Fauna & Flora and WILDLABS invite you to a free, asynchronous, and four-part e-learning series that will build your confidence using GIS within conservation work. The courses are beginner-friendly and will have you working from fundamental theory up to using spatial analysis and geoprocessing in real-world scenarios.
This is Course 1: What is GIS and why should you care? It is suitable for someone completely new to GIS, or those who want to strengthen their GIS foundations. You don't need any software to follow along.
Course 1 will cover:
- What GIS is and how it can be used within conservation
- The fundamentals of GIS data
- An overview of coordinate systems
- Compelling cartography
Free, external course
This course is provided by Fauna & Flora for free.
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Lessons Outline
Discussion
Use this space to ask questions, discuss with fellow participants, or share your thoughts after course completion.
Participants
Below are the WILDLABS members who have enrolled in and completed this course.
Samuel Nti, a conservationist at APLORI, uses bioacoustics to protect endangered birds. His current work focuses on the African Grey Parrot in Nigeria, where he employs Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) to inform conservation strategies.
I am a scientist in charge of animal AI identification at the Tangjiahe Nature Reserve in Sichuan. My main job is to use AI to identify giant pandas and infer where they will appear in the future and conduct biological analysis of feces. I would like to join this community to com
I am an environmentalist who is enthusiastic about nature and outdoor work, I have a growing interest in Conservation Technology
Kores is a wildlife conservationist and storyteller in Kenya, passionate about adventure, wildlife, and inspiring conservation through photography, tech and narratives
Sr. Instructional Designer with NASA ARSET program
Wildlife researcher and conservationist with expertise in GIS, wildlife monitoring, and community engagement. Passionate about human-wildlife coexistence and sustainable conservation strategies.
Many thanks to WILDLABS. This community aligns precisely with my professional interest in applying IT expertise to nature conservation.
Further Reading
Want to learn more? There are many user guides, tutorials, and blog posts out there to learn more GIS! Here are just a few, but remember you can search "*what you want to learn**software you're using* tutorial" and more often than not help will come up.
GIS Fundamentals
- The GIS Certification Institute provide a great overview of the fundamentals of GIS data
- Mango map have a good simplified introduction to GIS
Coordinate Systems
- Also by Mango map and useful for finding coordinate systems is What UTM Zone am I in?
- The True Size Of... helps to visualise the effect of coordinate systems
Compelling Cartography
- If you're using ArcGIS Pro, John Nelson's YouTube has some great tutorials on how to create beautiful maps!
- If you're using QGIS there are many blog posts and videos teaching you different cartographic techniques, like this one!
Related Courses
GIS E-learning Course 2: Introduction to QGIS
GIS E-learning Course 2: Introduction to QGIS
GIS E-learning Course 2: Introduction to QGIS
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