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GIS for Ecologists

Course Description

This course allows students to gain proficiency in ArcGIS Pro, and exposure to techniques and tools in R and QGIS. Students will investigate a real ecological research question of their choosing, for which they will acquire, analyze, and/or model spatial data, and prepare and present a written report on their findings.

Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
All students will prepare and present a written report investigating an ecological research question. For these projects, undergraduates will work in groups of 2-3 students; graduate students will work individually. Ideally, graduate students will select a research question related to their research.

Athena Title

GIS for Ecologists

Prerequisite

STAT 2000 or STAT 2000E or STAT 2100H or BIOS 2010 or BIOS 2010E or ECOL 2550

Semester Course Offered

Offered fall

Grading System

A - F (Traditional)

Student Learning Outcomes

  • By the end of this course, students will be able to understand spatial data formats, and how to find and acquire spatial data from public, academic, and other sources.
  • By the end of this course, students will be able to use ArcGIS software to import spatial data, create custom maps, query spatial databases, and perform basic spatial analyses.
  • By the end of this course, students will be able to understand how to gather, format, and archive spatial data directly using GPS-based devices.
  • By the end of this course, students will be able to apply GIS techniques and methods to address real-world ecological questions.
  • By the end of this course, students will be familiar with basic spatial statistics approaches for ecological data.

Topical Outline

  • Introduction to GIS and ArcGIS pro software
  • Data sources, formats, and management
  • Cartographic principles
  • Coordinate systems, projections, and transformations
  • Data standards and reproducibility in research
  • Finding and curating data
  • Working with raster data
  • Working with vector data
  • Spatial ecology and introduction to spatial statistics for ecology

Syllabus

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