Hi everyone, Advanced QGIS and Spatial Data Analysis Workflows (AQGI01) – Applications for Marine Mammal Research
1–2 December 2026 | 6 hours | £250 | Live Online Time: 14:00–17:00 UK time (GMT), both days Course information and registration<https://prstats.org/course/advanced-qgis-and-spatial-data-analysis-workflows-aqgi01/> Delivered by Dr Nick Bearman, a geospatial data scientist, certified QGIS trainer and specialist in spatial analysis, geospatial visualisation and applied GIS workflows. Develop your skills in advanced spatial data analysis using QGIS, with practical training in combining geographic datasets, performing spatial joins, point-based analyses, spatial overlays and generating meaningful spatial metrics. For marine mammal researchers, these methods are particularly useful for investigating cetacean and pinniped distributions, habitat use, marine biodiversity patterns, survey observations and spatial relationships between marine mammal records and environmental characteristics. These approaches are valuable for researchers working in marine mammal ecology, cetacean conservation, marine spatial planning, habitat assessment and environmental impact assessment, where integrating geographic observations with environmental and management datasets is essential. This two-day practical course builds on existing GIS knowledge and provides hands-on experience with spatial analysis techniques applicable to marine mammal research, marine conservation and environmental management. What you'll gain * Integrate geographic and environmental datasets from multiple sources * Create and interpret choropleth maps * Import and join spatial and attribute data * Conduct point-based spatial analysis * Work with geographic coordinates and observation datasets * Perform point-in-polygon analysis to relate observations to geographic areas * Apply spatial joins to combine biological observations and environmental information * Conduct spatial overlay analyses using union and intersect operations * Explore spatial relationships between geographic features * Aggregate spatial analysis results * Generate and interpret spatial summary metrics * Develop practical workflows for analysing spatial data in QGIS * Understand the advantages and limitations of different spatial analysis techniques * Apply transferable GIS methods to marine mammal research and conservation questions Course format * Dates: 1–2 December 2026 * Time: 14:00–17:00 GMT each day * Duration: 6 hours total * Format: Live online via Zoom * Instructor: Dr Nick Bearman * Hands-on practical exercises using QGIS * Course datasets and presentation materials provided * Opportunities to discuss participants' own datasets, time permitting * All sessions recorded, with 30 days' access * 30 days of post-course email support * Digital certificate of attendance * Course fee: £250 Who is this course for? This course will be particularly relevant to researchers, postgraduate students and professionals working in: * Marine mammal ecology and conservation * Cetacean ecology and monitoring * Pinniped ecology and conservation * Marine spatial ecology * Marine biodiversity monitoring * Marine protected area planning * Marine habitat assessment * Marine spatial planning * Offshore environmental impact assessment * Marine environmental management * Species distribution and habitat research * Coastal and marine conservation * Marine wildlife survey programmes * Fisheries and marine ecosystem management It is particularly valuable for researchers who work with marine mammal sightings, survey locations, habitat boundaries, marine protected areas and environmental spatial datasets, and who want to develop more advanced skills in integrating and analysing this information. Participants should already have a basic understanding of GIS and spatial data analysis, including familiarity with QGIS or equivalent GIS software. Why take this course? Spatial data play a central role in marine mammal research, from mapping cetacean sightings and pinniped haul-out sites to investigating habitat use, marine protected areas and the spatial distribution of human activities. Marine mammal datasets frequently combine georeferenced observations, survey information, environmental variables, management boundaries and marine spatial planning layers. Integrating these datasets effectively is essential for understanding spatial patterns and supporting conservation decisions. Advanced GIS methods allow researchers to move beyond mapping individual observations towards investigating spatial relationships and quantifying geographic patterns. For example, point-in-polygon analysis can be used to associate cetacean sightings with marine protected areas, management zones or predefined survey regions. Spatial joins can combine marine mammal observations with geographic or environmental attributes, while overlay operations can help investigate the spatial coincidence of important habitats with shipping routes, offshore development areas or other marine activities. These methods are particularly relevant to research involving marine mammal distribution, habitat assessment, marine conservation planning and environmental impact assessment. QGIS provides a powerful, freely available, open-source platform for conducting these analyses, offering extensive functionality for spatial data management, geographic analysis and cartographic visualisation. AQGI01 focuses on developing practical skills in data integration, spatial joins, point-based analysis, spatial overlays and the generation of spatial metrics. Although the course's practical exercises use general geographic and greenspace datasets rather than marine mammal-specific examples, the analytical methods are directly transferable to marine mammal research. By the end of the workshop, participants will have greater confidence in combining spatial datasets, analysing geographic relationships and interpreting spatial outputs, providing practical skills that can support marine mammal monitoring, ecological research and conservation management. Also available: Introduction to QGIS (IQGIPR) – Recorded Course For marine mammal researchers who are new to QGIS, or who would like to refresh their foundational GIS skills before progressing to advanced spatial analysis, we also offer Introduction to QGIS (IQGIPR) as a self-paced recorded course. This introductory course provides a foundation in spatial data management, geographic visualisation and GIS analysis using QGIS. The methods are useful for researchers working with cetacean sightings, pinniped monitoring locations, marine protected area boundaries, coastal habitat maps and environmental spatial datasets. The recorded format allows participants to learn at their own pace, revisit demonstrations and develop their GIS skills before progressing to the more advanced workflows covered in AQGI01. IQGIPR provides an accessible starting point for researchers with limited GIS experience, while AQGI01 is designed for those looking to build on existing QGIS knowledge. For further information, visit PR Stats<https://prstats.org/> and search for IQGIPR. Please feel free to share these courses with colleagues, friends, research groups, labs, and others within your institute, organisation, or wider marine mammal research network. Learn more & enrol Advanced QGIS and Spatial Data Analysis Workflows (AQGI01) View the full course and register<https://prstats.org/course/advanced-qgis-and-spatial-data-analysis-workflows-aqgi01/> Questions? Email: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Best wishes, Oliver Hooker PR Stats Sent from Outlook for Mac
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