GIS Summer Certificate: Finding solutions through spatial analysis and mapping

May 31 to June 4, 2021

The event is planned to happen on-site, at Concordia's Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, but should there be government restrictions on gatherings, the event will be moved to an online delivery. At this point, registrants will be able to cancel their registration if they wish to.

Key benefits

Spatial data is increasingly able to help solve problems in many different fields.It can be used to answer questions such as:

• How are food banks distributed in Montreal? Are some areas under serviced or not?
• Which neighborhoods need more green space?
• Where are most crimes happening in and around the city, and why?
• Which areas will be flooded if water levels reach a certain threshold?

All these questions can be answered using one common tool: GIS. This powerful tool benefits all organizations and industries in a world where spatial data retrieval, visualization and analysis matter.

The GIS certification will train you with basic skills in GIS analysis using a free, open source GIS software (QGIS). No prior knowledge of GIS is required, although a good knowledge of the Windows environment is necessary.

Schedule & options

The certificate is designed to be flexible, and the module you choose depends on your availability and the type of project you wish to develop. You can register for one of the following four options:

• 2-Day Module (May 31 to June 1):Introduction to GIS, data collection and map analysis (CAD$ 600+tax)
• 3-Day Module (May 31 to June 2):Introduction to GIS, data collection and map analysis, GIS analysis, suitability analysis and web mapping (CAD$ 720+tax)
• 4-Day Module (May 31 to June 3): Introduction to GIS, data collection and map analysis, GIS analysis, suitability analysis and web mapping, raster analysis (digital elevation and image classification) (CAD$ 900+tax)
• 5-Day Module (May 31 to June 4):Introduction to GIS, data collection and map analysis, GIS analysis, suitability analysis and web mapping, raster analysis (digital elevation and image classification) and a specific project realization (CAD$ 1050+tax)

Registration fee includes all course materials, equipment for field exercises, a snack and two coffee/tea breaks.

Funding

Bursaries to attend this training may be available to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and students. To obtain more information or verify eligibility, contact the Program Director, Dr. Angela Kross: angela.kross@concordia.ca

Who will benefit from GIS training?

• Marketing professionals
• Environmental sector
• Biologists
• Urban architects
• Urban planners
• Federal, provincial and local government
• Ecologists
• Engineers
• Geography teachers

Dr. Angela Kross

The team

Dr. Angela Kross is a full-time faculty in Geospatial Technologies at the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University, Canada. She holds an MSc. Degree in Geographic Information Science / Remote Sensing from the Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, Netherlands; and a Ph.D. in Physical Geography / Remote Sensing from McGill University.

Prior to joining Concordia in August 2015, she was a research associate at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Dr. Kross has worked with GIS and Remote Sensing since 2004, is currently teaching GIS and Remote Sensing courses at the department, and is in charge of the Summer GIS Certificate program.

Marco Burelli, manager of Network, Academic and Geospatial technology, is a permanent GPE staff member dedicated to managing the gis lab computers, server, data management and piloting the department's drone. He assists with the Summer GIS Certificate program full-time, for the entire week.

Through guest lectures, participants will also benefit from the expertise of other researchers from the department of Geography, Planning and Environment working on different aspects of geospatial technologies:

• Dr. Sebastien Caquard: Mapping Stories
• Dr. Pascale Biron: Watershed hydrology with GIS
• Dr. Zachary Patterson: Transportation GIS
• Dr. Jochen Jaeger: Urban Sprawl analysis with GIS

In the case of insufficient registration, the training will be cancelled and participants will be reimbursed for the full amount paid.  The event is planned to happen on-site, at Concordia's Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, but should there be government restrictions on gatherings, the event will be moved to an online delivery. At this point, registrants will be able to cancel their registration if they wish to.