This course will provide students with core training in the collection and analysis of ecological data using geographic information systems (GIS).

The taught component of the course will be an intensive 5-day course, with approximately four hours teaching per day which will consist of a mixture of lectures and practical sessions.

None

Summative assessment ('final assignment') will involve producing the detailed "Methods" and "Results" sections of a scientific report (1000 - 2000 words) that will make up 100% of the course mark.

This course aims at providing audience with the basic tools for ecological data management and analyses, through the software QGIS, with the objective of creating spatially explicit datasets for ecological analyses (e.g. species distribution models, resources and habitat selection, home range analyses). The objective is to develop key skills in creating a GIS project using existing data and collecting suitable field data for an ecological study.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Critically evaluate the specific data requirements of an ecological research project for implementation into a geographical information system (GIS)

■ Design a specialised GIS project to answer a biological question using appropriate advanced software

■ Verify GIS compatible field data using a global positioning system (GPS) receiver with previously collected data to produce a high quality map of publication standard

■ Extract relevant spatial data from GIS project for use in statistical analyses and examine relationship between variables using appropriate statistical methods.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.