Training Course on Advanced GIS for Planning and Decision Support

Course Overview
As geospatial technologies evolve, their application in strategic planning and high-level decision-making has become indispensable. The Advanced GIS for Planning and Decision Support course is designed for professionals who already possess foundational GIS skills and are ready to deepen their technical competencies to support complex spatial analysis, predictive modeling, and multi-sector planning processes.
This course empowers participants to integrate advanced GIS methods into policy formulation, urban and regional planning, environmental assessment, infrastructure development, and disaster risk management. Participants will work with real-world datasets to conduct spatial modeling, overlay analysis, geostatistics, suitability mapping, and scenario-based planning. Emphasis is placed on using GIS not just as a mapping tool, but as a robust decision-support system (DSS) that enables data-driven strategies.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to build sophisticated GIS workflows that inform policy, optimize resource allocation, and support evidence-based, geographically sensitive interventions.
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Course Objectives
By the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:
•Apply advanced GIS tools for spatial analysis, modeling, and planning
•Use GIS to support infrastructure development, land-use zoning, and impact assessment
•Conduct suitability and risk analysis for multi-criteria decision making
•Integrate remote sensing, field data, and spatial statistics for planning support
•Design and implement spatial decision support systems (SDSS)
•Communicate spatial intelligence through advanced mapping and dashboard tools
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Target Audience
This course is ideal for:
•Urban and regional planners
•Environmental specialists and natural resource managers
•GIS professionals and spatial analysts
•M&E and planning officers in government and NGOs
•Engineers, economists, and sectoral planners
•Decision support teams in infrastructure, agriculture, energy, and public health
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Training Methodology
•Advanced instructor-led sessions with live software demonstrations
•Case-based learning with GIS decision-support scenarios
•Hands-on exercises using QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, and planning tools
•Group-based modeling of real development challenges
•Scenario simulation using raster and vector data integration
•Development of actionable GIS dashboards and map reports
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Expected Outcomes
Participants will:
•Build and apply spatial models for real-world planning challenges
•Generate high-impact visualizations to inform stakeholders and policymakers
•Utilize geospatial data for forward-looking, resilient development planning
•Support organizational planning units with GIS-based decision support systems
•Be prepared to lead or contribute to GIS-based planning initiatives in various sectors.