Online Course Announcement – An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R – 25th to 28th July 2022

We will be running a new instructor-led online course in July 2022 based around our book titled An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R. It will be held over the Zoom video-conferencing platform and will provide all the practical knowledge and experience you need to get started with analysing biological data using R. As a result, no previous experience with R or statistical analysis is required to do this course.

It will run from the 25th and the 28th of July 2022. The course will consist of four three-hour sessions, and one session will need to be completed each day. However, you will have a choice of completing it between 10:00 and 13:00 UK Time (primarily for those living in Europe, Asia and Africa) or 19:00 to 22:00 UK 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 295 per person (with a discounted rate of GBP 245 for students, the unwaged and those working for registered charities). To book a place, or for more information, you can either email us at info@GISinEcology.con or click on the link below.

http://gisinecology.com/stats-for-biologists-1/live-online-course-an-introduction-to-basic-statistics-for-biologists-using-r/

About the Course:

This is a practical course and it is aimed at anyone who wishes to learn how to carry out basic data processing and statistical analyses on biological data using R. This includes importing data sets into R, error-checking and processing them to prepare them for analysis, calculating basic summary statistics, creating graphs, assessing and transforming their distributions, and running statistical tests such as Shapiro-Wilk tests, t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, paired t-tests, Wilcoxon Matched Pairs tests, F-tests for equality of variance, Levene’s tests, ANOVAs, Kruskal-Walis tests, chi-squared tests, correlations and linear regressions. It will also cover how to use R, how to work out how to do things for yourself in R and how to create annotated R script archives of what you have done.

Each session will consist of a series of background talk covering specific topics (more details are provided below), followed by related practical exercises based on instructions from An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R. As a result, all participants will receive a free copy of this book shipped to their address in advance of the start of the course. 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 throughout the course for you to ask any questions you wish at any point.

This course will be hosted by Dr Colin D. MacLeod, one of the authors of An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R..

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.

Now Open for Registration – An Introduction To Using GIS/QGIS In Biological Research, 6th – 9th September 2021

GIS In Ecology will be holding a new online training course on using GIS in biological research between the 6th and 9th of September 2021. It 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 British Summer Time (primarily for those living in Europe, Asia and Africa) or 18:00 to 21:00 British Summer 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-biological-research/,  Alternatively, you can email info@GISinEcology.com with the subject line Introductory Online GIS Course September 2021.

This course will be taught by Dr Colin D. MacLeod, the author of GIS For Biologists: A Practical Introduction For Undergraduates (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 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. 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 the13th and the 16th of September 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-distribution-modelling-in-the-marine-environment/.

Online Course Announcement – An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R – 22nd to 25th March 2021

We will be running a new instructor-led online course in March 2021 based around our latest book, An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R. It will be held over Zoom video-conferencing and will provide all the practical knowledge and experience you need to get started with analysing biological data using R. As a result, no previous experience with R or statistical analysis is required to do this course.

It will run from the 22nd and the 25th of March 2021. The course will consist of four three-hour sessions, and 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 Greenwich 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. 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, or for more information, you can either email us at info@GISinEcology.com or click on the link below.

Live Online Course – An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R

About the Course:

This is a practical course and it is aimed at anyone who wishes to learn how to carry out basic data processing and statistical analyses on biological data using R. This includes importing data sets into R, error-checking and processing them to prepare them for analysis, calculating basic summary statistics, creating graphs, assessing and transforming their distributions, and running statistical tests such as Shapiro-Wilk tests, t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, paired t-tests, Wilcoxon Matched Pairs tests, F-tests for equality of variance, Levene’s tests, ANOVAs, Kruskal-Walis tests, chi-squared tests, correlations and linear regressions. It will also cover how to use R, how to work out how to do things for yourself in R and how to create annotated R script archives of what you have done.

Each session will consist of a series of background talk covering specific topics (more details are provided below), followed by related practical exercises based on instructions from An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R. As a result, all participants will receive a free copy of this book shipped to their address in advance of the start of the course. 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 throughout the course for you to ask any questions you wish at any point.

This course will be hosted by Dr Colin D. MacLeod, one of the authors of An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R.

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.

New Online Training Course – An Introduction To Using GIS/QGIS In Biological Research, 25th – 28th January 2021

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. It 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 Greenwich 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-biological-research/,  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 (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 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. 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 the15th 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-distribution-modelling-in-the-marine-environment/.

New Live Online GIS Training Course – ‘An Introduction To Integrating QGIS/GIS And R For Spatial Analysis’, October 2020

We are now taking bookings for the next run of our live, online course titled An Introduction To Integrating QGIS/GIS and R For Spatial Analysis. It will be held via the Zoom online video-conferencing platform between the 19th and the 22 of October 2020.

The course will consist of a mix of background talks and practical sessions held over four 3-hour sessions. One session needs to be completed each day, and attendees will have a choice of completing it between 10:00 and 13:00 British Summer Time or between 18:00 and 21:00 British Summer Time. This allows the course to be as accessible from as many different time zones as possible.

Attendance will be limited to a maximum of 24 people per session. It will cost 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, or for more information, visit http://gisinecology.com/online-course-an-introduction-to-integrating-qgis-gis-and-r-for-spatial-analysis/ or email info@GISinEcology.com.

This course is aimed at those who wish to learn how to use and integrate QGIS (the leading freely available GIS software package) and R (the leading freely available data analysis software package) for spatial analysis. It will be taught by Dr Colin D. MacLeod, the author of ‘An Introduction To Integrating QGIS And R for Spatial Analysis’ (Pictish Beast Publications) and a renowned expert in using GIS in biological and ecological research. He is also a co-author of the recently published ‘An Introduction To Basic Statistics For Biologists Using R’, which is a practical guide to carrying out the analysis of biological data in R.  The course assumes no prior knowledge of either QGIS/GIS or R, and so is open to complete beginners as well as those how know how to use one of these software packages, and wish to learn how to integrate it with the other.

GIS and statistical analysis are two of the most fundamental software tools for modern biologists wishing to conduct spatial analyses. However, each have their own sets of software packages, and sometimes it can be difficult to know how to integrate the two. This course will provide an introduction to the integration of QGIS (the leading freely available GIS software package) and R (the leading data analysis software packages used by biologists) to create a combined tool set that makes the most of the strengths of each of these individual software packages. It will consist of a series of background sessions on using GIS and R for spatial analysis, mixed in with practical sessions where you will learn how to use QGIS, how to use R, and how to integrate two to complete a spatial analysis project. This last part will include working through an example project, starting with creating a high quality map for publication through creating raster data layers of environmental variables, joining data together based on their spatial relationships and analysing the combined data set using R (including creating summary statistics, conducting linear regressions and conducting generalised additive modelling – GAMs). While it will primarily be based around QGIS, 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 An Introduction To Integrating QGIS And R for Spatial Analysis (GIS For Biologists Workbooks) as the practical exercises in that course are based on the ones contained in that book. NOTE: If you wish to use ArcGIS software for this course, alternative materials will be provided for the practical sessions.

New Online Training Course – An Introduction To Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) In Th Marine Environment, 24th – 27th August 2020

New Online Training Course – An Introduction To Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) In Th Marine Environment, 24th – 27th August 2020

GIS In Ecology will be holding a new online training course on Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) in the Marine Environment between the 24th and 27th of August 2020. It 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 British Summer (primarily for those living in Europe, Asia and Africa) or 18:00 to 21:00 British Summer 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 20 people. 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-species-distribution-modelling-in-the-marine-environment/,  Alternatively, you can email info@GISinEcology.com with the subject line Introductory Online SDM Course August 2020.

This course will be taught by Dr Colin D. MacLeod, the author of An Introduction To Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) Using QGIS and R and a renowned expert in using species distribution modelling in the marine environment. It is aimed at those who want to learn how to integrate GIS into their species distribution modelling projects. The course assumes that you have at least a basic knowledge of GIS, and is not aimed at complete beginners (if you are a complete beginner, you can attend our introductory online GIS course which will be held between the 17th and 20th of August 2020).

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.

Species distribution modelling (also known as habitat modelling, predictive habitat modelling, ecological niche modelling, habitat suitability modelling and essential habitat modelling) is becoming increasingly widely used in marine biology. This course aims to provide an introduction to the concept and practical application of species distribution modelling (SDM) in the marine environment, and how to integrate species distribution modelling with GIS. This includes selection of environmental variables, the creation of raster data layers of environmental variables in a GIS-based environment, processing survey data in GIS, creating spatial visualisations and predictions from SDMs, and validating the predictive ability of SDMs. The practical sessions will involve working through a complete SDM project using an existing data set from start to finish, including creating an SDM using Generalised Additive Modelling (GAM). This means you do not need have your own data to attend. The practical sessions will be conducted in QGIS (our recommended option) or ArcGIS, and R (but no prior experience with R is required).

When you attend this course you will receive a free copy of An Introduction To Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) Using QGIS And R (GIS For Biologists Workbooks) as the practical exercises in that course are based on the ones contained in that book. NOTE: If you wish to use ArcGIS software for this course, the older ArcGIS version of this workbook (An Introduction To Using GIS In Marine Biology – Supplementary Workbook Three) will be provided instead.

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. 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.

In addition, you will also need to have spreadsheet software, such as Excel, on your computer. Finally, you will also need a working copy of the free statistical software package called R.

New Online Training Course – An Introduction To Using GIS/QGIS In Biological Research, 17th – 20th August 2020

GIS In Ecology will be holding a new online training course on using GIS in biological research between the 17th and 20th of August 2020. It 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 British Summer (primarily for those living in Europe, Asia and Africa) or 18:00 to 21:00 British Summer 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 20 people. 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-biological-research/,  Alternatively, you can email info@GISinEcology.com with the subject line Introductory Online GIS Course August 2020.

This course will be taught by Dr Colin D. MacLeod, the author of GIS For Biologists: A Practical Introduction For Undergraduates (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 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. 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 24th and the 27th of August 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-distribution-modelling-in-the-marine-environment/.

New Online GIS Training Course – ‘An Introduction To Integrating QGIS/GIS And R For Spatial Analysis’, May 2020

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, we have suspended our in-person training courses for the foreseeable future. Instead, we will be running our courses online via the Zoom video-conferencing platform. We will be running the first of these courses, titled An Introduction To Integrating QGIS/GIS and R For Spatial Analysis, between the 6th and 8th of May 2020.

This course is aimed at those who wish to learn how to use and integrate QGIS (the leading freely available GIS software package) and R (the leading freely available data analysis software package) for spatial analysis. It will be taught by Dr. Colin D. MacLeod, the author of ‘An Introduction To Integrating QGIS And R for Spatial Analysis’ (Pictish Beast Publications) and a renowned expert in using GIS in biological and ecological research. He is also a co-author of the recenntly publised ‘An Introduction To Basic Statistics For Biologists Using R’, which is a practical guide to carrying out the analysis of biological data in R.  The course assumes no prior knowledge of either QGIS/GIS or R, and so is open to complete beginners as well as those how know how to use one of these software packages, and wish to learn how to integrate it with the other.

Attendance will be limited to a maximum of 16 people. The course for this three day course will cost GBP 395 per person (with a discounted rate of GBP 300 for students, the unwaged and those working for registered charities). To book a place, or for more information, visit http://gisinecology.com/online-course-an-introduction-to-integrating-qgis-gis-and-r-for-spatial-analysis/ or email info@GISinEcology.com.

GIS and statistical analysis are two of the most fundamental software tools for modern biologists wishing to conduct spatial analyses. However, each have their own sets of software packages, and sometimes it can be difficult to know how to integrate the two. This course will provide an introduction to the integration of QGIS (the leading freely available GIS software package) and R (the leading data analysis software packages used by biologists) to create a combined tool set that makes the most of the strengths of each of these individual software packages. It will consist of a series of background sessions on using GIS and R for spatial analysis, mixed in with practical sessions where you will learn how to use QGIS, how to use R, and how to integrate two to complete a spatial analysis project. This last part will include working through an example project, starting with creating a high quality map for publication through creating raster data layers of environmental variables, joining data together based on their spatial relationships and analysing the combined data set using R (including creating summary statistics, conducting linear regressions and conducting generalised additive modelling – GAMs). While it will primarily be based around QGIS, 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 An Introduction To Integrating QGIS And R for Spatial Analysis (GIS For Biologists Workbooks) as the practical exercises in that course are based on the ones contained in that book. NOTE: If you wish to use ArcGIS software for this course, alternative materials will be provided for the practical sessions.

First Call: New GIS Training Course – ‘An Introduction To Integrating QGIS/GIS And R For Spatial Analysis’, Glasgow, April 2020

This is the first call for attendees for our new training course titled An Introduction To Integrating QGIS/GIS and R For Spatial Analysis. It will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, between the 7th and 9th of April 2020. This course will be taught by Dr. Colin D. MacLeod, the author of An Introduction To Integrating QGIS And R for Spatial Analysis (Pictish Beast Publications) and a renowned expert in using GIS in biological and ecological research. It is aimed at those who want to learn how to use and integrate QGIS (the leading freely available GIS software package) and R (the leading freely available data analysis software package). The course assumes no prior knowledge of either QGIS/GIS or R, and so is open to beginners.

GIS and statistical analysis are two of the most fundamental software tools for modern biologists wishing to conduct spatial analyses. However, each have their own sets of software packages, and sometimes it can be difficult to know how to integrate the two. This course will provide an introduction to the integration of QGIS (the leading freely available GIS software package) and R (the leading data analysis software packages used by biologists) to create a combined tool set that makes the most of the strengths of each of these individual software packages. It will consist of a series of background sessions on using GIS and R for spatial analysis, mixed in with practical sessions where you will work directly with QGIS and R software to complete an example of a spatial analysis project starting with creating a high quality map for publication through creating raster data layers of environmental variables, joining data together based on their spatial relationships and analysing the combined data set using R (including creating summary statistics, conducting linear regressions and conducting generalised additive modelling – GAMs). While it will primarily be based around QGIS, 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 An Introduction To Integrating QGIS And R for Spatial Analysis (GIS For Biologists Workbooks) as the practical exercises in that course are based on the ones contained in that book. NOTE: If you wish to use ArcGIS software for this course, alternative materials will be provided for the practical sessions.

Attendance will be limited to a maximum of 18 people. This three day course will cost GBP 395 per person (with a discounted rate of GBP 300 for students, the unwaged and those working for registered charities). To book a place, or for more information visit https://gisinecology.com/an-introduction-to-integrating-qgis-gis-and-r-for-spatial-analysis/. Alternatively, you can email info@GISinEcology.com with the subject line QGIS And R Course Registration.

This course will be held in central Glasgow, Scotland (exact venue to be confirmed). Glasgow has great transport links and is within half a days travel by car or by fast train links from most cities in the UK. For example, it can be reached in as little as 4h 30mins from London by train. It can also be reached by direct flights from many European cities and the flight time is generally under four hours.

Attendees will be responsible for their own accommodation. However, Glasgow provides a wide range of accommodation options to fit most budgets.

Final Call: GIS Training Courses January 2020 – ‘An Introduction To Using GIS/QGIS In Biological Research’ and ‘An Introduction To Species Distribution Modelling In The Marine Environment’

This is the final call for attendees for our upcoming GIS training courses in January 2020. These courses are An Introduction To Using GIS/QGIS In Biological Research and An Introduction To Species Distribution Modelling In he Marine Environment. They will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, between the 27th and 30th of January 2020.

 

1. An Introduction To Using GIS/QGIS In Biological Research, Glasgow, Scotland, 27th – 28th January 2020:

This introductory training course for those who wish to learn how to use GIS in any area of biological research, and it 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.

The course will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, and it will be taught by Dr Colin D. MacLeod, who has more than 15 years experience in using GIS for a wide variety of biological purposes. For those who cannot attend this course in person, a shorter online course based on the same materials is available from our sister site www.GISforBiologists.com.

The 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 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. The practical exercises on this course will be based on those in the recently published GIS For Biologists: A Practical Introduction For Undergraduates  by Dr MacLeod, and a free copy of this book will be provided to all participants.

Attendance will be limited to a maximum of 16 people, and the course will cost £295 per person (£200 for students, the unwaged and those working for registered charities). To book a place, or for more information, visit http://gisinecology.com/an-introduction-to-using-gis-in-biological-research/ or email info@GISinEcology.com.

 

2. An Introduction To species Distribution Modelling In The Marine Environment, Glasgow, Scotland, 29th – 30th January 2020:

This two day course follows on from the introductory GIS course and provides all the information required to start using Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) in the marine environment in a practical and biologically meaningful way. In a series of background sessions, case studies and practical exercises, it covers how to create data layers of species distribution, how to select and create raster data layers of environmental variables, such as water depth, how to join information on species distribution to environmental information, how to export data from a GIS project for analysis in a statistical package, such as R, how to create spatial visualisations based on a statistical model and how to validate the spatial predictions of a model. The practical sessions work through a species distribution modelling project based on real marine survey data from start to finish. This course can be done with a combination of QGIS and R (our recommended option) or  comnbination of ArcGIS and R.

Attendance will be limited to a maximum of 16 people, and the course will cost £295 per person (£200 for students, the unwaged and those working for registered charities). To book a place, or for more information, visit http://www.gisinecology.com/an-inroduction-to-species-distribution-modelling-in-the-marine-environment/ or email: cdmacleod@GISinEcology.com. Note: This course requires a basic knowledge of GIS (as covered in the above introductory GIS course) and how to use ArcGIS or QGIS GIS software.

 

Both these courses will be held at the Mackintosh at the Willow, 215 Sauchiehall St, Glasgow G2 3EX, Scotland. Glasgow has great transport links and is within half a days travel by car or by fast train links from most cities in the UK. For example, it can be reached in as little as 4h 30mins from London by train. It can also be reached by direct flights from many European cities and the flight time is generally under four hours.

Attendees will be responsible for their own accommodation. However, Glasgow provides a wide range of accommodation options to fit most budgets.