GIS for Environmental Management & Climate Change 5-Day Course Outline - KSA, Oman & GCC

Master Environmental GIS & Climate Analysis in Saudi Arabia, Oman & Gulf Region

The GIS for Environmental Management & Climate Change Course is a comprehensive 5-day program for environmental professionals, consultants, and sustainability managers across Saudi Arabia (KSA), Oman, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain. This hands-on training covers environmental assessment, climate modeling, ecosystem monitoring, and sustainability analysis essential for Vision 2030 and environmental compliance throughout the GCC.

Why Environmental GIS Training is Essential in the Middle East?

• Vision 2030 sustainability: Saudi Green Initiative, Oman Vision 2040

• Climate adaptation: extreme heat, water scarcity, coastal vulnerability

• Environmental compliance: EIA requirements, PME (Saudi), MECA (Oman)

• Desertification monitoring: land degradation in arid regions

• Water resource management: aquifer depletion, wadi systems

• Air quality monitoring: PM2.5, PM10 in urban areas

• Renewable energy planning: solar, wind site selection

• Coastal management: erosion, mangroves, coral reefs

• Carbon footprint analysis: net-zero targets

Who Should Attend?

• Environmental consultants conducting assessments

• Sustainability managers in corporations

• Climate change specialists

• Government officials in environmental agencies

• Urban planners integrating sustainability

• Conservation biologists

• Oil & gas HSE professionals

• Researchers in environmental sciences

5-Day Course Structure

Day 1: Environmental GIS Fundamentals

Introduction to Environmental GIS

• Role in environmental management

• Climate change monitoring applications

• Environmental data types

• GCC environmental challenges

• Regulatory frameworks: Saudi PME, Oman MECA

• ISO 14001 standards

Environmental Data Sources

• Satellite imagery: Landsat, Sentinel, MODIS

• Climate data: temperature, precipitation

• Air quality: ground stations, satellites

• Topographic data: DEMs

• Soil and geology

• Land use/land cover databases

• Protected areas and biodiversity

• GCC environmental portals

Coordinate Systems

• GCC coordinate systems

• WGS84 for global climate data

• UTM zones for regional analysis

• Area-preserving projections

• Datum transformations

Environmental Database Design

• Geodatabase structure

• Feature datasets: air, water, soil, biodiversity

• Attribute design: environmental parameters

• Temporal data management

• Quality control

• Metadata standards

Data Collection Methods

• GPS/GNSS for field surveys

• Mobile GIS: Survey123, Field Maps

• Environmental sampling protocols

• Photo documentation

• Sensor integration: IoT

• Quality assurance

• Practical: Environmental survey design

Day 2: Climate Data Analysis

Climate Data Processing

• Temperature data: historical and projections

• Precipitation patterns: interpolation

• Humidity and evapotranspiration

• Wind speed and direction

• Climate normals and anomalies

• Downscaling global models

• Time-series analysis

• Practical: Saudi Arabia climate trends

Climate Change Modeling

• IPCC scenarios: RCP, SSP

• Global Climate Models (GCMs)

• Regional projections

• Temperature increase mapping GCC

• Precipitation change

• Extreme events: heatwaves, droughts

• Ensemble modeling

• Uncertainty visualization

Heat Stress Mapping

• Urban Heat Island (UHI) analysis

• Land Surface Temperature from satellite

• Heat index calculations

• Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT)

• Vulnerability mapping

• Cooling centers

• Mitigation strategies

• Practical: Riyadh/Dubai UHI

Drought Monitoring

• Precipitation anomalies

• Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI)

• Palmer Drought Severity Index

• Vegetation condition (NDVI)

• Agricultural impacts

• Water scarcity mapping

• Early warning systems

• Case study: Oman drought

Sea Level Rise Analysis

• Coastal elevation mapping

• Rise scenarios: 0.5m, 1m, 2m

• Inundation modeling

• Vulnerable infrastructure

• Population at risk

• Economic impact

• Adaptation planning

• Practical: Gulf coastal vulnerability

Day 3: Environmental Impact Assessment

EIA Process with GIS

• Environmental Impact Assessment workflow

• Baseline mapping

• Impact prediction

• Alternative comparison

• Mitigation planning

• Monitoring design

• Saudi/GCC compliance

• Report generation

Site Selection & Screening

• Environmental constraints mapping

• Protected areas and buffers

• Sensitive receptors

• Exclusion zones

• Multi-criteria evaluation

• Weighted overlay

• Practical: Industrial site selection

Air Quality Modeling

• Air pollution sources

• Dispersion modeling

• PM2.5 and PM10 mapping

• Emission inventory

• Receptor locations

• Exceedance analysis: WHO standards

• Practical: Industrial emissions GCC

Noise Impact Assessment

• Noise sources

• Noise propagation modeling

• Attenuation

• Barriers and mitigation

• Sensitive receptors

• Compliance levels

• Practical: Highway noise mapping

Visual Impact Assessment

• Viewshed analysis

• 3D visualization

• Observer points

• Zone of Theoretical Visibility

• Cumulative impact

• Photomontages

• Practical: Wind farm visual impact

Day 4: Ecosystem & Biodiversity Management

Land Use/Land Cover Change

• LULC classification

• Change detection

• Urban expansion monitoring

• Agricultural conversion

• Forest/vegetation loss

• Transition matrices

• Driving forces

• Practical: Saudi urbanization 2000-2024

Desertification & Land Degradation

• Desertification indicators

• Vegetation indices: NDVI, EVI, SAVI

• Soil degradation

• Sand dune encroachment

• Overgrazing impacts

• Rehabilitation areas

• Monitoring programs

• Case study: GCC desertification

Water Resource Management

• Watershed delineation

• Surface water mapping

• Groundwater recharge zones

• Aquifer extent

• Water quality parameters

• Contamination risk

• Wadi flow analysis

• Practical: Oman groundwater vulnerability

Coastal & Marine Ecosystems

• Mangrove mapping

• Coral reef monitoring

• Seagrass meadows

• Coastal erosion

• Shoreline change

• Marine protected areas

• Oil spill risk

• Practical: UAE mangrove change

Biodiversity & Habitat

• Species distribution modeling

• Habitat suitability

• Protected area management

• Wildlife corridors

• Connectivity analysis

• Fragmentation metrics

• Conservation prioritization

• Saudi/Oman biodiversity hotspots

Vegetation Monitoring

• NDVI time-series

• Phenology monitoring

• Vegetation health

• Green cover percentage

• Afforestation monitoring

• Saudi Green Initiative tracking

• Carbon sequestration

• Practical: Vegetation trends

Day 5: Sustainability & Renewable Energy

Carbon Footprint Analysis

• Emissions sources

• Spatial distribution

• Per capita mapping

• Emissions inventory

• Reduction scenarios

• Net-zero pathways

• Carbon offset projects

• Vision 2030 alignment

Renewable Energy Site Selection

• Solar potential: irradiation mapping

• Wind resource assessment

• Site suitability

• Environmental constraints

• Grid connectivity

• Economic feasibility

• Land availability

• Practical: Solar farm Saudi Arabia

Solar Radiation Analysis

• Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI)

• Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI)

• Rooftop solar: area analysis

• Shading analysis

• Seasonal variations

• PV potential

• NEOM applications

• Practical: Building solar assessment

Green Infrastructure

• Green spaces inventory

• Urban tree canopy

• Parks accessibility

• Green roof suitability

• Cooling effect

• Recreation demand

• Greening priorities

• Riyadh Green initiatives

Waste Management

• Waste generation mapping

• Landfill site selection

• Service area analysis

• Collection optimization

• Recycling centers

• Illegal dumping monitoring

• Circular economy

• Practical: Municipal waste optimization

Environmental Monitoring

• Monitoring network design

• Station placement

• Sampling frequency

• Data management

• Trend analysis

• Alert systems

• Dashboard development

• Compliance tracking

Sustainable Development Goals

• SDG indicators mapping

• Goal 13: Climate Action

• Goal 15: Life on Land

• Goal 6: Clean Water

• Goal 7: Affordable Energy

• Spatial SDG tracking

• Progress visualization

• GCC SDG performance

Environmental Reporting

• Report maps: cartographic design

• Infographics

• Dashboard development

• Time-series animations

• StoryMaps

• Public engagement

• Compliance reports

• Stakeholder presentations

GCC Case Studies

• Saudi Green Initiative: afforestation

• NEOM sustainability planning

• Oman wadi systems management

• UAE mangrove restoration

• Dubai urban sustainability

Capstone Project

• Comprehensive analysis:

  • GCC environmental issue

  • Multi-source data integration

  • Spatial/temporal analysis

  • Climate/environmental modeling

  • Impact assessment

  • Mitigation recommendations

  • Professional visualization

  • Presentation

• Instructor feedback

Future Trends

• AI in environmental GIS

• Digital twins for ecosystems

• Big Earth data

• Citizen science

• Real-time monitoring

• Satellite constellations

• Climate services

• Green jobs

Course Review

• Key methods

• Data sources

• Analysis techniques

• Career pathways

• Certificate presentation

• Resources

Certification Benefits

Professional Recognition

• Environmental GIS specialist certificate

• ESG and sustainability credentials

• 30-45% salary increase

• EIA tender advantage

• Vision 2030/Green Initiative readiness

• International opportunities

Organizational Value

• Regulatory compliance

• Evidence-based management

• Cost savings

• Sustainability reporting

• Climate risk assessment

• Stakeholder engagement

Training Delivery Options

• Classroom: Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Muscat, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha

• Virtual instructor-led: Live online

• In-company: Customized (minimum 6 participants)

• Hands-on labs: Real GCC data

• Software: ArcGIS, QGIS, Google Earth Engine

• Field component: Optional

Drive Environmental Sustainability with GIS

Environmental GIS expertise is essential for addressing climate change and achieving sustainability goals across the GCC. Master spatial technologies to support the Green Initiative and environmental stewardship in the Gulf region.

Master environmental GIS and lead climate action.