Online Course: Introduction to GIS: Map your Environment

Learn how to map your land using open source software and freely available data. Previously offered on CD, this new online version of the course is all video-based to allow the student to follow the tutorials with ease. The course introduces digital mapping tools and techniques (Geographic Information Systems or GIS), and how small landowners and permaculture designers can use these tools with freely available data for site planning. The course provides an excellent introduction to GIS for any small landowner interested in visualizing terrain of the land, planning layout of buildings and gardens, and using GIS maps in Google Earth. You will learn about freely available aerial photos, topographic data, soil maps, and other spatial layers, and how to view and manipulate the data using the open source GIS software Quantum GIS.
More details about the course at course page

Andrea Laliberte
Brownsville, Oregon

Andrea, your course looks like it could be really useful to a lot of our members.

But instead of just coming back every month putting up an identical post, why not post here examples of the sort of thing that the course will teach us? Or better still, ask someone who has done the course to post a review so we can get a taste of what it's all about.

If you don't know anybody suitable, I'd happily volunteer to be a 'test dummy' and create a mini-blog either here in this thread or in the staff-review section. If I do hit any problems or anything is too confusing or unclear, it would be good feedback for you too. I've had a look at the site and watched the introductory video and if the course lives up to its promises I think it does indeed deserve a lot more attention.

Hi Burra,

Thanks for your great feedback. I will take you up on your offer to take the course and write a review for this forum. I am emailing you to your gmail account a coupon to take the course for free.
I am also planning a follow-up course that will have more in-depth info on applying GIS to Permaculture design. Any feedback from the community would be great.

Looking forward to your comments or anybody else's comments as well.

Thanks,
Andrea

Coupon received, and I'm now enrolled on the course. Which, incidentally, looks to be very professionally put together.

I'll let you all know how I get on. I think I'm going to be busy for a few weeks...

Thankyou Andrea!

I saw that you finished the GIS course. How did it go? I would be interested in your opinion. I also wanted to let you and others know that I am now offering this course on DVD instead of on Udemy, based on the responses and feedback I get. It seems that people prefer to have all the software, sample data and videos on a DVD instead of having to only access it online.

Thank you!
Andrea

Yeah, how did it og, Burra? Recommendable?

Learn how to map your land using open source software and freely available data. This self-paced, video-based course on DVD is an excellent introduction to digital mapping tools (GIS) for landowners or permaculture designers. It will allow you to visualize the terrain of the land, perform site planning based on slope, aspect, and other features, and use GIS maps with open source software and Google Earth. You will learn where to obtain freely available aerial photos, topographic data, soil maps, and other spatial layers, and how to view and manipulate the data. Details at: http://www.earthmetrics.com/courses/
For those that prefer a final product, I offer different levels of map packages that include the finest detail mapping layers available for your property. The products can be customized to your land and needs, include free visualization software, and require no specialized mapping knowledge. Details at http://www.earthmetrics.com/landowner-mapping-services/

Andrea Laliberte
Brownsville, Oregon

Looks cool!   I have a logistical question, for you or anyone else.  I have 40 acres in Vermont, but forested with mostly young trees.  My task over the next year is to clear the 4-6 acres that I could use for a homestead and small farm.  Will my data look much different if I use these technologies before I clear the overstory, or will I have better resolution if I do this after I clear the land?

Thanks!
K

Watch the video at the link.  It looks like vegetation does not interfere.  I may be wrong, though.

Are you going to clear all the trees?  Or leave some for wild area, wind break, animal habitat, etc?

Marla Kacey wrote:Watch the video at the link.  It looks like vegetation does not interfere.  I may be wrong, though.

Are you going to clear all the trees?  Or leave some for wild area, wind break, animal habitat, etc?

For now, clearing young scrub trees (hemlocks, norway maples), keeping established value trees (oaks, maples, white pine), just so I can wrap my brain around the topography.  So, not really clearing, but trying to get some sight lines longer than 20 ft, and breaks in the canopy where I'm working.  It's just so dense I'm finding it impossible to plan...

I figured the vegetation wasn't completely impeding the data collection, but wondered if, theoretically, bare land has more accurate info than forested land.  New to this!

K

A pic of what I'm working with:

Depending what kind of spatial data are available for your area, the vegetation can impact the information derived from the data. For the landowner mapping products I offer, I always use freely available data to keep the cost down. Sometimes that means that the data may have lower resolution for digital elevation models and contour lines, compared to purchasing geospatial data. However, for some areas, I can obtain LiDAR data, which is a type of remote sensing data that allows for obtaining a "bare earth" elevation model, essentially stripping away the overlaying vegetation. This means you get elevation and contour data that are not affected by vegetation. It really depends what your state or county has available in terms of geospatial data.
Hope this helps, let me know if you have more questions,

Andrea