2018 GIS in Action Workshops

Introduction to R -  Aaron Cochran & Emilie Henderson

Format
Half-day (3.5 hr)

Learning objectives

• Learn the basics of R, including how to install packages, manipulate data, create basic plots, and more.
• Learning about the “tidyverse” collection of packages.

Intended audience

Those with little or no experience using R, or those who wish to refresh those their basic to intermediate skills. (Note: completing this workshop will provide sufficient background for the subsequent workshops “Machine Learning and Raster Maps in R (Henderson)” and “Spatial Analysis and Visualization with R and Leaflet (Cochran).”)

Workshop description

This workshop will introduce people to the R statistical language for computing. We will cover the basic data structures of R, how to manipulate data in R, basic descriptive stats, plotting, and more. This will be taught in both Base R and using the “tidyverse” collection of packages.

Class materials will be made available online prior to the workshop. Workshop participants will need to supply a computer with R and RStudio installed on it, and will need an internet connection.

Max class size

15

About the instructor(s)

Aaron:

I am the Lead Interagency Research Analyst with Oregon Enterprise Data Analytics in the Department of Human Services. Prior to that I received my Masters’ in Public Policy from Oregon State University where I focused in quantitative research methods.  I have a passion for open, transparent, and reproducible research and open source software.

Emilie:

I am a researcher with the Institute for Natural Resources at Oregon State University.  I hold a master’s in Forest Science from Oregon State University, and a PhD in Forest Ecology and Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Most of the work that I currently do is oriented towards modeling and building data sets that are useful to natural resources management planning at broad spatial scales.  These include maps describing likely spatial distributions for individual species, especially threatened and endangered species, and also multivariate maps describing vegetation structure and composition.

Instructors’ organizations

Aaron: Oregon Enterprise Data Analytics, Office of Reporting, Research, Analysis, and Implementation, Oregon Department of Human Services

Emilie: Oregon State University, Institute for Natural Resources

Contact info

Full name: Aaron Cochran
Email: aaron.c.cochran@dhsoha.state.or.us
Phone: 503-945-6867
Mailing address: 500 Summer St SE, 4^th Floor E-23, Salem, OR 97301

Full name: Emilie Henderson
Email: emilie.henderson@oregonstate.edu
Phone: 503-201-7641
Mailing address:
Institute for Natural Resources/INR
Portland State University
PO Box 751
Portland, OR 97207-0751

Special instructions for students

Bring a laptop with R and RStudio installed on it. I’ll help everyone download the course materials once they are in class.

GISCorps Mapathon: Supporting Humanitarian Projects with OpenStreetMap (OSM) - Emmor Nile

Format
90- minutes (Note: This workshop will be offered twice during the conference)

Learning objectives

• To acquire skills necessary to contribute to OpenStreetMap using JOSM

Intended audience

People willing to contribute to creating a basemap for humanitarian projects

Workshop description

The workshop will have have a brief overview of OpenStreetMap (OSM), the Humanitarian OSM Team (HOT), and the use of JOSM to contribute to the worldwide OSM database. The majority of the time will be spent in a mapathon format with participants using their own computer.

Max class size

20 people

About the instructor(s)

Emmor Nile is the chair of the OpenStreetMap (OSM) working team for the GISCorps.
Emmor is the GIS Coordinator for the Oregon Department of Forestry and took leave from ODF to volunteer with the OSM community in Africa for 10 months in 2016-2017.

Instructor's organization

GISCorps

Contact info

Full name: Emmor Nile
Email: emmor.h.nile@oregon.gov

Special instructions for students

Bring a laptop with mouse to contribute to humanitarian projects. A tablet or computer without a mouse is not adequate. It is best to create an OSM user name and download JOSM prior to the workshop (openstreetmap.org).

Developing ArcGIS Pro Python Tools and Processes - David Howes

Format
Half-day (3.5 hr)

Learning objectives

• Extend the capabilities of the ArcGIS Pro using Python to create geoprocessing tools and standalone programs.
• Explore the relative merits and applicability of the Python extensibility options.

Intended audience

GIS professionals familiar with ArcGIS Pro and having basic experience in Python programming.

Workshop description

The goal of this workshop is to teach attendees how to extend ArcGIS Pro by using Python to create functionality that can run as standalone programs or operate inside the software as geoprocessing tools.

Four topics will be covered: (1) ArcGIS Pro Python overview and setup; (2) Upgrading ArcGIS for Desktop tools for use in ArcGIS Pro; (3) Running Python scripts; and (4) Creating geoprocessing tools (script tools and Python Toolboxes).

JetBrains PyCharm (Community Edition) will be used for coding demonstrations and a brief introduction to its features and capabilities will be provided.

The workshop will consist of a balance between lecture material and hands-on exercises. Those who wish to complete the exercises during the workshop will need to bring a laptop with ArcGIS Pro (latest version) and JetBrains PyCharm (Community Edition) installed. Anyone unfamiliar with PyCharm is advised to work through the introductory materials available from the JetBrains website (https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/) before arriving at the workshop.

Max class size

As many as can fit with a table setup (approx. 20 – 25).

About the instructor(s)

David Howes is a geospatial information scientist and the sole owner at David Howes, LLC (dhowes.com) in Seattle, WA, specializing in the development of GIS tools, processes and supporting infrastructure for a variety of clients from small operations to multinational corporations. With an M.Sc. in GIS from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland and a Ph.D. in geomorphology from the State University of New York at Buffalo, David has a diverse background that is well-suited to developing innovative solutions to spatial problems and is a regular supporter of GIS professional development activities, especially through his GISPD.com entity.

Instructor's organization

David Howes, LLC (dhowes.com)

Contact info

Full name: David Howes
Email: david@dhowes.com
Phone: (253) 312-3441
Mailing address: PO Box 66543, Seattle, WA 98166

Special instructions for students

Those who wish to complete the hands-on exercises during the workshop must bring a laptop with ArcGIS Pro (latest version) and JetBrains PyCharm (Community Edition) installed. Anyone unfamiliar with PyCharm is advised to work through the introductory materials available from the JetBrains website (https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/) before arriving at the workshop.

Machine learning and raster maps in R - Emilie Henderson

Format
Half-day (3.5 hr)

Learning objectives

• Familiarity with the following R packages: raster, randomForest, RSQLite
• Capacity to interface with data stored in a database outside of R
• Basic understanding of the random forest machine learning technique, as it is implemented by the randomForest package.  Awareness of other implementations of the algorithm that are also available within R.
• Students will be capable of streamlining their analysis, using multiple CPUs in parallel to improve computing performance when projecting a model to very large rasters (although we will not use very large rasters in this class).

Intended audience

People with an interest in learning how to integrate R’s machine learning capacity with raster data to generate new modeled data surfaces. 

Students should have a basic understanding of how the R language functions.  The introduction to R workshop will cover this need.

Students probably have probably not previously worked with computing-intensive spatial modeling within R.

Workshop description

In this workshop, we will learn to build a basic species distribution model using the random forest machine learning algorithm, and the raster package within R. The tools that we will use are a solid foundation for further raster analysis within R (not just species distributions).

The topics that we will cover include methods of data management and integration for external databases, raster data within R, the random forest algorithm as it is implemented in R, and some functionality for assessing model accuracy.  We will also learn about how to efficiently build large raster model predictions within R.

Max class size

12 preferred

About the instructor(s)

I am a researcher with the Institute for Natural Resources at Oregon State University.  I hold a master’s in Forest Science from Oregon State University, and a PhD in Forest Ecology and Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Most of the work that I currently do is oriented towards modeling and building data sets that are useful to natural resources management planning at broad spatial scales.  These include maps describing likely spatial distributions for individual species, especially threatened and endangered species, and also multivariate maps describing vegetation structure and composition.

Instructor's organization

Institute for Natural Resources, Oregon State University

Contact info

Full name: Emilie Henderson
Email: emilie.henderson@oregonstate.edu
Phone: 503-201-7641
Mailing address:
Institute for Natural Resources/INR
Portland State University
PO Box 751
Portland, OR 97207-0751

Special instructions for students

Students should bring a laptop with R, and RStudio installed. 

Ideally, they should also have the following packages installed within their version of R: randomForest, raster, sp, rgdal, RSQLite

Spatial analysis and visualization with R and Leaflet - Aaron Cochran

Format
Half-day (3.5 hr)

Learning objectives

• Manipulate spatial data objects in R, use various spatial packages for R, create interactive maps using the Leaflet R package and Leaflet.js library.

Intended audience

This workshop is designed for basic to intermediate R users -- those with at least some experience using R and working with spatial data. (Note: completing this workshop will provide sufficient background for the subsequent workshops “Machine Learning and Raster Maps in R (Henderson)” and “Spatial Analysis and Visualization with R and Leaflet (Cochran).”)

Workshop description

This workshop is intended to introduce users to spatial data analysis and data visualization using the R language for statistical computing. The end product will be an interactive map, designed in R using the Leaflet.js JavaScript library, and using data pulled from publicly available sources. Data acquisition, transformation, analysis, and visualization will all be done using only R and RStudio, providing a free and open source tool for spatial data analysis.

Class materials will be made available online prior to the workshop. Workshop participants will need to supply a computer with R and RStudio installed on it, and will need an internet connection.

Max class size

10-12

About the instructor(s)

I am the Lead Interagency Research Analyst with Oregon Enterprise Data Analytics in the Department of Human Services. Prior to that I received my Masters’ in Public Policy from Oregon State University where I focused in quantitative research methods.  I have a passion for open, transparent, and reproducible research and open source software.

Instructor's organization

Oregon Enterprise Data Analytics (my team)

Office of Reporting, Research, Analysis, and Implementation (our office)

Oregon Department of Human Services

Contact info

Full name: Aaron Cochran
Email: aaron.c.cochran@dhsoha.state.or.us
Phone: 503-945-6867
Mailing address: 500 Summer St SE, 4^th Floor E-23, Salem, OR 97301

Special instructions for students

Bring a laptop with R and RStudio installed on it. Instructor will help everyone download the course materials once they are in class.

Introduction to Survey123 for ArcGIS - Shane Clarke

Format
90-min

Learning objectives

• Attendees will learn how to use Survey123 for ArcGIS to optimize form-centric data collection workflows in their organization.

Intended audience

Anyone needing to convert a paper form into a smart form. No previous knowledge of GIS, ArcGIS, or Survey123 for ArcGIS is required.

Workshop description

The presentation will show how to how to use Survey123 for ArcGIS to optimize form-centric data collection workflows. Examples will be provided of real-life use of Survey123 in multiple organizations.

This presentation will cover the following topics:

• How to design effective smart forms
• How to make these smart forms available for data capture from web browsers, smartphones and tablets
• How to easily analyze and share the data collected from the smart forms.

Max class size

Up to 45 people auditorium style

About the instructor(s)

Shane Clarke is a Solution Engineer on the Local Government team at the Esri Olympia office. He works with local governments to help them maximize their investment in GIS, and to improve how they deliver solutions to their employees and citizens. Shane joined ESRI in 1993.

Instructor's organization

Esri

Contact info

Full name: Shane Clarke
Email: sclarke@esri.com
Phone: 360 754-4727 x8955
Mailing address: 111 Market St NE, Suite 250, Olympia WA 98501

Deep Dive Survey123 for ArcGIS - Shane Clarke

Format
90-min

Learning objectives

• Attendees will learn how to use advanced capabilities of Survey123 for ArcGIS to optimize form-centric data collection workflows in their organization.

Intended audience

Anyone needing to convert a paper form into a smart form. No previous knowledge of GIS, ArcGIS, or Survey123 for ArcGIS is required. However, it will be beneficial to attend the “Introduction to Survey123 for ArcGIS” workshop as this workshop will assume basic knowledge of Survey123 for ArcGIS.

Workshop description

The presentation will discuss advanced capabilities of Survey123 for ArcGIS.

This presentation will cover the following topics:

• Advanced XLSForms techniques for creating more complex forms
• Creating forms for sketching and annotating diagrams or photos
• Extracting and using location and photo EXIF information
• Creating print templates
• Creating surveys from existing feature services
• Editing of exiting features
• Integration of Survey123 with other ArcGIS apps, such as Collector for ArcGIS and Explorer for ArcGIS.

Max class size

Up to 45 people auditorium style

About the instructor(s)

Shane Clarke is a Solution Engineer on the Local Government team at the Esri Olympia office. He works with local governments to help them maximize their investment in GIS, and to improve how they deliver solutions to their employees and citizens. Shane joined ESRI in 1993.

Instructor's organization

Esri

Contact info

Full name: Shane Clarke
Email: sclarke@esri.com
Phone: 360 754-4727 x8955
Mailing address: 111 Market St NE, Suite 250, Olympia WA 98501