Introductory Course
At PRIO, Monday 10 October 2011: 10.00-11.45 and 13.15-15.00.
The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial data in recent research on armed conflicts and violence has been increasing. Additionally, the quantitative research community has experienced a shift away from country analysis to sub-national local analysis. Contributing to this shift is the increased availability of GIS software, but also new initiative’s to collect spatial data on violent events and its determinants.
This workshop will focus on the basic concepts of a GIS and its related data structures. We will talk about the two fundamental data types of a GIS, the vector and the raster data and how such data can aid research on violent events. During the workshop we will cover some of the existing data on violent events and spatial data on conflict related factors. Through hands-on exercises we will learn how to load this data into GIS software and how the software and data can be used to create maps for visualization in publications. In addition, the workshop will also cover how spatial data from a GIS can be exported into statistical software for further scrutiny.
NB! Please bring a laptop if possible, with the program Quantum GIS 1.7 installed. It can be downloaded from this site:
http://www.qgis.org/wiki/Download#Standalone_Installer_.28recommended_for_new_users.29.
Those who do not have a laptop available may borrow one during the course upon request.