Introduction

The seminar "GIS: Introduction to Geographical Information Systems" is organized by the specialized high-tech company Digital Academy created by the Group of Lecturers of the NTUA Multimedia Technology Laboratory. It is an intensive seminar that is carried out exclusively with the method of Distance Learning (e-learning), allowing the learner to follow a high-level scientific training program from his home, his office, or from the place of his choice and at the time of his choice, via Internet.

The program is designed to combine the necessary theoretical knowledge around Geographic Information Systems technology with practical practice in the use of the software involved, to design, implement and implement simple and more advanced solutions related to Data and the Space.

The duration is 4 weeks and corresponds to 140-160 lesson hours.

Topics

1. Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
2. GIS as a Tool
3. Geographic Data
4. Data Collection, Sources and Importing them into GIS
5. Geographic Data Visualization & Projection Systems
6. Data Quality, Bugs & Improvements
7. Production of Maps
8. Thematic Maps & Communication of Geographical Information
9. Spatial Analysis & Decision Support
10. GIS on the Internet and Contemporary Trends

Methodology

According to our training program, the material is divided into 10 training units and concludes with a two-week final assignment. The program uses the latest version of the free software (open source) Moodle, which is based on the PhP programming platform. The online courses are hosted on proprietary servers incorporating state-of-the-art technologies such as: Processor 2 x Intel Pentium XEON hyperthreading, Memory 32 GB DDR RAM, Hard Disks IBM SCSI U320 HDDs @ 15000 rpm Raptors HardWare RAID 5. The central interface with the Internet is carried out through EDET (National Research and Technology Network) and is of the order of 1 Gbps (EDET has a 2X622 Mbps connection to the INTERNET - Pan-European Research Internet GEANT).

After the seminar

After the seminar, the trainee will acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to:

• Understand the basic concepts involved in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), such as "projection system", "scale", "raster", "vector", etc.
• Understand and recognize the components of any implemented GIS system
• Recognize and use the basic functions of any GIS software
• Identify problems related to Spatial Data and analyze them based on GIS techniques and capabilities
• Create, collect, organize and synthesize data from different sources, including GPS devices and the Internet
• Identify problems in data in a timely manner, and improve/fix/normalize data
• Develop simple GIS solutions (such as displaying data on a map) as well as more advanced ones (such as spatial data analysis for use in decision-making)
• Create understandable and tasteful thematic maps using GIS software, choosing the most appropriate technique for each case
• To know the current trends and developments in the field of GIS
• To be able to join any stage of an organization's GIS production process, with the least possible need for training

After successfully attending the seminar, the learner will have all the necessary knowledge and skills in order to be successfully certified by ECDL in the field of "Geographic Information Systems (GIS)".

Purpose of the seminar

The purpose of the course is to learn the basic concepts, components, operation mode and capabilities of Geographical Information Systems (GIS), familiarization with the identification, assessment and management of problems related to Space and dealing with GIS as a solution tool of such problems, learning the methodologies and practices of designing, implementing and implementing GIS solutions, and practicing the use of the software involved.

The course is intended for people who have no or limited knowledge/experience in the field of GIS, but are familiar with using a PC.