The School of Surveying hosts GIS short courses for University of Otago staff and postgraduates who want to start using or improve their use of GIS software. No prior use of GIS software is needed.
These courses are provided annually and typically run in the week prior to the start of semester 1 (February). They are free to attend. An email is distributed to the University in January with information on how to attend. The courses are held in the School’s high-spec Trimble Technology Lab in the Ōwheo building.
Introduction to QGIS
The three-hour course will introduce participants to QGIS, the leading free and open-source Geographic Information System ( GIS ) software package. As an open-source alternative to ArcGIS, QGIS offers powerful spatial data management, analysis and visualisation and runs on multiple computer platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux) with constant development and expansion.
Participants in this course will be introduced to the QGIS interface and explore some common workflows in a GIS , such as importing and displaying spatial data from a text file, analysis tools such as buffer and intersect and the use of Open Street Map (crowd-sourced data) and other data available with plug-ins for analysis and visualisation.
Details
When: Tuesday, 17 February 2026, 9:30am–12:30pm
Where: Trimble Technology Lab (G.18) on ground floor of Ōwheo Building, 133 Union Street East
Intended Audience: University postgraduates and staff
Cost: FREE for staff and postgraduate students
To register, or for more information, please email Aubrey Miller (gis@otago.ac.nz) and please include your university username, email address and department.
The course is limited to 34 participants.
Introduction to ArcGIS Pro
The three-hour course will introduce participants to Esri's ArcGIS Pro software. ArcGIS is the industry-standard Geographic Information System ( GIS ) software used in many different fields and applications, from economics to ecology. Datasets increasingly contain location information. Knowing how to handle the spatial aspects of data improves analysis and results.
ArcGIS Pro offers improvements in handling multi-dimensional (e.g., elevation and time) data over ArcGIS Desktop programs like ArcMap. Participants in the course will be introduced to the ArcGIS Pro interface and explore some of analysis tools such as a viewshed calculation and LiDAR processing, as well as 3D scene visualisation and animations.
Details
When: Wednesday, 18 February 2026, 9:30am–12:30pm
Where: Trimble Technology Lab (G.18) on ground floor of Ōwheo Building, 133 Union Street East
Intended Audience: University postgraduates and staff
Cost: FREE for staff and postgraduate students
To register, or for more information, please email Aubrey Miller (gis@otago.ac.nz) and please include your university username, email address and department.
The course is limited to 34 participants.
For more information, contact:
Aubrey Miller
Email gis@otago.ac.nz