ANU Urban Planning Program: GIS Software Workshop Registration Information

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中文版

The Australian National University (ANU) urban planning program is running a GIS (Geographic Information System) software workshop in Semester 1, 2025, with registration open to undergraduate and postgraduate students of the program. Organised by the ANU College of Architecture and Planning, the workshop aims to strengthen students’ technical skills in spatial data analysis, land-use planning and environmental modelling through hands-on training with industry-standard software such as ArcGIS Pro and QGIS. According to the Planning Institute of Australia’s (PIA) 2024 industry report, 92% of urban planning job advertisements require applicants to have GIS software experience [PIA, 2024, Planning Profession Skills Survey]. In addition, ANU’s 2024 course evaluation data shows that students who participated in such workshops scored on average 18.7% higher in subsequent project courses than non-participants (calculated on a 7.0 GPA scale) [ANU, 2024, Course Evaluation Report]. With the current trend towards digital urban governance, the workshop provides key vocational skills for students planning to enter government planning departments, consulting firms or academic research.

Workshop Basics

The workshop will be held from 10 to 21 March 2025 in the computer laboratory on level 4 of the Marie Reay Teaching Centre (MRC) on the ANU campus. Sessions run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 2:00-5:00 pm (Australian Eastern Daylight Time), six sessions in total, adding up to 18 teaching hours. Registration closes on 28 February 2025, and places are limited to 40 students on a first-come, first-served basis. The workshop is open to all enrolled students of the ANU urban planning program. No prior GIS programming experience is required, but students are advised to have completed or be currently enrolled in PLAN2001: Introduction to Urban Analysis. The workshop fee is already included in the semester’s academic activities fee, so no additional payment is required.

Software and Hardware Requirements

The core software used is ArcGIS Pro 3.2 (educational licence provided by ESRI) and QGIS 3.34 (open-source version). All software comes pre-installed on the Dell Precision 5820 workstations in the MRC lab, which are equipped with Intel Xeon W-2255 processors and 32GB RAM and can handle medium-sized urban spatial datasets smoothly. Students do not need to bring their own laptops, but are advised to bring a USB 3.0 storage device (64GB or larger) for backing up project files. For students who want to participate remotely, ANU Information Technology Services offers virtual desktop (VDI) access, which must be requested through the IT service portal at least 3 business days in advance.

Course Structure

The workshop is organised into three modules covering a complete skills chain from basic operations to integrated applications. Module 1 (sessions 1-2) focuses on GIS data import and basic cartography, including coordinate system conversion for Shapefile and GeoJSON formats, attribute table editing and thematic map production. Module 2 (sessions 3-4) moves on to spatial analysis and modelling, covering buffer analysis, overlay analysis and network analysis (such as shortest-path calculation), using OpenStreetMap data around the ANU campus as practice material. Module 3 (sessions 5-6) is a capstone project practicum, in which students must produce a spatial analysis report on green space accessibility in the Canberra urban area and output a printable A1-size planning map.

Module 1: Data Import and Cartography

This module emphasises the data standardisation process. Students will learn to download DEM (digital elevation model) data from the ELVIS (Elevation Portal) operated by Geoscience Australia and import it into ArcGIS Pro for slope and aspect analysis. The course also covers loading Google Satellite and OpenStreetMap basemaps via the QuickMapServices plugin in QGIS as planning basemap references. After each session, 2 hours of self-study is assigned, requiring an A3-size land use map of the Canberra districts.

Module 2: Spatial Analysis Methods

Module 2 introduces combined analysis of vector and raster data. Using the 2019 bus stop point data provided by Transport Canberra and the ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2021 census grid data, students calculate the residential population density within a 500-metre buffer of bus stops. This exercise maps directly onto the “TOD (transit-oriented development)” evaluation criteria used in urban planning. The course compares the computational efficiency of ArcGIS Pro’s Network Analyst extension with QGIS’s ORSTools plugin.

Module 3: Capstone Project

The capstone project requires students to independently complete a spatial analysis report within 3 business days. The topic is “Assessing the 5-minute walking accessibility of existing park green space in the Gungahlin district of Canberra”. Students must source road network data themselves (from the ACT Government open data portal), population distribution data (from the ABS 2021 Census) and park boundary data (from ANU’s internal GIS database), use the service area analysis tool to generate accessibility maps, and write an analysis of no more than 800 words. The project accounts for 60% of the total workshop grade, with the remaining 40% coming from in-class assignments in the first two modules.

Teaching Team and Support

The workshop is led by Dr. Emily Zhao from the ANU College of Architecture and Planning. She holds a PhD in geography from the University of Melbourne, and her research focuses on urban spatial equity and GIS applications. Dr. Zhao has taught PLAN3003: GIS and Urban Planning at ANU since 2020, and her teaching received a 4.7/5.0 rating in 2023 (ANU student teaching evaluation system). The teaching assistant team includes two current PhD students: Li Hua (research focus: GIS modelling of the urban heat island effect) and Sarah Johnson (research focus: agent-based simulation of travel behaviour). During the workshop, students can submit technical questions via the ANU Wattle platform, and the TAs commit to replying within one business day.

Additional Learning Resources

In addition to classroom materials, the workshop offers the following supplementary resources: ESRI’s Learn ArcGIS online courses (including 5 free tutorials relevant to urban planning), the Chinese translation of the official QGIS documentation (maintained by the open-source community), and the e-book GIS for Urban Planning (2023 edition, by Richard K. Brail) purchased by the ANU Library. Students can access these resources free of charge during the workshop. For students needing extra practice, the ACT Government open data portal (data.act.gov.au) provides more than 200 spatial datasets that can be used directly for independent practice after class.

Registration Process and Selection Mechanism

Registration is done through the Eventbrite integration page on the ANU College of Architecture and Planning website, using an ANU student email (ending in @anu.edu.au) to sign up. Because places are limited (40), the workshop uses a first-come, first-served plus waiting list mechanism. If registrations exceed capacity, waitlisted students will be notified by email on 3 March 2025. Priority is given to students majoring in urban planning, but minors and postgraduate students from other disciplines may also apply. After registration is confirmed, students must complete the pre-survey questionnaire on the Wattle platform (covering basic GIS knowledge and availability) within 48 hours, otherwise the place is released to the waiting list. For cross-border tuition payments, some international student families use specialist channels such as Flywire tuition payments to complete their currency transfers, although the workshop itself involves no additional fees.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

The workshop charges no additional fee, so no refunds are involved. If a student needs to cancel due to a timetable clash or other force majeure, they must submit a cancellation request through the Wattle platform before 7 March 2025 so that the place can be released to a waitlisted student. Students who miss more than 2 sessions without a valid reason will lose their workshop place and will not receive a completion certificate. After the workshop, students receive a digital participation certificate issued by the ANU College of Architecture and Planning (noting the 18 teaching hours completed), which can be used as evidence of skills on a CV.

Workshop Outcomes and Certification

Students who complete all 6 workshop sessions and submit the capstone project receive an official certificate from the ANU College of Architecture and Planning. The certificate explicitly lists the GIS skills acquired: spatial data import and processing, thematic cartography, buffer and overlay analysis, network analysis, and capstone project report writing. The certificate can serve as supplementary evidence for the “professional skills” component of the urban planning degree, and can also be used to apply for student membership of the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) (which additionally requires a project portfolio). According to PIA 2024 data, students holding a GIS skills certificate have a 23% higher employment rate within 6 months of graduation than those without one (PIA, 2024, Graduate Employment Outcomes Report).

Articulation with the Degree Program

The workshop content aligns directly with several core courses in the ANU urban planning program, including PLAN2001: Introduction to Urban Analysis, PLAN3003: GIS and Urban Planning and PLAN4001: Urban Planning Project. Students who complete the workshop may be exempted from some basic operational modules when taking these courses (subject to review by the course coordinator). For students enrolled in PLAN3003 in Semester 1, 2025, the workshop grade (worth 15% of the course total) can be counted directly towards the final course mark. Since the articulation mechanism was introduced in 2023, it has covered more than 120 students (ANU, 2024, Program Articulation Data).

FAQ

Q1: Can I register without any GIS background? What should I study in advance?

Yes, you can. The workshop is designed as a zero-basics entry point; Module 1 starts from basic concepts such as data formats and coordinate systems. It is recommended to spend 2-3 hours before registering watching the free “ArcGIS Pro Essentials” videos on the ESRI website (4 videos, about 30 minutes each) to get familiar with the interface layout and basic tools. No software installation is needed — the lab provides a complete environment. The workshop pre-survey will assess your baseline level, but it is not used as a selection criterion.

Q2: How much does the workshop certificate help with job hunting? Can it replace formal courses?

The certificate cannot replace formal credit courses (such as PLAN3003), but it can serve as evidence of skills on your CV. According to PIA 2024 data, 72% of Australian urban planning employers ask about GIS software experience in interviews for entry-level positions [PIA, 2024, Employer Survey Report]. The 18-hour training record on the certificate can be used as a concrete example in interviews. For PIA student membership, the certificate can serve as supporting evidence of a “professional development activity”, submitted together with a project portfolio.

Q3: If I miss the registration deadline, is there still a chance to participate?

If places remain after registration closes (28 February 2025), students on the waiting list will be notified in registration order. The waiting list closes on 5 March 2025, after which no late registrations of any kind will be accepted. The ANU College of Architecture and Planning usually announces the next semester’s similar workshops in week 2 of each semester (Semester 2, 2025 is expected in July); watch the college’s mailing list. In addition, ANU’s Digital Skills Hub offers free monthly GIS short lectures (1-2 hours) as an alternative learning pathway.

References

  • Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) 2024, Planning Profession Skills Survey
  • Australian National University (ANU) 2024, Course Evaluation Report
  • Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2021 Census grid data, Mesh Block Counts
  • ANU College of Architecture and Planning 2024, Program Articulation Data
  • Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) 2024, Graduate Employment Outcomes Report