GIS course: Introduction to using GIS in ecological field studies. 
This course will be held at SCENE (Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment), Glasgow, United Kingdom from July 27th – 30th 2015

This course is aimed at biologists and ecologists who are just starting to use GIS in their ecological data collection and analysis and who have little or no existing knowledge of this subject area. The course will cover areas such as making a map for a paper or a report, extracting information from Google Earth for use in a GIS project, collecting GIS-compatible data using a GPS receiver, transferring data between a GPS and a GIS project, creating raster data layers of environmental information, importing data to a GIS project from a spreadsheet and linking species records to environmental information. 

Day 1:
Morning Background Session: Introduction to GIS. Morning Practical Session: Making a map for a study area in GIS; setting the projection, coordinate system and datum for your data frame; adding existing data layers; create a map of a local region; plotting location data as a point data layer; creating new data layers in ArcGIS; creating and adding new data layers through Google Earth; creating a fine-scale map of a study area. 
Afternoon Background Session: Collecting data for use in a GIS. 
Afternoon Practical Session: Collecting GIS-Compatible data in the field; converting GIS data layers into GPS-compatible files; setting up a GPS to record GIS-compatible data; creating a data sheet to record your data; recording GIS-compatible data along a transect.

Day 2:
Morning Background Session: The importance of error-checking your spatial data. 
Morning Practical Session: Entering field data in to a GIS; transferring data between a GPS and a GIS project; creating and entering data into a GIS-compatible spreadsheet; creating a position validator spreadsheet for a GIS project; converting latitude and longitude coordinates into decimal degrees; estimating positions from distance and bearing information. 
Afternoon Background Session: Incorporating environmental Information in to your GIS. 
Afternoon Practical Session: Collecting environmental information in the field; extracting environmental information from existing data sets.

Day 3: 
Morning Background Session: Linking data together based on spatial relationships. 
Morning Practical Session: Investigating spatial relationships; linking the supplied data set to habitat variables; joining information from an external spreadsheet to a GIS data layer; analysing spatial relationships using a GAM. 
Afternoon Background session: Translating biological tasks into the language of GIS. 
Afternoon Practical Session: Creating a summary flow diagram for your GIS project; collating flow diagrams for the individual steps for a summary flow diagram.

Cost is £425 for the 3 days including lunches and refreshments or £525 for an all-inclusive option which includes the addition of accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner and refreshments.

For further details or questions or to register please email [log in to unmask] or visit www.prstatistics.co.uk 

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Additional upcoming courses; STABLE ISOTOPE MIXING MODELS USING SIAR, SIBER AND MIXSIAR; GENETIC DATA ANALYSIS USING SIAR; APPLIED BAYESIAN MODELLING FOR ECOLOGISTS AND EPIDEMIOLOGISTS; SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF ECOLOGICAL DATA USING R; ADVANCING IN R;