This course provides a solid introduction to the issues concerning the management of spatial information.

Geographical information is increasingly prevalent in our daily life, affecting personal leisure activities as much as business services and the workplace. Geographical information represents a key theme in environmental management and it has been estimated that some 80% of the data used for environmental, business and policy-oriented decision-making is geographical in nature. Such spatial data requires a structured approach in its management if the maximum benefit is to be derived from analysis and dissemination. 

At a glance

  • Dates
    • Please enquire for course dates
  • DurationFive days
  • LocationCranfield campus
  • Cost£1,400 - Standard (20% discount for Cranfield alumni, 10% discount for colleagues of alumni) £1,340 - Professional/trade association discount £1,280 - Multiple bookings* * Minimum of 5 delegates

What you will learn

On successful completion of this short course you will:

  • Design and construct appropriate database structures for GIS analysis using a GeoPackage Geodatabase,
  • Assemble and organise geospatial data within and between a range of database management systems,
  • Critically appraise the application of systems analysis methodologies to spatial data,
  • Examine the role of the INSPIRE Directive for driving interoperability between spatial data infrastructures; establishing, using and evaluating protocols for data and metadata management,
  • Apply and appraise the practical approaches required in managing spatial data and evaluate and compare approaches using open source, as well as proprietary industry-standard database systems, data and GIS tools.

Core content

  • Introduction and overview of Spatial Data Management,
  • Database structures – ordered and indexed lists, hierarchical, network, relational, object-oriented, hybrid structures,
  • Metadata – standards and practice, creation, maintenance, distribution and control,
  • Systems analysis and analysis approaches – methods for designing computerised spatial systems,
  • Object Orientation – overview of theory and practice,
  • Data specification formats, interoperability and handling of geographic data,
  • INSPIRE and the Spatial Data Infrastructure,
  • Open Source geospatial database management systems – Postgres/PostGIS and SQL with QGIS,
  • Industry standard database management systems – Oracle and SQL with ESRI ArcGIS.

Upgrade to a professional qualification

Cranfield credits are available for this short course which you can put towards selected Cranfield degrees. Find out more about short course credit points.

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 found here.

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

Location and travel

Cranfield University 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

Cranfield University
College Road 
Cranfield 
Bedford
MK43 0AL

Read our Professional development (CPD) booking conditions.