GIS in Maritime Archaeology Course

The University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute are running a Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) Part III course: GIS in Maritime Archaeology at Orkney College. 30th and 31st July 2016.

Duration: 2 Days
Venue: Orkney College, Kirkwall
Dates: 30th -31st July
Tutors: Sandra Henry, Mark Littlewood
Qualification: The Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) Part III course – QGIS
Cost: £140

A Geographic Information System (GIS) is frequently used to create accurate maps with data attached that can be viewed, analysed and published for dissemination.

This two-day introductory course will provide an overview of features in QGIS – a freely available GIS software package commonly used by archaeologists. Although focussing on this particular programme, the skills and procedure students are introduced to can be used in other GIS programmes (such as ArcGIS, gvSIG, GRASS GIS). Comparisons will be made with these other programmes during the course.

During the two-day course students will be introduced to:

Why do we use GIS?
How to set up a GIS – map, projections, file-paths, toolboxes and other house-keeping
Data sources-where to find accessible maps and other resources
How to add these datasets to the GIS
Geo-rectifying -providing spatial references for images and maps
Other common GIS tools
Digitising features through the creation of points, lines and polygons
Attach data to these features within an attribute table
Interrogation and analysis of spatial data through querying
Linking databases
How to display data – creating figures for publication and research dissemination