_GIS In Ecology_ will be holding a new online training course on using GIS in biological research between the 25th and 28th of January 2021. GIS has become a critical skill for many marine mammalogists regardless of whether they are working on academic research, conservation, management or environmental impact assessment, and this course provides the perfect introduction for those who wish to learn how to use GIS for any of these purposes. While aimed at biologists in general, it in includes a number of practical exercises that use marine mammal data (including calculating abundance per unit survey effort based on data on dolphins from Scotland, and calculating grids of species richness using data on beaked whales from the North Atlantic). In addition, the course will primarily be taught using QGIS, a free, open-source GIS software package, meaning that the skills learned on this course can be used by anyone working with marine mammals, regardless of their budgets and funding. The course will be held using the Zoom video-conferencing platform, and will consist of four three-hour sessions. One session will need to be completed each day. However, you will have a choice of completing it between 10:00 and 13:00 Greenwich Mean Time (primarily for those living in Europe, Asia and Africa) or 18:00 to 21:00 Greemwich Mean Time (primarily for those living in North and South America). This choice of time slots for each session allows participants from as wide a range of time zones to participate in the course. Attendance will be limited to a maximum of 24 people per session. The fees for this course are GBP 250 per person (with a discounted rate of GBP 195 for students, the unwaged and those working for registered charities). To book a place on it, or for more information, visit the course's dedicated webpage at http://gisinecology.com/online-course-an-introduction-to-using-gis-qgis-in-b.... Alternatively, you can email info@GISinEcology.com with the subject line Introductory Online GIS Course January 2021. This course will be taught by Dr Colin D. MacLeod, the author of _ GIS For Biologists: A Practical Introduction For Undergraduates_ [1] (Pictish Beast Publications), and will provide an introduction to using GIS in a wide variety of biological research situations ranging from the basics of making maps through to studying the spread of diseases and creating maps of species biodiversity. It will consist of a series of background sessions on using GIS mixed in with practical sessions where you will work directly with GIS software to complete various tasks which biological researchers commonly need to be able to do. Each three-hour session will consist of a background talk covering a specific topic, followed by practical exercises based on instructions from one of our workbooks. While you are encouraged to remain online during the practical sessions, you can choose to go off-line as you work though the exercises (or if you need to take a break). However, if you have any questions, the course instructor will be available for you to ask any questions you wish at any point. This course will primarily be based around QGIS (also known as Quantum GIS), which provides a user-friendly, open-source, free alternative to commercial GIS software packages, and it is becoming increasingly widely used in both academic and commercial organisations As a result, it is aimed at both those with no GIS experience, but wish to learn how to to do GIS with QGIS, and also those who are familiar with using commercial GIS software, such as ArcGIS, but who wish to learn how to use QGIS as an alternative. However, this course is taught using software-independent approach, and it is also open to those who wish to learn how to use ArcGIS to do biological GIS. When you attend this course you will receive a free copy of _GIS For Biologists: A Practical Introduction for Undergraduates [1]_as the practical exercises in that course are based on the ones contained in that book. At the end of the course, all attendees will receive a certificate of attendance and completion. Each certificate is embossed with the GIS In Ecology official stamp to prevent its fraudulent reproduction. In addition, each certificate has its own unique identification number that we will record, along with your name, meaning that we can verify the authenticity of the certificates we issue (and the course you have completed) on request. To attend this course, you must have your own laptop computer with an appropriate GIS software package installed on it. Our recommended GIS software for this course is the freely available QGIS software. For those wishing to use QGIS, you will need to download and install QGIS 2.8.3 (for those using Windows computers) or 2.8.4 (for those using Macs) rather than the latest version. The best way to download the correct version of QGIS for this course is to use the links on our GIS For Biologists webpage, which can be found here [2]. If you would prefer to use ESRI's ArcGIS software instead of GIS, this can be accommodated, but please let us know at the time of booking that this is the option you would like to use. This course will be followed by a second, more advanced online course that will be held between the 15th and the 18th of February 2021 titled 'An Introduction To Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) In The Marine Environment'. More information on this course can be found at http://gisinecology.com/online-course-an-introduction-to-species-distributio.... --- ================================================================================== GIS IN ECOLOGY - Providing Training, Advice And Consultancy On The Use Of GIS In Ecology Web: www.GISinEcology.com [3] Email: info@GISinEcology.com Need to ask a question about using GIS? Try the GIS In Ecology Forum: www.GISinEcology.com/GIS_in_Ecology_forum.htm [4] Books From GIS In Ecology Staff: GIS For Biologists: A Practical Introduction For Undergraduates; RRP: £24.99 An Introduction To Integrating QGIS And R For Spatial Analysis; RRP: £19.99 An Introduction To Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) Using QGIS And R; RRP: £19:99 If you wish to purchase these books, visit: http://www.gisinecology.com/book-shop/ To help the environment, please do not print out this email unless it is unavoidable. ================================================================================== Links: ------ [1] http://gisinecology.com/gis-for-biologists-a-practical-introduction-for-unde... [2] http://gisinecology.com/gis-for-biologists/ [3] http://www.GISinEcology.com [4] http://www.GISinEcology.com/GIS_in_Ecology_forum.htm