course: Spatial Ecology, Geospatial Analysis and Remote Sensing for Conservation

[Melanie Colón]

Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation

 

Graduate and Professional Training Courses

 

At the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA

 

 

 

Visit our Website at

http://SMconservation.gmu.edu>http://SMconservation.gmu.edu

for more course details and for instructions on

how to apply. The course below will be held in a

brand-new sustainably built Academic Quad,

including new classrooms, dining commons and residential facility.

 

 

Spatial Ecology, Geospatial Analysis and Remote Sensing for Conservation

 

September 15-26, 2014 A few spots remain­apply today!

 

Our world is changing rapidly. Many changes occur

across areas and time periods beyond everyday

human perception, often going undetected,

sometimes with catastrophic consequences.

Satellite imagery, computer-based modeling, and

mapping systems such as GIS have radically

transformed our ability to detect, map, and model

such changes. These geospatial technologies allow

us to monitor natural biological systems. New

advances in spatial ecology permit us to put

these data in the context of our ecological

understanding and to generalize these patterns to

advance ecological theories and their

applications. Taken together these disciplines

and techniques give conservation biologists and

practitioners a powerful new tool box. This

course provides a comprehensive overview of these

disciplines and tools and includes hand-on

exercises ranging from land cover mapping and

home range analysis to modeling of habitat

selection and mapping species distributions.

Specifically, this course focuses on how to

quantify human-induced global changes and their

effects on wildlife and biodiversity. Instruction

and labs use satellite remote sensing and GIS in

connection with extensive field survey data to

monitor global changes, assess their impacts on

wild populations, and develop mitigating land use

strategies. This applied course is focused on

addressing conservation research problems using

the GIS toolbox. Participants will learn to use

ArcMap, ArcMap Spatial Analyst, ERDAS Imagine,

Fragstats, and other spatial analysis

programs. http://SMconservation.gmu.edu>http://SMconservation.gmu.edu