GIS Fundamentals for Military Operations Training

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate an understanding of GIS concepts and their relevance to military operations.
• Apply GIS tools to analyse spatial data for mission planning and terrain evaluation.
• Interpret geospatial data sources, including satellite imagery and topographic maps.
• Evaluate the role of GIS in command and control, logistics, and intelligence.
• Implement basic GIS workflows to produce operational maps and reports.
• Analyze the limitations and ethical considerations of GIS in military contexts.

Target Audience

This course is designed for military officers, intelligence analysts, and support staff who require a working understanding of GIS for operational decision-making. It is also suitable for civilian personnel in defence and security roles.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment. However, familiarity with basic computer operations is recommended.

Course Outline

Practicals

Overview

Hands-on practical sessions reinforce theoretical concepts by guiding learners through real-world military scenarios. Learners will use GIS software to acquire, manage, analyze, and present geospatial data, culminating in a capstone exercise that simulates operational planning.

Practical Activities

• Practical 1: Data Acquisition and Management — Learners source data from online repositories and field GPS units, import into GIS, and perform basic editing and metadata creation. (4h)
• Practical 2: Spatial Analysis and Terrain Assessment — Learners conduct buffer, overlay, and terrain analyses to identify suitable landing zones and patrol routes. (6h)
• Practical 3: Military Map Production — Learners design and produce a tactical situation map with standard military symbology and map elements. (6h)
• Practical 4: Imagery Analysis and Change Detection — Learners perform image enhancement and supervised classification to detect changes in a simulated conflict zone. (4h)
• Practical 5: Capstone - Operational Planning Support — Learners work in teams to produce a geospatial analysis package supporting a mock mission, including maps, terrain assessment, and route plans. (4h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total

Component	Out of	Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored)	100%	30%
Daily Average (multiple choice)	100%	20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice)	100%	50%
Final Total	—	100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

How it works

• Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
• Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
• You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
• If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.

Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates	Discount
5	3% off
10	6% off
15	9% off
20	12% off
25	15% off
30	18% off
50	30% off
75	35% off
100	40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.