Techniques and tools of geomatics enable the management of geospatial data and the generation of value-added information, applicable in multiple sectors (environmental planning, cultural heritage, emergency management, agriculture, etc.) in response to various challenges (environmental sustainability, socioeconomic resilience, socio-spatial justice and inclusion, spatial security, geomarketing, development of cooperation, etc.). In this context, geographic information systems (GIS) take on a key role, allowing the acquisition of data, positioning them with respect to a coordinate reference system (CRS) (georeferencing), structuring them efficiently, analysing them, sharing them, and producing value-added information.

In coherence with the expected learning outcomes of the Interuniversity Master's Degree in Geography and Territorial Sciences, this course intends to:

• define the main types of geospatial data;
• reproject geospatial data to another CRS and choose the correct one based on the analysis type;
• independently search for existing geospatial data and evaluate their suitability;
• use methods for creating, editing and analysing geospatial data;
• process geospatial data and evaluate the results obtained;
• organise the main elements of a map, choosing the appropriate symbology, scale, and CRS;
• formulate a report to clearly communicate the results of geospatial analyses.

The module offers an introduction to critical geographical thinking, with particular reference to how it developed in the past decades in Anglophone Geography. The aim is to provide a concise, yet rich, introduction to a number of key concerns related to the critical understanding of space, place, scale and related processes. Key notions and approaches derived from political economy, relational spatial thinking, critical gender and race studies, political ecology will be presented and discussed. The course mixes frontal lectures with moments of in-depth reading of academic texts, as well as discussion of contemporary societal issues at the global scale. The final part of the module provides a glance at some of the most common qualitative research methods in Human Geography, analysing their ethical implications and the role of Academics in the (re)production of unjust spaces.