Conservation GIS in the Tropics

Course Dates:
31 May - 14 June
Credits:
3
Eligibility:
1 semester Biology or Ecology, prior Spanish, 2.5 GPA
Apply by:
2 March 2020
Cost Info:
$21,500

Master basic and advanced geographic information system (GIS) tools in a flexible but intensive hybrid course comprised of online learning and a two-week exploration of the tropical forests of Ecuador, South America. Learn to collect field data with professional GPS units, visualize and analyze those data in cutting-edge GIS software, and apply advanced mapping and assessment tools to real world conservation projects underway in the tropics. Wake up to monkeys howling, attend class while toucans and parrots fly past, and go to sleep under the tall canopy of a tropical forest!

Where We Go

In partnership with the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Ceiba offers a range of study abroad programs that take advantage of our unparalleled access to pristine tropical sites, and provide students an opportunity to immerse themselves in our ongoing projects.

The course structure follows a hybrid model, with two weeks of online content followed by two weeks of tropical fieldwork. The online content will involve several hours per day of recorded lecture videos, homework assignments to be implemented in Quantum GIS, practical assignments to find and access public data, discussions of homework outcomes, and other interactive features. The topics covered will allow newcomers to GIS to get a strong foundation in fundamental principals and use of mapping and analysis tools, while also permitting those students already familiar with GIS to study new applications of these tools to conservation, and to learn a powerful and widely used open-source software platform, QGIS.

After two weeks of online content, the program travels to Quito, Ecuador, where we inaugurate our two-week stay in this exciting and hyper diverse — both biologically and culturally — tropical country. After a couple days exploring the highlands and mastering GPS data collection in the shadows of snowcapped Andean peaks, we descend to the Pacific coast where we will stay at the Lalo Loor reserve, an ongoing conservation project of the Ceiba Foundation. At the reserve, you will participate in face-to-face lectures, lab activities, and discussions; however, the majority of class time will be spent in the field. In all sites, you will practice GIS and GPS techniques, collect data for visualization in QGIS, participate in a variety of advanced training activities, and contribute meaningfully to Ceiba’s active research and conservation programs

Life Abroad

In partnership with the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Ceiba offers a range of study abroad programs that take advantage of our unparalleled access to pristine tropical sites, and provide students an opportunity to immerse themselves in our ongoing projects.

The course structure follows a hybrid model, with two weeks of online content followed by two weeks of tropical fieldwork. The online content will involve several hours per day of recorded lecture videos, homework assignments to be implemented in Quantum GIS, practical assignments to find and access public data, discussions of homework outcomes, and other interactive features. The topics covered will allow newcomers to GIS to get a strong foundation in fundamental principals and use of mapping and analysis tools, while also permitting those students already familiar with GIS to study new applications of these tools to conservation, and to learn a powerful and widely used open-source software platform, QGIS.

After two weeks of online content, the program travels to Quito, Ecuador, where we inaugurate our two-week stay in this exciting and hyper diverse — both biologically and culturally — tropical country. After a couple days exploring the highlands and mastering GPS data collection in the shadows of snowcapped Andean peaks, we descend to the Pacific coast where we will stay at the Lalo Loor reserve, an ongoing conservation project of the Ceiba Foundation. At the reserve, you will participate in face-to-face lectures, lab activities, and discussions; however, the majority of class time will be spent in the field. In all sites, you will practice GIS and GPS techniques, collect data for visualization in QGIS, participate in a variety of advanced training activities, and contribute meaningfully to Ceiba’s active research and conservation programs

Academics

The course structure follows a hybrid model, with two weeks of online content followed by two weeks of tropical fieldwork. The online content will involve several hours per day of recorded lecture videos, homework assignments to be implemented in Quantum GIS, practical assignments to find and access public data, discussions of homework outcomes, and other interactive features. The topics covered will allow newcomers to GIS to get a strong foundation in fundamental principals and use of mapping and analysis tools, while also permitting those students already familiar with GIS to study new applications of these tools to conservation, and to learn a powerful and widely used open-source software platform, QGIS.

After two weeks of online content, the program travels to Quito, Ecuador, where we inaugurate our two-week stay in this exciting and hyper diverse — both biologically and culturally — tropical country. After a couple days exploring the highlands and mastering GPS data collection in the shadows of snowcapped Andean peaks, we descend to the Pacific coast where we will stay at the Lalo Loor reserve, an ongoing conservation project of the Ceiba Foundation. At the reserve, you will participate in face-to-face lectures, lab activities, and discussions; however, the majority of class time will be spent in the field. In all sites, you will practice GIS and GPS techniques, collect data for visualization in QGIS, participate in a variety of advanced training activities, and contribute meaningfully to Ceiba’s active research and conservation programs


Dates & Costs

The course structure follows a hybrid model, with two weeks of online content followed by two weeks of tropical fieldwork. The online content will involve several hours per day of recorded lecture videos, homework assignments to be implemented in Quantum GIS, practical assignments to find and access public data, discussions of homework outcomes, and other interactive features. The topics covered will allow newcomers to GIS to get a strong foundation in fundamental principals and use of mapping and analysis tools, while also permitting those students already familiar with GIS to study new applications of these tools to conservation, and to learn a powerful and widely used open-source software platform, QGIS.

After two weeks of online content, the program travels to Quito, Ecuador, where we inaugurate our two-week stay in this exciting and hyper diverse — both biologically and culturally — tropical country. After a couple days exploring the highlands and mastering GPS data collection in the shadows of snowcapped Andean peaks, we descend to the Pacific coast where we will stay at the Lalo Loor reserve, an ongoing conservation project of the Ceiba Foundation. At the reserve, you will participate in face-to-face lectures, lab activities, and discussions; however, the majority of class time will be spent in the field. In all sites, you will practice GIS and GPS techniques, collect data for visualization in QGIS, participate in a variety of advanced training activities, and contribute meaningfully to Ceiba’s active research and conservation programs


 

The course structure follows a hybrid model, with two weeks of online content followed by two weeks of tropical fieldwork. The online content will involve several hours per day of recorded lecture videos, homework assignments to be implemented in Quantum GIS, practical assignments to find and access public data, discussions of homework outcomes, and other interactive features. The topics covered will allow newcomers to GIS to get a strong foundation in fundamental principals and use of mapping and analysis tools, while also permitting those students already familiar with GIS to study new applications of these tools to conservation, and to learn a powerful and widely used open-source software platform, QGIS.

Apply Now!