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| ENVT2010-1 | Acquiring and processing environmental data, sustainable development indicators (DPSIR)
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| Duration : | 40h Th, 20h Pr |
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| Credits/ECTS : |
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| Holder(s) : | Jacques Nicolas |
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| Language : | French language |
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| Course contents : | Methodological aspects of measurement:
- Constraints on environmental measurement
- Transversal concepts of integrative indices and the aggregation of several variables
- Different steps in arranging proper instrumentation
· definition of problems and objectives
· choice of parameters to be measured, study of parametric sensitivity
· choice of methods of measurement: description of several typical methods
· choice of collection instruments depending on various metrological characteristics (error, resolution, reproducibility...)
· sampling as part of measurement (utility, strategic choices)
· placement of measuring instruments
- Organigramme for implementation a measurement protocol
Data processing, based on concrete cases drawn from environmental studies:
- formatting of data (coding, missing data, outlier data points, computer files)
- choice of means of data handling depending on objectives in the given case
- brief and practical presentation of various graphics and mathematical tools (filtering, smoothing curves, harmonic analysis ...) and statistical tools (descriptive statistics, regressions, analysis of variations, factorial analysis...)
- methods that are particularly useful in the analysis of environmental data: cases of breaks in sequence in chronological data, mixture of categorical variables and quantitative variables...
- exercises in the computer lab based on real environmental problems
Construction of global environmental indicators:
- usefulness of global indicators
- choice and aggregation of variables
- normalization
- quality of a good indicator
- International systems of environmental indicators and sustainable development
- different approaches to the construction of indicators (models: PSR, DSR, DPSIR)
- presentation of indicators in environmental reports
- examples of indicators |
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| Course objective : | Without reviewing fundamental concepts of theory, students will learn enough new material to handle in a concrete manner and based on real examples the collection and handling of environmental data, in order to provide clients with clear, reliable and concise information. |
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| Prerequisites : | Basic knowledge of physics, mathematics, and statistics. |
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| Workshops : | Exercises in sampling in the field, statistical development of data using computers and group brainstorming on the construction of indicators. |
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| Organization : | Theoretical classes in the amphitheatre, sometimes held in common with students of the "environmental monitoring" option, practical work distributed over two or three days in the field and in the computer lab. |
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| Written notes : | Notes are available in different forms for the three parts of the course: a book for the "methodology" part, online documents for the "data processing" part and course notes for the "indicators" part. Moreover, students have access to Power Point presentations. |
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| Assessment : | Different oral exams (one per part) on the basis of concrete cases. For the part "data processing": evaluation based on practical exercise in the computer room. |
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| Contacts : | Jacques NICOLAS
Département des Sciences et Gestion de l'Environnement
Université de Liège-Campus d'Arlon
Avenue de Longwy, 185
B-6700 ARLON
Belgium
Tel: 32 (0) 63 23 08 57
Fax: 32 (0)63 23 08 00
Email: j.nicolas@ulg.ac.be |
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