GIS Tools for Strategic Conservation Planning

Date:

November 18-21, 2008

Location:

National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV

Course Description:

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center and The Conservation Fund offer this course to teach students how to apply GIS tools, methodologies, and analyses to strategic conservation planning using a “Green Infrastructure” approach. By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe primary concepts and benefits of a Green Infrastructure approach to coastal conservation and broader land-use planning efforts;
  
• Define the goals, objectives, and parameters of a Green Infrastructure (GI) network and identify appropriate core data elements needed to design a GI network using GIS tools and methodologies;
  
• Choose and employ raster-based spatial analyses to design a coastal Green Infrastructure network using ArcGIS.

This will be a four-day course taught by staff from NOAA and The Conservation Fund, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center. The format includes lectures, demonstrations, small group discussions, and hands-on problem-solving exercises. Participants will use ArcView 9x and Spatial Analyst software to apply principles of strategic conservation planning and address a realistic conservation scenario using GIS. Students will use data sets from coastal areas to develop conservation priorities and strategies.

Registration deadline: Oct 17, 2008!

Target Audience:

Ideal participants are those seeking to advance their GIS skills by applying coastal conservation planning approaches, or those looking to design a Green Infrastructure network in a coastal area using GIS technology.

All participants should have prior experience or training in the use of ArcView 9.2 software. The course uses the Spatial Analyst extension, and materials presented are both comprehensive and fast-paced. There are no specific prerequisite courses, but the following courses would be helpful:

• “Coastal Applications of ArcGIS” offered by NOAA, for establishing GIS skills
  
• “Strategic Conservation Planning Using a Green Infrastructure Approach” offered by The Conservation Fund, for foundations in Green Infrastructure

Course Length:

4 days

Course Tuition:

$625.00

Lodging and Meals Information:

Lodging and meals available onsite at NCTC for $119/night. Call (877) 706-6282 to book your room - "TCF GIS Tools..." room block"

Next Offering:

Spring 2009

Contact Information:

For more information, please contact:
Margarita Carey
The Conservation Fund
(304) 876-7924
mcarey@conservationfund.org

OR

Josh Murphy
NOAA Coastal Services Center
(843) 740-1246
Joshua.Murphy@noaa.gov