadline for each assignment will be given during the class.

The assignments are designed to help students understand the concepts and methods in statistics and more importantly properly apply statistics in their research. Generally each assignment contains:

    * Critical analyses of the concepts and methods (pros and cons, assumptions);
    * Applications to a given data set;
    * Applications to a chosen data set (from your own research or of your own interest)

Requirement

Attendance is required for this course.

A pocket calculator with basic functions of +, -, *, / and square root is required.

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