Introduction to GIS for Environmental Impact Assessments

Course overview

This course provides a thorough introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for environmental consultants focusing on Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). Participants will learn to create GIS projects, perform spatial analysis, and produce professional outputs for clients.

Course topics are taught in QGIS (free, open-source software). If you are interested in this course for ArcGIS, please contact us.

Who can benefit?

Delegates may include those with no or limited GIS experience who are working within, or with an interest in, the EIA industry. For example, students, graduates, or environmental consultants who are either early in their career or require knowledge of GIS in order to excel in the UK's competitive landscape.

Training outline

Delivered online (live), this course uses lecture- and exercise-based methods, and an end-of course practical assessment (see below) demonstrates knowledge transfer. Course topics include:

• Introduction to GIS for EIA: The fundamentals of GIS, its applications in EIA, and the specific GIS skills expected of environmental consultants in the UK.
• Creating a GIS Project for an EIA: Setting up the GIS program, loading and managing base maps, and working with vector data such as points, lines, and polygons; Digitisation techniques and how to handle attribute data; Editing the symbology of layers for legibility and functionality.
• Spatial Analysis: Using industry-related examples to explore essential concepts and functions of geospatial analysis, such as: Process design, selection, classification, dissolve functions, and buffering, as well as advanced topics such as raster analysis, and terrain analysis. Equips learners with the skills to perform comprehensive spatial analyses as impact assessments.
• Outputs: Delivering polished GIS data outputs that meet professional standards, covering best practices for data quality and control, producing high-quality cartographic outputs, and generating detailed attribute table outputs.

This assessment demonstrates the ability to apply learning, by using gained skills to plan a wind farm project around constraints & receptors. Delegates will be provided with datasets, and are required to demonstrate core competencies: Set up a GIS project; Load various data types; Handle vector data; Perform spatial analysis; Produce report-quality figures; Produce Excel output.

*We're establishing interest for an online self-paced (e-learning) version of this course. If you would be interested, please sign up to the wait list and you'll be the first to know!