GIS Certification Course : Geographic Information Systems

Explore photogrammetry, the science of obtaining measurements and interpretation from photographs using imaging sensors to produce maps and three-dimensional models of real world objects.

Explore why photogrammetry matters for GIS, offering bird's-eye views of large areas, detecting small-scale features and spatial relationships, and enabling 3D measurements from aerial photographs.

Explore data acquisition through photogrammetry, using non-contact imagery to derive geometric, semantic, and temporal information, and generate digital elevation models, digital surface models, and maps via triangulation of aerial photographs.

Explore types of photogrammetry, including aerial and close-range methods, and learn the workflow from capturing images with satellites, aircraft, helicopters, and drones to generating 3D data and geospatial maps.

Explore photogrammetry instruments for odometry, including rectifiers, photo projectors, and analog and analytical plotters, and learn about image acquisition, aerial triangulation, and digital imagery applications.

Compare film and digital cameras, including single-lens frame cameras and CCD sensors, and explore calibration, resolution, and color options used in photogrammetry and mapping.

Plan flight lines for large-scale aerial photographs at suitable scales and altitudes to minimize shadows and maximize image quality. Utilize exposure stations along the flight path for precise imagery.

Understand 60 percent forward overlap along flight lines and 20–30 percent side overlap to form photo strips and blocks, then triangulate to a coordinate system and airport index map.

Explore the types of aerial photographs used in photogrammetry—satellite imagery, aircraft imagery, and ground or close-range photography, for GIS.

Explore the concept of vertical and oblique aerial photographs and their types, including low-angle and high-angle oblique photos, multi-lens setups, and overlaps for three-dimensional views.

Explore the photo center and perspective geometry in aerial photography, including the principal point and diagonal lines, and analyze relief displacement as elevation shifts objects from their bases.

Explore the geometric properties of aerial photographs, including focal length, principal point, calibration, and the relationships between object space and image space and scale types from large to small.

Explore how stereoscopic coverage uses two overlapping photos to produce a three-dimensional view in photogrammetry. The brain combines the stereo pair into a cohesive 3D perception.

Define the pixel, image, image space, and ground coordinate systems, explaining origins and axes from the upper-left pixel origin to the image center and the ground coordinates in three dimensions.

Explore interior and exterior orientation that link image coordinates to ground coordinates via camera geometry, rotation angles, and lens distortion, with aerial triangulation and GCP-based bundle adjustment.

Master aerial photo interpretation using size, shape, texture, tone, shadows, and association to identify features and assess quality. Apply these methods across geology, water resources, forestry, agriculture, and urban planning.

Explore how photogrammetry produces digital surface models (dsm) and digital elevation models (dem/dtm), using mass points, break lines, and tin to analyze terrain for urban planning, hydrology, and aviation.

Contour lines, or isolations, depict elevations and slopes on the ground, revealing hills, depressions, ridges, and saddles, and guide contour interval, index contours, and earthwork decisions.

Explore drawing as a universal communication method across fields, including maps and building plans. Understand isometric projection, which represents three-dimensional objects in two dimensions with equal foreshortening and 120-degree axes.

Explore orthographic projection, a method to represent three-dimensional objects on two-dimensional planes using horizontal, vertical, and auxiliary planes, with first and third angle projections.

explains first angle projection with the object between the observer and a nontransparent projection plane on the horizontal (X-Y) plane, and contrasts third angle projection used in the USA.

Explore the MicroStation interface and toolboxes. Learn to start, open, and save 2D and 3D files using the MicroStation Manager, merge and upgrade files, and manage directories.

Explore the micro station interface, master primary and standard toolboxes, docking, and toolbox customization to draw, edit, and manage element attributes and levels.

Master selection tools in MicroStation by configuring mouse buttons, using element and power selection, and creating fences to select, copy, and manipulate elements.

Learn to use the placement tool boxes to create points, lines, and polygons, place points on lines, between elements, at distances, and build complex shapes with arcs and fills.

Explore the placement tool boxes for circles and ellipses, including center and diameter options, radii, rotation, and arc shapes such as half ellipse and quarter ellipse.

Explore daq settings and attaching, editing, duplicating, or removing element tags, with import/export options from libraries. Learn dimensioning, text placement and styling, and cell library workflows for drawings.

Explore hatch and pattern toolboxes to fill polygons with union, intersection, difference, crosshatch, and linear patterns, then use the major distance toolbox to measure distance, radius, angle, length, and area.

Explore MicroStation manipulation tools to copy, move, scale, rotate, mirror, align, extend, trim, and delete elements, with practical examples on fences and polygons.

Explore Leica photogrammetry suit with Pro600, featuring a digital photogrammetry package for fast triangulation and auto-rectification of imagery from cameras and satellites, integrated with project manager and 3D mouse control.

Set up a new GIS project in MicroStation 600, configure project parameters, add or remove reference files, and create a custom library for symbols, text, and lines.

Master drawing and editing features in GIS by creating lines and polygons, using start and end points, uphill/downhill detection, and edit tools to build roads, buildings, and fences.

Learn to draw and edit lines in GIS with snapping and intersection placement, use vertex edits, and apply multiple creation options—from single-point to line-to-angle—to modify and highlight line elements.

Explore GIS line drawing and editing settings, including countermanding, roundings, tolerance, boundary cleaning, level and symbolist changes, and data collection modes for complex lines.

Draw and edit offset lines for multilane features with dynamic drawing to aid collection. Manage display modes, text and notes, and feature codes and symbology with elevation handling in MicroStation.

Create dtm and contours by placing mass points and break lines, generate surfaces in MicroStation, and leverage photogrammetry concepts to adjust point placement and contour labeling for accurate terrain models.

Explore the photogrammetry production workflow from aerial triangulation to DTM generation, emphasizing data capture, quality control, and automated feature extraction for accurate geospatial deliverables.

Apply general compilation rules for digitizing polygons and linear features in GIS, use the right-hand rule for polygon orientation, and perform QC to remove duplicates, overlaps, and gaps.