Professional GIS Workshops Offered by South Dakota Mines

Upcoming Workshops

*Online attendance is supported with Zoom. (Except Field Data Collection workshop). 
**Concepts discussed in workshop apply to both ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro, attendees must select which application for lab exercises ahead of time. Fall/Winter 2023 Workshops will be the last workshops that include the option for ArcMap instruction.
^◊Receive a $100 discount by registering for both Intro to ArcGIS I, II workshops in one week. 

Workshops are held in December/January and May/June. Daily schedule is 8:30am to 4:30pm Mountain Time, with an hour break for lunch. 

Register Online

Note: If you do not receive a GIS Workshop confirmation email within a day or two of registering, please email Victoria.Karnes@sdsmt.edu to inquire.

Workshop Descriptions

Intro to ArcGIS I: Mapping with GIS

Instructor: Victoria Karnes
Cost: $550 Course Outline (pdf) 
This workshop is for people with no previous GIS experience. It covers the basics on how ArcGIS stores and manages map data and introduces participants to making maps and working with GIS data sets and data tables. GIS data storage, creating maps, publishing map layouts, and working with tables are all covered. It also includes an overview of commonly used sources of GIS data and how to adapt them for your own use. (Tuition includes license for Mastering ArcGIS or Mastering ArcGIS Pro e-textbook)
Background required: Familiarity with Windows and Internet browsers

Intro to ArcGIS II: GIS Analysis

Instructor: Victoria Karnes
Cost: $425 Course Outline (pdf)
This workshop is for people who want an introduction to the types of spatial analysis possible with GIS data. It introduces many key GIS techniques, including how to: do a suitability study based on multiple criteria, analyze spatial relationships between layers, work with topographic data, interpolate values from point data, and solve problems using distance and neighborhood factors. (Tuition includes license for Mastering ArcGIS or Mastering ArcGIS Pro e-textbook)
Background required: Intro to ArcGIS I workshop or equivalent experience

Field Data Collection with ArcGIS          

Instructor: Victoria Karnes
Cost: $425 Course Outline (pdf)
This workshop is for people who need to learn about how to prepare GIS data for field collection projects, collect spatially enabled data in the field, and integrate the collected data back into the geodatabase. The course includes an brief overview of geodetic fundamentals and geo-location technologies, and hands-on practice with ArcGIS Online hosted technology (Survey123, QuickCapture, and Collector) using student's personal devices. (BYOD: Bring Your Own Device)
Background required: Familiarity with the ArcGIS platform recommended but not required.
Equipment: Bad Elf handheld GPS units (provided with assistance from the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium) will be used to collect data. However, participants must bring their own phone or tablet (iOS or Android). See ArcGIS Collector System Requirements.

Switching to ArcGIS Pro

Instructor: Maribeth Price
Cost: $250 
This workshop is designed for people who already know ArcMap and ArcCatalog well and need to quickly get up to speed on the basics in ArcGIS Pro. The course covers the key differences in the platforms, project documents, the new GUI, integration with ArcGIS Online, visualization in 2D and 3D, symbolizing data, geoprocessing, tables, and layouts. The course runs for two partial days with 5 hours of live activity each day.
Background required: Participants must already know ArcMap and ArcCatalog well. This course is not intended for beginners to learn ArcGIS Pro. This course is no longer offered regularly, but organizations needing training for multiple employees may contact Maribeth.Price@sdsmt.edu to inquire about scheduling a session.
Equipment: Participants must have ArcGIS Pro installed on their computer and access to Zoom for this online course.

About the Instructors

Victoria Karnes is the Geospatial Technology Instructor in the Geology and Geological Engineering department at South Dakota Mines. She joined the South Dakota Mines faculty in 2022 after completing her master’s in science in Space and Planetary Science at the University of Arkansas. She runs both the Geospatial Technology minors and Geospatial Technology certificate programs and is in charge of ArcGIS Licensing for all South Dakota Universities. She also serves as a board member for the Black Hills Digital Mapping Associations and enjoys assisting other professors in various research projects across campus. She earned her B.S. in Geology from South Dakota Mines in 2019 and specialized in ESRI products, QGIS, and ENVI. 

Dr. Maribeth Price holds a PhD in Geosciences from Princeton University and is currently a professor of geology at the South Dakota Mines. She has been using and teaching GIS for over 20 years, has consulted on GIS in both industry and government, and supervised undergraduate and graduate research projects involving GIS. She is the author of Mastering ArcGIS and Mastering ArcGIS Pro (McGraw-Hill Higher Education), introductory GIS textbooks used by both college students and professionals in developing their GIS knowledge and skills, as well as Switching to ArcGIS Pro (Esri Press). She has given more than 100 workshops to over 1200 participants since 2000.

Attendee comments (from May 2021 workshops)

South Dakota Mines GIS Workshops is a proud sponsor of BHDMA