Turning spatial data into geological insight — hands-on, on-site, with your own datasets.
Geoscientists generate and consume spatial data constantly — geological maps, borehole locations, structural measurements, geophysical grids, satellite imagery, drone surveys — yet much of it lives in disconnected files and is never fully exploited. This course gives your team the practical GIS skills to bring that data together, analyse it rigorously, and communicate it clearly.
The training is built entirely around geoscience workflows rather than generic GIS theory. From the first module, participants work with real geological datasets and finish able to build, analyse, and publish spatial projects that feed directly into exploration, mapping, resource assessment, hazard evaluation, and reporting. Because the course is delivered on-site, exercises can be adapted to your organisation's own data, projects, and coordinate systems.
Instruction is led by practising structural geologists with industry and academic experience, so the emphasis throughout is on defensible, project-ready outputs — not just button-clicking.
Geologists, geophysicists, hydrogeologists, mining and petroleum engineers, environmental and exploration teams, and GIS technicians working alongside geoscientists. It suits both newcomers who need a solid foundation and experienced staff who want to standardise and modernise their spatial workflows.
Basic computer literacy and general familiarity with geological concepts. No prior GIS experience is required. Participants work on their own laptops; a suitable free software setup is provided and installed on day one.
What GIS is and why it matters in the geosciences; vector vs. raster data; the GIS interface and project setup; data formats commonly used in earth sciences (shapefiles, GeoPackage, GeoTIFF, CSV, LAS/borehole data).
Geographic vs. projected coordinate systems; datums and the pitfalls of mismatched CRS; national and UTM systems relevant to your projects; georeferencing scanned geological maps and cross-sections so legacy data becomes usable.
Creating and editing vector layers (faults, contacts, sample points, boreholes); attribute tables and geological data models; importing field and laboratory data; joining tabular data to spatial features; data quality and topology.
Digitising outcrops, formations and structural elements; symbology and geological legends; producing clean, publication-quality geological maps; working with strike/dip and structural data.
Digital elevation models (DEMs); slope, aspect and hillshade; contour generation; drainage and watershed analysis; profiles and swath sections — directly applicable to geomorphology, hazard and terrain studies.
Buffers, overlays and spatial queries; proximity and density analysis; interpolation of point data (e.g. geochemistry, water table, thickness) into surfaces; multi-criteria analysis for prospectivity, suitability and hazard mapping.
Working with satellite and aerial imagery; band combinations for lithological and structural discrimination; integrating drone-derived orthophotos and photogrammetric models into GIS projects.
Professional layout and cartography; scale bars, legends, insets and annotation; exporting figures for reports and publications; introduction to web maps and sharing data across a team.
Participants complete an end-to-end GIS project — ideally using your organisation's own data — from data assembly through analysis to a finished map and short deliverable, consolidating every skill from the course.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to: set up and manage geoscientific GIS projects with correct coordinate systems; digitise and georeference geological data and legacy maps; run terrain and spatial analyses relevant to their work; integrate imagery and drone data; and produce clear, publication-quality maps and reports — independently and to a consistent standard across the team.
Instructor-led delivery on-site; all course exercises and geological sample datasets; a step-by-step workbook participants keep; guidance on installing and configuring a free, fully capable GIS setup; and a certificate of completion. Optional follow-up support and a tailored data-migration or workflow-review add-on are available on request.
Travel and accommodation for the instructor (charged at cost or by arrangement); participant laptops and internet access; commercial software licences where ArcGIS Pro coverage is requested.