Introduction to Coastal and Marine GIS (QGIS)

This three day course introduces GIS topics and techniques relevant to the marine and coastal environement. 

The course uses QGIS which is a popular open-source desktop GIS software application.

The course is held in person at The University of Southampton's Highfield campus.

Access to a computer and QGIS will be provided along with lunch.

Course Description

Delivering sustainable development in the marine environment requires a balance to be achieved between resource use and protection of our seas. Spatial data is increasingly important in such decision-making being used for marine planning, conflict management and environmental management.

GeoData’s experienced GIS trainers have teamed up with ABPmer GIS Consultants, who specialise in the coastal and marine sector, to create a course that will provide you with the background and skills necessary to utilise these powerful tools and techniques.

The course introduces GIS concepts and techniques using QGIS and is intended for those who have little to no GIS knowledge or who wish to undertake some formalized training in QGIS having been largely self-taught in the past.

A project showcase, drawn from ABPmer’s portfolio, illustrates how spatial data has been used within GIS to support coastal and marine decision making.  The course also considers common problems faced when mapping the coastal and offshore zones (including projections, vertical datums, etc.)

Aims and Objectives:

• Provide introductory level GIS knowledge and the fundamental skills to use QGIS
• Focus in on coastal and marine datasets
• Show the many potential applications of GIS within the coastal and marine sectors (through our partners at ABPmer)
• Discuss some of the unique challenges / pitfalls when mapping the coastal and marine zones (e.g. coordinate systems, vertical datums)

Learning outcomes:

·        What a GIS is; what spatial data is; raster and vector data models

·        The core functionality of QGIS

·        Visualising spatial data and producing maps / charts.

·        Spatial data management and the use of Geopackages (a type of spatial database)

·        Handling tables including selections and queries.

·        Creating and editing spatial data.

·        Greater appreciation of coastal and marine GIS data and applications.

·        Basic geoprocessing