Facilities and Services
Computing
Geography has two purpose-built computer laboratories for research and teaching supported by a team of four technicians: a GIS Manager, Systems Administrator, Geospatial Science Technician & Web Manager, and Programmer Analyst.
The research lab contains 8 highspec (purchased 2010) PC workstations with widescreen 24" LCD monitors for advanced Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) work, with ESRI ArcGIS Arc/Info and ERDAS Imagine / ITT ENVI software respectively. Data capture and output is catered for with an A0-sized digitiser and access to an HP 650CB AO colour plotter.
The teaching lab contains 25 highspec PC (purchased 2010) workstations with widescreen 24" LCD monitors and a colour laser printer. Software includes ESRI ArcGIS ArcInfo, ITT ENVI for remote sensing/image processing, Trimble Pathfinder Office for GPS, plus Corel Draw for poster work, and MS Office for general computing. This lab is reserved for teaching at certain times.
There are several computers for PhD use only, as well as in the Stage I lab and the physical geography lab. The latter has several systems for automatic data acquisition, including Magellan and Trimble GPS receivers, and a range of tough book laptop computers for use in the field.
A wireless network enables communications throughout the department and to the rest of the university, including the library and other databases. The university also provides access to a range of different machines (VAX, SUN) as well as extensive research software through the X protocol.
Geography also acts as the UC custodian for several New Zealand geospatial datasets, including digital elevation, census, climate, and land cover. For more see GIS Data holdings.
Social Space
The main block has two common rooms, one on floor 3 for use of all geography students (the Geography Learning Space); and the staff and PhD common room on floor 4, the Jobberns Room. Tea and coffee are provided, and there are fridges and microwave ovens in each.
The Geography Learning Space contains a number of new computers with widescreen 24" screens and two 46" LCD screens for presentations, video conferenceing etc.
The Jobberns Room is also used for the bi-weekly staff-student seminar series.
Vehicles
The department owns a four-wheel drive vehicle. This is primarily for
research purposes, and for fieldwork in graduate courses. Doctoral students
may make use of the vehicle, but costs are normally charged against
research moneys. We also have an 11 seater toyota hiace van for fieldwork
purposes.
The department have a fully equipped 6m Stabicraft boat kitted out with the latest in hydro survey, GPS, current profiling, sediment sampling and side scanning equipment.
Physical Laboratories
Facilities on floor 6 provide computer-based logging of continuously monitored parameters from a rooftop weather station. Daily weather maps and other data are received over a radio link with the New Zealand and Australian Meteorological Services. There are also facilities to receive images from orbiting (AVHRR) and geostationary weather satellites (GMS).
A multipurpose physical geography laboratory on the ground floor of the lab block is equipped for a wide range of research activities. This space is also used for teaching and demonstrating physical geography techniques and equipment. The facilities include balance rooms (with a range of balances, down to semi-micro level), a sieve shaker room, chemical analysis, microscopes, general work areas and much more. At certain times this space is reserved for teaching.
An extensive range of basic and advanced field equipment is available. This includes data loggers and atmospheric sensors, more then a dozen Trimble GPS and GNSS units (RTK survey and mapping grade), conventional surveying gear (total stations), snow and soil study equipment, a variety of wave and current recorders (including Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers etc), equipment for the manufacture and analysis of dye-tracers, echo sounder for hydrosurveying and much more.
Workshops provide for the design and construction of instruments and other field equipment. Metal and wood workshops are used for light engineering.
Two full-time technicians provide laboratory, and workshop support.
Field Stations
The department operates three small climate stations in the Southern Alps, and has the use of other university field stations in the Alps (at Cass) and on the east (at Kaikoura) and west coasts (at Westport and Harihari) of the South Island. Some members of staff, and some graduate students, make summer visits to Scott Base, the New Zealand Antarctic base.
Ground floor area
This area has its own web page.
Cartography - Photography
Some undergraduate courses and all graduate students are provided with basic instruction particularly in computer-based cartography. Scanners (A4 and A3), graphics software and a range of printers (up to A0 size) are available for computer-based draughting. The department's cartographer undertakes draughting for doctoral theses. Photographic services include slide making and duplication, digital cameras and a digital video camera. Facilities are also available to edit and view video tapes both digital and analogue.
The department has a site license for ArcInfo which allows students to create their own maps as well as digitising tablets and GPS and surveying equipment for map based data capture. TopoMap is also available for quick field mapping and downloading of GPS data.
Weather Data from the Geography Department
The Geography Department has a number of sources of weather data. Some from our own instruments and some from outside organisations. This data is generally available free of charge for academic use. Note that for some external data sources a charge may apply and that large data requests are also subject to charging on a case by case basis.
Climate data is available from:
- The NIWA Climate Data Base (Covers the entire country. Back to before 1900 in some cases). Access is free via link above.
- Weather Station on the Geography Dept. Roof
- Weather Station at Broken River Ski Field (collected every 6 months (approx))
- Weather Station in the Cass Valley (collected via cell connection (approx))
- The quality of data is quite variable. That from NIWA is generally
the most reliable, that from Broken River and Cass the least reliable.
To obtain this data your first point of contact is Graham Furniss. Typically, requests are made by e-mail to graham.furniss@canterbury.ac.nz containing : the location for which data is required, the time period, frequency of measurement and the specific data types (eg. rain, wind, humidity) required. For more complex requests or where more guidance on selection of data types etc. is required call ext 7975 to speak with Graham. Data requests are typically met in one to two weeks although this depends on request complexity and work load. For a map of where climate stations are located click here (this is an ArcIMS server). For an explanation of the codes that appear on this map click here.
University Libraries
The University Library has grown to well over one million items. These are contained in the Central Library, Physical Sciences Library, Engineering Library, Macmillan Brown Library, and Law Library. Of special interest is the Macmillan Brown Library's collection of New Zealand and Pacific material. The University Library makes available a large number of bibliographic databases on CD-ROM, and online access is provided to other information services.