GIS for Geologists

GIS for Geologists ("G4G") is thrilled to announce the official launch of our first online and professionally-endorsed GIS training course, "QGIS for Geologists – Basic".


HIGHLIGHTS
▪ Official public release of QGIS for Geologists – Basic,
▪ Fully online on-demand content, inclusive of all training data and bonus content,
▪ Suitable for absolute beginners or those with limited prior GIS experience, and
▪ 50 % discount available if purchasing before 25th September using code: g4glaunch50.


OVERVIEW
G4G has finished the development its first online and on demand training course called QGIS for Geologists – Basic that is specifically-designed for geoscientists with little to no experience in using GIS. The course provides students with a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of GIS and spatial data, as well as the knowledge of how to use the basic functions of QGIS, the leading free and open source GIS software package. For more information, please visit the Course Overview page.


PROFESSIONAL ENDORSEMENTS
In addition to the announcement dated 4^th September 2023 confirming the endorsement of the course by the European Federation of Geologists (“EFG”), Australian Institute of Geoscientists (“AIG”) and Geologize Ltd., G4G is pleased to note that the Geological Society of London (“GSL”) has also agreed to certify the course as an endorsed offering. Further endorsements and professional partnerships are currently being sought.

These endorsements provide assurances to prospective students that the material and content being presented is of sufficiently high quality to meet the standards set by their respective organisations. As a result, QGIS for Geologists – Basic will also be advertised as an approved training course that contributes hours towards an individual’s continual professional development (“CPD”) record. For the duration of the endorsements, subject to renewals, members of the GSL will also be entitled to a 20 % discount on all G4G products (alongside member of the EFG, AIG and Geologize).


FUTURE PLANS
As the first course being offered, G4G will spend the rest of 2023 monitoring the feedback from QGIS for Geologists – Basic, ensuring that any bugs or minor issues being detected by users (outside of the previously announced testing period) are addressed in a timely fashion. However, come 2024, focus will then shift towards the continued development of QGIS for Geologists – Intermediate, the next course in the series, which will cater for familiar uses of QGIS who wish to learn to become competent creators and editors of GIS data. An overall lesson plan has been defined which will be reviewed and updated with any key elements from recent QGIS updates, after which the scripting process will begin prior to recording and editing of content.


ABOUT GIS FOR GEOLOGISTS
G4G is an active and dynamic software education company that is based out of Oxfordshire in the southern United Kingdom. The business was originally established in 2022 with the aim of becoming the world-leading provider of geological GIS training courses. Our sole focus is on the delivery of not only high quality but also widely-accessible online courses that are precisely tailored to cater for the needs of the modern-day geologist.

GIS for Geologists ("G4G") is pleased to confirm that the final testing phase of its first online GIS training course, "QGIS for Geologists – Basic" has now been completed, and that it has also secured official endorsements from multiple professional organisations.


HIGHLIGHTS
▪ Previously-sought volunteer testers have completed and fed-back on the course,
▪ All volunteers gave an overall rating of 5 out of 5 with the exception of one 4-star review,
▪ Three (3) professional organisations have officially endorsed the course, and
▪ The planned launch date of QGIS for Geologists – Basic is Monday 11th September.


OVERVIEW
Throughout August, multiple volunteer testers reviewed the content of “QGIS for Geologists – Basic” in order to provide feedback on the material requiring further refinement. All suggestions and proposed changes have been compiled and are currently being considered for implementation over the coming days. The planned release date for the course is Monday 11th September 2023; this will be accompanied by a significant launch-date discount code.

Reviews
Each tester was asked to provide an out-of-five rating for the course, taking into account overall quality of content, materials and bonus content. All respondents gave 5-star ratings except one who rated the course as 4-stars instead. In addition, 100 % of participants either strongly agreed or agreed that 1) the course met their expectations, 2) the content was logical and easy to follow, and 3) the training would help a GIS beginner meet the overall learning objectives.

Feedback
Otto Karhunen, Geotechnical Manager at Tarmac, commented:
The course is excellent and just what I needed to gain an understanding of GIS, how the data is structured and how to produce plans. It was also great to learn doing something relevant to my work and not trying to use abstract or irrelevant examples.

Mac Pawlukiewicz, Senior Project Geologist at Omai Gold Mines, commented:
Despite the ‘Basic-level’ course designation, folks of all levels of GIS ability could benefit in one way or another from these lessons. Production quality is superb, with high-quality narration. This is the best value-for-money course relevant to mineral exploration that you will find on the internet.


PROFESSIONAL ENDORSEMENTS
G4G has received confirmation from three professional organisations of their agreement to officially endorse QGIS for Geologists – Basic. These include:

▪ The European Federation of Geologists (“EFG”),
▪ The Australian Institute of Geoscientists (“AIG”), and
▪ Geologize Ltd.

These endorsements provide assurances to prospective students that the material and content being presented is of sufficiently high quality to meet the standards set by their respective organisations. As a result, QGIS for Geologists – Basic will also be advertised as an approved training course that contributes hours towards an individual’s continual professional development (“CPD”) record. For the duration of the endorsements, subject to renewals, members of the EFG, AIG and Geologize will all be entitled to a 20 % discount on all G4G products. Further endorsements and professional partnerships are currently being sought.


ABOUT GIS FOR GEOLOGISTS
G4G is an active and dynamic software education company that is based out of Oxfordshire in the southern United Kingdom. The business was originally established in 2022 with the aim of becoming the world-leading provider of geological GIS training courses. Our sole focus is on the delivery of not only high quality but also widely-accessible online courses that are precisely tailored to cater for the needs of the modern-day geologist.

GIS for Geologists ("G4G") is currently seeking a number of volunteers to test our first online GIS training course, "QGIS for Geologists – Basic".


HIGHLIGHTS
▪ Twenty (20) volunteers being sought for initial testing of an online GIS training course,
▪ Suitable for any Geologists with no (or minimal) prior GIS experience,
▪ Access to the course will be provided for free during the 4-week testing period, and
▪ Lifetime access will be granted upon course completion and the submission of feedback.


OVERVIEW
G4G has finished the development its first online and on demand training course called “QGIS for Geologists – Basic” that is specifically-designed for geoscientists with little to no experience in using GIS. The course provides students with a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of GIS and spatial data, as well as the knowledge of how to use the basic functions of QGIS, the leading free and open source GIS software package. For more information, please visit the Course Overview page.


TESTING OPPORTUNITY
As part of the quality assurance process (prior to official launch), we are looking for volunteers to thoroughly test this course. This would entail progressing through the course as if you were a regular student, but just 1) logging and informing us of any issues that you may encounter (large or small), 2) providing us with a detailed review at the end, and 3) offering any constructive feedback for ways that we can potentially improve.

Time Required
The course contains approximately 14 hours of video content, various items of supporting documentation / bonus content, plus all of the datasets required to replicate what is shown in the video demonstrations. We estimate that c. 20 hours of your time would be required in order to watch all the tutorials, and perform the demonstrated tasks with the available data.

Outline
▪ There will be a 4-week testing period between 3^rd August – 30^th August.
▪ During this period, free access to the “QGIS for Geologists – Basic” course will be provided.
▪ As you go through the course, we would like you to log any errors, issues, problems etc.
▪ Upon completion, we would like you to fill in a review form for detailed feedback.
▪ Once we receive your feedback, you will be granted complementary lifetime access.

Benefits
Whilst there is no direct compensation on offer (given the volunteering-nature of this role), in return for your testing, as mentioned above you will be granted full lifetime access to the course for free upon completion of the testing and receipt of your feedback. You will also obviously be learning how to use QGIS from the course itself, again free of charge. An official Certificate of Completion would also be included as standard.


REQUIREMENTS
▪ Fluency in English
▪ Little or preferably no prior GIS experience
▪ Computer, mouse and keyboard with a stable internet connection
▪ Minimum of first-year university level knowledge of Geology (or Physical Geography)
▪ Able to watch, review and provide feedback on c. 20 hours of combined content within 4 weeks

Desirable but by no means necessary for all testers
▪ Fluency in French or Spanish (to verify AI-translated subtitles)


HOW TO APPLY
If you are interested in being a tester, please apply on our LinkedIn job posting.
The deadline for expressions of interest is 21^st July.
Applicants can be from anywhere in the world.

We commit to responding to everyone who applies, regardless of outcome. If we end up with more than 20 applicants and are ultimately unable to include you as one of the initial testers, as a ‘thank you’ for your interest in potentially helping us, once the course officially launches in late Q3 / early Q4 of this year, we will send you a substantial discount code which can be applied at check-out should you wish to buy the course.


ABOUT GIS FOR GEOLOGISTS
G4G is an active and dynamic software education company that is based out of Oxfordshire in the southern United Kingdom. The business was originally established in 2022 with the aim of becoming the world-leading provider of geological GIS training courses. Our sole focus is on the delivery of not only high quality but also widely-accessible online courses that are precisely tailored to cater for the needs of the modern-day geologist.