Working with spatial data: A hands-on introduction

This workshop is designed for professionals working in or with the resources sector who are not GIS specialists but need to understand or work with spatial information, including:

• community relations and social performance practitioners
• social impact, and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) professionals
• health, safety, environment and community (HSEC) or health, safety and wellbeing (HSW), approvals and planning teams
• geoscientists, environment officers and field teams
• government, NGOs and consultants working on resource projects.

There are no prerequisites for this course.

• Explain the fundamentals of spatial data and technologies, and why scale and location matter in social impact contexts.
• Link spatial and social dynamics to identify areas and populations with potential exposure to impacts.
• Find, interpret and discuss spatial datasets and common software options relevant to community and social analysis.
• Apply proxies when direct social data are unavailable, and discuss their limitations.
• Recognise ethical considerations (privacy, consent, cultural data sovereignty, representation and bias) and when collaboration is important.
• Use mapping to explore cumulative impacts and communicate insights for planning, engagement and mitigation.
• Reflect on how spatial insights inform decision-making in the mining and energy sectors.

This is an in-person course that will require roughly 16 hours to complete.

• 2-day workshop (8 hours per day)

There is no formal assessment.

Students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion to verify their skills and achievements.