Environmental resource surveys are required to obtain the data used in environmental information management.

This course will identify the objective of a survey of the environment and determine the appropriate survey method to undertake an assessment of environmental resources.

At a glance

  • DurationFive days
  • LocationCranfield campus
  • Cost£1400 - Standard (20% discount for Cranfield alumni, 10% discount for colleagues of alumni) £1340 - Professional/trade association discount £1280 - Multiple bookings* * Minimum of 5 delegates.

What you will learn

On successful completion of this short course you will be able to:

  • Determine the appropriate survey method to undertake an assessment of environmental resources,
  • Evaluate existing information and models which complement the survey method,
  • Design and conduct field surveys for data collection and verification,
  • Select and carry out appropriate modelling and statistical analyses,
  • Summarise and present results of a survey for users effectively.

Core content

  • Introduction to geographical resource survey. Why, when, where and how? Understanding constraints,
  • Introduction to R – a software environment for statistical computing and graphics – and its use in manipulating and visualising survey data,
  • Survey strategies for environmental resources: census with thematic mapping, ground sampling, sampling with property mapping, integrated ground sampling and property mapping,
  • Development of classification schemes – user requirements, data availability, class definitions,
  • Sampling and rapid estimates for plant communities, water and soil quality – biomass, cover and species assessment, count plot methods, plotless sample technique, soil and water survey techniques,
  • Assessment of existing data quality and use in survey design,
  • Statistical design and analysis for environmental resource surveys: area frames, point samples, bulk samples, area samples, sampling at global scales, multi-scale sampling,
  • Quality assessment of environmental data – accuracy measures, effect of bias, quality measures and statistics, error and uncertainty sources and measures,
  • Introduction to interpolation methods, generating maps from point survey data,
  • Integration data sources and types (data fusion) and statistical models with survey data (model data fusion) to increase survey cost effectiveness,
  • Review of example surveys.

Speakers

Dr Ronald Corstanje - Senior Lecturer in Environmental Informatics

Accommodation options and prices

This is a non-residential course. If you would like to book accommodation on campus, please contact Mitchell Hall or Cranfield Management Development Centre directly. Further information regarding our accommodation on campus can be .

Alternatively you may wish to make your own arrangements at a nearby hotel.

Location and travel

ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ is situated in Bedfordshire close to the border with Buckinghamshire. The University is located almost midway between the towns of Bedford and Milton Keynes and is conveniently situated between junctions 13 and 14 of the M1.

London Luton, Stansted and Heathrow airports are 30, 90 and 90 minutes respectively by car, offering superb connections to and from just about anywhere in the world.

For further location and travel details

Location address

ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥
College Road 
Cranfield 
Bedford
MK43 0AL

Read our Professional development (CPD) booking conditions.