Introduction

The basis of all Earth observation stems from core concepts that were first developed to help visualize landscapes on maps. We will discuss these and expand on them to better understand how we view and measure the Earth. We will then transition into defining position and how satellite systems and GPS technology is applied in forestry and other professions. Lastly, we will have an introduction to GIS and its applications.

Outcomes

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

• Describe how the shape of the Earth is defined and how it is projected onto maps and images.
• Explain scale and the units used to measure aspects of the environment.
• List the pros and cons of different kinds of projections.
• Express how GPS works and how it is applied in Forestry.
• Describe what satellite systems are and their applications.
• Load information into QGIS and be able to perform basic queries of data.