As it turns out, most people working in GIS/surveying/mapping/engineering need basic knowledge to properly deal with projections, datums, transformations, etc. GeoCounsel gives specialized courses that are dedicated to these needs. The courses are made available to the public, or to companies.
For details about the next scheduled course, please CLICK HERE
GeoCounsel has presented a large variety of course sessions, but the ones that presently have had the best attendance are shown below. Courses are from one to three days long (eight hour days). These sessions are combined to build course content that is of interest to various people. Please call us for a specific curriculum (303-979-7773).
Geodesy 1
This session lays the groundwork for the rest of the courses. It covers all the basic concepts that normally are missed in all the systems and/or software training sessions. It starts by explaining what a Cartesian system is and then advances to some aspects of basic coordinate calculations, transformations, and least squares. It then covers ellipsoids, geocentric and geodetic coordinates, projections, datums, geoidal height corrections, basic astronomy, and GPS concepts. There is no prerequisite for this course.
Geodesy 2
This session is of special interest to those that need to insert survey data into a GIS database. The Rectangular Survey System is something that can present special challenges to the GIS practitioner, and therefore this session is of interest to those field personnel who need to deliver data to the GIS office, or those who receive data from the field.
This session builds on the conceptual foundation of geodetic principles presented in Geodesy 1. It starts with the ellipsoid and all the common reference systems, but concentrating on how they impact survey quantities and GIS databases. It then proceeds to discuss the American Rectangular Survey System and the difficulties of reconciling it with the geodetic reference frames used in GIS and CAD. It also provides a discussion of the nature of the Modified State Plane Reference. Geodesy 1 is a prerequisite.
Photogrammetry
This session provides the basic concepts of photogrammetry, or aerial mapping. It covers the use of aerial cameras and platforms, flight planning, flight quality, photo/image processing, all the normal preparatory work, pass/tie/control point collection, accuracy, and the mapping process, including orthorectification. Concepts explained include breaklines, autocorrelation, DEM/DTM extraction, collinearity and epipolar geometry. There is no prerequisite for this course.
Each one of these courses is suitable to beginners and advanced students alike. In any case, no heavy mathematics is presented. However, relevant concepts are discussed, even if they include analytical geometry, matrix calculus, trigonometry, or least squares adjustments.Teacher Credentials are the following:
- B.Sc. Geodetic Sciences
- M.Sc. Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
Other milestones and credentials are:
- Professional Engineer (Colorado, Civil, active)
- Certified Photogrammetrist (ASPRS, active)
- Author of the first digital absolute orientation software
- Author of the first cadastral system software for Mexico
- Senior Technical Consultant, UGC Consulting
- Co-Author of the "GIS Data Conversion Handbook"
- Author of the "Accuracy in Geomatics" book
- International GIS consultant working in 15 countries
