ConsultancyGIS News
**NEW** QGIS Courses Launched
Further to the item in our recent newsletter, we are pleased to announce the launch of our Quantum GIS training courses.
The course is ideal for users who are completely new to GIS, or those who already have experience using GIS software and are now looking to make the transition to an open solution. As usual, the course is taught by means of tutor-led teaching and hands-on exercises.
To begin with, we shall be offering two one-day courses in QGIS, which can be taken separately or back-to-back as they will run on consecutive days.
The first course (Part 1) covers data analysis and map creation and will show you how to add GIS datasets from various sources, symbolise and present your data as well as how to query your data based on both location and attributes.
Part II will show you how to create new shapefiles and databases from scratch and learn how to incorporate domains into your data. Multiple data capture techniques are taught, and users are also shown how to use the range of geoprocessing tools available to get more from their data analysis.
The first courses will take place in Salford on 22nd & 23rd February 2012, with regular courses thereafter in both Salford and Stirling. Full details on our website:-
http://www.salford-gis.co.uk/qgis_public.php
16th January 2012
Out with the old, in with the new!
Happy New Year to all our customers, and welcome to the January 2012 newsletter from Salford GIS.
We've an exciting partnership with Forth Valley GIS to report, which will see our training offering expand to include Open Source for the first time, and also to cover Scotland.
Meanwhile our consultancy services continue to be in demand both at home and abroad, as customers recognise the value in investing in the right technology, organised in the most effective way. One recent example is our work with the National Transport Authority in Dublin. details of which can be read via the link below.
And an increasingly popular service is our Map Production and Analysis Bureau facility. More and more customers are appreciating the value in having an extra pair of hands occasionally, especially when their own resources are stretched to the limit. Salford GIS have the skills and tools readily available to help out, often at short notice.
Oh, and we're now on Twitter, so for all the latest news follow us on @SalfordGIS or make sure you're on our mailing list by clicking the mailing list link on the sidebar down the left of the page.
Click here to read our January 2012 Newsletter
11th January 2012
New Training Partnership with Forth Valley GIS
Forth Valley GIS and Salford GIS, two of the UK’s leading independent Geographic Information Solutions consultancy & training companies, have joined together in an exciting new partnership which will see collaborative GIS training being offered on a national scale.
The two companies, based in Stirling and Salford respectively, both have a long history of providing high quality, competitively priced, user-friendly GIS training to private and public sector organisations. This joint venture will see the collective resources of both companies being pooled in order to offer a national GIS training service that encompasses both commercial GIS products as well as OpenSource solutions.
Existing customers will have the opportunity to further their GIS knowledge, whilst those new to GIS training can be certain that the service they receive at either location will be of the highest quality and will deliver real value for money in the current economic climate. In addition to a comprehensive program of pre-set courses, both Forth Valley GIS and Salford GIS will also continue to offer bespoke training courses to customers with specific needs.
Chief Executive of Forth Valley GIS Alan Moore commented; “This partnership gives both companies the chance to offer existing and new customers a wider range of training options; allowing them to undergo training that best meets their individual business needs”.
Salford GIS Director Rob Knight echoed these sentiments; “By offering a range of training options over a wider geographical area, both companies can better deliver a truly valuable service. The combination of commercial and OpenSource training means there really will be something for everyone.”
The collaborative training venture will start with the launch of commercial GIS courses in December and Open Source and Data Management courses in January 2012.
For full details on upcoming training courses or for information regarding pricing and availability please contact fvinfo@forthvalleygis.co.uk or sales@salford-gis.co.uk
16th November 2011
New Training Courses and Prices!
We all face challenging times, with increasing pressures to get "more for less" from employees and suppliers alike.
So investment in staff is more important than ever. For people to make the right decisions, they need the best tools, the most accurate information and the appropriate skills.
And one thing that has not changed is the central importance of geographic analysis to organisations in all sorts of sectors.
Our GIS training courses continue to be praised for their relevance and value, and they're now even better value with the recent price reductions. Two-day courses are now only £495, one-day courses £300 (both ex VAT), with reductions for multiple places, charities and self-funding individuals.
We've just launched our new ArcView v10 coures at Introduction and Advanced levels, and also a one-day MapInfo SQL course which is already proving very popular.
Full details can be found on our training pages.
We hope to see you soon!
GIS Training Courses
6th April 2011
Salford GIS Help Crime Fighters
We have recently run a series of successful MapInfo training courses for Lancashire Constabulary. The courses were broken down in to Intermediate and Advanced levels, based around their data, and held on-site at their Headquarters in Hutton, Lancashire.
During this time we trained over 40 staff and analysts.
Scott Keay, Senior Intelligence Analyst said, “Salford GIS provided an excellent and very professional service. All the trainees remarked about having their high expectations met, while the trainer was extremely knowledgeable and always had an answer to any query or question anyone in the group raised”.
27th April 2010
Making Free Data Priceless
There is an old adage which states, 'If it's free then it's not worth having!'. In April 2010 the Ordnance Survey have set out to prove that this advice is a very long way removed from the truth.
Since earlier this month a number of high profile and high value data sets which did cost thousands, if not tens of thousands of pounds, have been made available for free public download. And there are more to follow in May.
Couple this with the increasing sophistication of Open Source desktop mapping software, and high powered, data rich, analytical GIS is now within the grasp of even the smallest organisation on the tightest budget.
Salford GIS can help steer both experienced GIS users and organisations with no previous experience, who want to understand how to make better use of free data, not only that from the Ordnance Survey, but also a myriad of other free data sets available on the internet.
Give us a call on 0161 278 2440 to see how we can make 'free' become priceless.
Ordnance Survey Free Data
13th April 2010
Free Data from the OS?
Just seven days after the closure of the much anticipated 'Ordnance Survey Data Consultation' the Prime Minister has made an announcement to whet the appetite of those who wish to feast on geographic information.
In a speech on 'Building Britains Digital Future' Gordon Brown stated:
"And following the strong support in our recent consultation, I can confirm that from 1st April, we will be making a substantial package of information held by Ordnance Survey freely available to the public, without restrictions on re-use. Further details on the package and government’s response to the consultation will be published by the end of March.
"And I can also tell you today that in the autumn the Government will publish online an inventory of all non-personal datasets held by departments and arms-length bodies - a 'domesday book' for the 21st century. "
Many in the industry have been startled by the speed of the announcement and while the meat still needs to be added to the bones it is clear that the releasing of any information, along with the proposed 'doomsday book', will bring geographical analysis to the desktop of many organisations who had previously been deterred by high entry costs.
Salford GIS is ideally placed to help those new to the wonderful world of spatial analysis by independently advising on data and systems, training users, and undertaking bureau or outsourcing work.
23rd March 2010
GIS Lifebelt
Salford GIS is pleased to announce the launch of a new concept in supporting GIS users - GIS Lifebelt.
Since its inception, Salford GIS has earned a reputation for highly effective GIS training courses that provide attendees with an excellent grounding in the use of what can be complicated software.
Whilst face-to-face teaching is the best way for new and experienced staff to learn and improve their GIS skills, Salford GIS wanted to ensure that the training shouldn’t stop with the end of the course.
Salford GIS Director Rob Knight explains: “Once back in the office users often find the pressures of work hinder their ability to remember everything learnt in the relatively relaxed environment of the training room. Colleagues demanding data to be added, maps to be produced or analysis work to be completed within tight timescales can be difficult to cope with. People need access to support on demand."
Understanding this need saw Salford GIS create and introduce the GIS Lifebelt. The GIS Lifebelt is a support package that means users are never left to struggle on their own again; help is always at hand.
Rob Knight again; “Owners of a GIS Lifebelt have access to a comprehensive online library of tutorial videos backed up with support via telephone/email from Salford GIS consultants should they need it. By working with our customers, we have found that people prefer support that is quick and easy to access, and in particular would prefer self-service access to that support rather than repeatedly contacting their GIS Manager or IT helpdesk.
There are some fantastic advances in GIS at the moment, but at the user level there are a lot of people still trying to master the basics. The Online Tutorials are carefully designed to be user friendly and concise, enabling subscribers to continue to learn as they go.”
Initially for ArcView™ and MapInfo® software, the tutorials available as part of the GIS Lifebelt use UK data and will constantly evolve in line with the customer feedback, to cover more topics and new software releases.
GIS Lifebelt
5th October 2009