Students will become familiar with: - 2D and 3D digital maps, geodatabase and Geographic Information System (GIS). Their features, how they are designed and produced, how (and where) it is possible to acquire the main geospatial data; - 3D modelling in the GIS environment with a multiscale approach for different LoDs (Levels of Details); - the design of a 3D urban digital twin towards 3DCityModels with commercial tools (ArcGIS Pro). At the end of the course, the students will be able to: - propose an effective GIS design process; - build a 2D/3D model of a city in a GIS environment; - perform complex spatial analyses; - develop appropriate procedural customizations through visual programming and Python language. The course organization stimulates autonomy of decision by training students to read and use modern reports and geoportals involving different data exchange formats (interoperability). The practical exercises, assigned during the course through group work, encourage the interaction with colleagues of different disciplines (Environmental, Civil and Building Engineers), and the exchange of information, forcing students to acquire properties of language and clarity of visual presentation. From the point of view of learning ability, the students, at the end of the course, will be able to apply the acquired knowledge to other application cases, possibly using other commercial or open software, taking advantage of the project phases described during the teaching.

The pre-requirements consist of the main Earth reference systems used in Italy and in the world, as well as the associated cartographic representations.

The main topics analysed in this course are: - reference and cartographic representation systems, the transformation between them, the Verto method proposed by IGM, and some software used to perform the conversions (Cartlab, Verto GIS, ...); - definition of the organizational GIS context, history of DBs, management software (commercial, free, open source), spatial DBs, GIS aimed at objects, sharing on the internet/intranet (WebGIS), kind of data in GIS, geometric (vector and raster), descriptors (database) and descriptive (metadata); - characteristics of digital maps: 2D and 3D contents, precision and accuracy, coding systems, international standards, geometric and topological structures, the problem of editing, congruence constraints, make-up, special tender specifications for the production of digital maps; - the GIS design, the analysis of the problem through the external model, the graphic formalization through the conceptual model (the Entity-Relations scheme and the UML scheme, Unified Modeling Language), the schematization in the logical model (relational structure), the implementation in the physical model, some GIS design examples; - interoperability: definition of the problem, the OGC and CityGML standard; - 3D GIS: digital surface models and digital terrain model, definition, quality standards, information content, towards 3D GIS, multipatch entities and point clouds management. The course includes about 30 hours of lectures and 30 hours dedicated to the illustration and the realization of a complete assignment to be carried out by teams concerning the modelling of a portion of an urban area, the design of the municipal information system and the development of some procedures for customization and analyses.

The course will use ArcGIS Pro with a university campus license (with a duration of 1 year available to students https://www.areait.polito.it/supporto/risultato_serv.asp?serv=ESRI,Site,Licence&dettaglio=S&id_progetto_servizio=334). High-performance computers are encouraged but not strictly necessary. Remote options for licence connections could be evaluated.

Lectures Theoretical lectures are usually recorded. The recording is not ensured for the practical ones. - Introduction to GIS Definitions, the components of a GIS, vector, raster, alphanumeric and descriptive data, the importance of digital map, metadata. Earth reference systems and cartographic coordinate systems. Reference surfaces and cartographic representations in Italy and the world, dynamic systems, geodetic networks and the National Dynamic Network, the transformation between reference systems: the plane transformations, the Helmert transformation, and the VERTO procedure. - 2D/3D digital maps From traditional maps to digital maps, the concept of nominal scale, the discretization of curved lines, the 2D and 3D contents, the coding system, the data structure, the file structure, the congruence constraints, the editing procedures, files and transfer file formats, acquisition techniques, Piedmont Region BDTRE, specifications for the production of digital map and mapping databases, from point cloud to digital maps. - The design of a GIS The descriptive data: the databases, the design of the databases, the external, conceptual (E-R formalization), logical and internal model, the design of the GIS, the official Italian and European structure of IntesaGIS and INSPIRE. - Towards 3D city models The elevation models, the definition of DTM and DSM, the content of the altimetric models, the importance of the breaklines, the dense models, the CISIS standards, the 3D GIS, the geometric primitives used, the relation between 3D GIS and BIM. - Spatial analyses The use of elevation models by interpolation and approximation, trends, IDW, natural neighbors, derived models, contour lines extraction, slope, exposure, solar irradiation, hydrological models, and visibility function. The procedure for defining a spatial analysis, a synthetic classification of the analysis functions, the selection functions by attributes and by position, the overlay, proximity, zonal statistics, vector raster conversion, and calculation between raster data. The customization of a GIS through visual programming. The model builder, new functions definition, defining model parameters, and selecting input data. - Geo-AI Artificial intelligence basics and principles, main applications in the geospatial domain, tools and possibilities. Exercises The group project is assigned during the first weeks/months of the course, and revisions will be ensured throughout the course. The students are highly encouraged to take part in the weekly revisions. - Introduction to ArcGIS Pro Introduction to ArcGIS Pro (definitions, examples) and the main modules of ArcCatalog and ArcToolbox for vector and raster data, import/export, the symbolic representation, cartographic examples at various scales. The geometric basis for SITs: geometric editing, management of reference systems in ArcGis. VertoGis, TrasPunto, the georeferencing of a raster image. The management of alphanumeric data: the tables, link (Join and Relate), the creation of themes, and geoprocessing. - 3D GIS and AI Realization of a 3D GIS starting from a 3D digital map, the altimetric models in ArcGIS and the derived models, from the point cloud to the 3D digital map. - Model Builder How to develop complex spatial analyses with the Model Builder, customize the Toolbox, and simple corrections on the Python code. - Spatial analyses on an urban GIS Self-study of the students on topics related to the design of GIS for the management of the city in the urban area: traffic and transport management, management of building practices, the cadastre, management of green areas, the quality of the environment in terms of water quality, air and noise pollution and so on.

The main information consists of the slides proposed during the lessons. To learn more about the herds described, the following texts should be noted: - J. Campbell, M. Shin (2011) "Essentials of Geographic Information Systems", ISBN 13: 9781453321966, Publisher: Saylor Foundation (open Text Book, https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/67) - Christian Harder, Clint Brown (2017) "ArcGIS Book: 10 Big Ideas about Applying The Science of Where" ed. ESRI Pr, ISBN-101589484878

Lecture notes;

Exam: Compulsory oral exam; Practical lab skills test; Group project;

The exam consists of 3 tests, all of which are mandatory to pass the exam: • the assignment carried out during the workshops is assessed through a project book and a final presentation discussed during the course, which describe all the phases of the work. The project book has to be delivered at least one week before the examination. The teacher analyzes the report and proposes a mark (0-30); • the ability to practically use the GIS tools is assessed by means of a practical test concerning the use of the ArcGIS Pro software applied during the exercises. It is not possible to use notes or other detailed information but it is possible to use the online help of the software itself. For this purpose, the data and the group project structured during the course will be used. At the end of the test, the teacher proposes a mark (0-30); • the in-depth analysis of the theoretical aspects described during the course is assessed through an oral test focusing both on the cartography/GIS part, and the spatial analyses). At the end, the teacher proposes a mark (0-30). The final mark is the weighted average of the results of the 3 previous evaluations, each weighing 33% in the overall evaluation.

In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.