Applied professional course
GIS Suitability Modelling and Map Quality Assurance
Build a weighted suitability model that can be defended, and put a quality-assurance process around every map you publish.
Written teaching content: available for review
Video lessons have not yet been recorded. Written teaching content may be available for review below.
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- Written content: Available for review
- Video lessons: Not recorded
- Professional review: Not yet completed
- Enrolment: Not available
- Payment: Disabled
- Certificates: Disabled
- Downloads: Disabled
- Protected access: Disabled
Written course content
Client-style brief
An agency must identify suitable land for a new facility programme across a district and expects the method to be scrutinised in public. The brief is a transparent, weighted suitability model with a documented method, a sensitivity test and a map series that will survive technical challenge.
Professional scenario
Synthetic district pack: terrain, transport, land-cover, utility, designation and settlement layers, plus a stated set of siting requirements and exclusion rules from a synthetic agency brief.
Planning problem
Suitability models are easy to build and hard to defend. Arbitrary weights, hidden reclassifications and unchecked outputs produce maps that look authoritative and cannot be explained. The professional problem is transparency and verifiability, not modelling sophistication.
Learning objectives
- Translate a siting brief into explicit criteria, exclusions and measurable indicators.
- Build reclassified criterion layers with documented thresholds.
- Apply and justify a weighting method and combine layers transparently.
- Run sensitivity analysis and validate the model against known reference sites.
- Quality-assure the outputs and publish a fully documented method statement.
Modules and lessons
0 of 9 lessons open
Module 1
Module 1 — From brief to criteria
Convert a written siting requirement into a defensible, measurable criteria framework.
Separating absolute exclusions from criteria that vary in degree, why mixing them corrupts a model, and how to document an exclusion so it can be audited or reversed.
Practical exercise: Split the teaching brief into an exclusion list and a scored criteria list with a source for each.
Checkpoint: No absolute requirement is expressed as a score, and no preference is expressed as an exclusion.
Video lesson: Not recorded — written lesson above
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download.
Selecting an indicator that actually measures the criterion, setting thresholds from policy, standards or evidence rather than convenience, and handling criteria for which no good indicator exists.
Practical exercise: Define indicators and thresholds for six criteria and mark two where the indicator is a proxy with stated weakness.
Checkpoint: Every threshold cites a source and every proxy is labelled as one.
Video lesson: Not recorded — written lesson above
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download.
Choosing an analysis resolution suited to the decision, the consequences of resampling, edge effects at the district boundary, and matching model resolution to the coarsest meaningful input.
Practical exercise: Select and justify an analysis resolution, then document the resampling applied to each input.
Checkpoint: Model resolution is no finer than the coarsest input can support.
Video lesson: Not recorded — written lesson above
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download.
Example data: Synthetic agency siting brief, teaching designation and constraint layers, and an Ideeplan-owned criteria specification template.
Module output: Criteria specification with exclusions, indicators, thresholds and sources.
Module 2
Module 2 — Building, weighting and testing the model
Produce the suitability surface and prove it is not an accident of the weights.
Bringing criteria onto a common scale, linear versus stepped standardisation, handling no-data honestly, and why a no-data cell must never silently score as suitable.
Practical exercise: Standardise six criterion layers to a common scale and document the no-data treatment for each.
Checkpoint: No-data areas are visible in the output rather than absorbed into a score.
Video lesson: Not recorded — written lesson above
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download.
Equal weighting, expert-derived weights and pairwise comparison; weighted sum against constraint-limited combination; documenting who set the weights and on what basis.
Practical exercise: Produce two suitability surfaces using different weighting approaches and compare their outputs spatially.
Checkpoint: The weight source is recorded and both surfaces are reported, not just the preferred one.
Video lesson: Not recorded — written lesson above
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download.
Varying weights systematically to find which criteria drive the result, identifying areas that are suitable under every scenario, and testing the model against reference sites with known suitability.
Practical exercise: Run a sensitivity test across three weight scenarios, map the robustly suitable area and validate against the reference sites.
Checkpoint: The report identifies which criterion most influences the outcome and where the model is unstable.
Video lesson: Not recorded — written lesson above
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download.
Example data: Reclassified criterion layers from Module 1, an Ideeplan-owned weighting worksheet and a set of synthetic reference sites with known outcomes.
Module output: Weighted suitability surface, sensitivity results and a validation table.
Module 3
Module 3 — Quality assurance and defensible publication
Check the model like an auditor would, then publish so the method can be repeated.
A systematic QA pass: projection, extent, classification breaks, legend accuracy, label collisions, greyscale and colour-vision legibility, scale honesty, and consistency between map, table and text.
Practical exercise: Run the QA checklist over five teaching maps containing planted faults and log every defect with a correction.
Checkpoint: All planted faults are found and each is recorded with a specific remedy.
Video lesson: Not recorded — written lesson above
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download.
Recording every input, threshold, reclassification, weight, tool and parameter so that an independent analyst reproduces the surface; version control; and documenting decisions that were judgement calls.
Practical exercise: Write a method statement complete enough for a colleague to rebuild the model unaided.
Checkpoint: Every processing step and parameter appears with its value.
Video lesson: Not recorded — written lesson above
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download.
Presenting suitability as relative rather than absolute, avoiding false precision in class breaks, showing uncertainty and no-data areas, and framing outputs as a filter for further work rather than a decision.
Practical exercise: Produce the final map series with an uncertainty figure and write the caveats section.
Checkpoint: The output is described as a screening filter, and no cell score is presented as a site decision.
Video lesson: Not recorded — written lesson above
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download.
Example data: Ideeplan-owned map QA checklist, method-statement template and a teaching set of deliberately flawed output maps.
Module output: Quality-assured suitability map series with a full method statement.
Project brief
A synthetic district with a written agency siting brief, full constraint and context data, and reference sites for validation.
Your role: Spatial analyst producing a publicly scrutinised suitability model.
Information available
- Synthetic agency siting brief with requirements and exclusions.
- Terrain, transport, land-cover, utility, designation and settlement layers.
- Reference sites with known suitability outcomes.
- Ideeplan-owned criteria, weighting and QA templates.
Required analysis
- Criteria and exclusion specification with sourced thresholds.
- Standardisation and no-data treatment of all criterion layers.
- Weighted combination under at least two weighting approaches.
- Sensitivity analysis across three scenarios.
- Validation against reference sites.
Required outputs
- Criteria specification document.
- Suitability surface and robust-area map.
- Sensitivity and validation tables.
- Quality-assured numbered map series.
- Reproducible method statement with caveats.
Presentation standard: Every parameter documented, no-data shown explicitly, class breaks justified, and outputs described as relative screening rather than decisions.
Marking criteria
- Criteria discipline: Exclusions and scored criteria are separated and each threshold cites a source.
- Transparency: Weights, tools and parameters are recorded well enough to rebuild the model.
- Robustness testing: Sensitivity analysis is run and unstable areas are identified.
- Map quality: All planted QA faults are detected and the final series is defect free.
- Appropriate claims: Outputs are presented as a screening filter with stated uncertainty.
Quality-assurance checklist
- Exclusions and scored criteria are held in separate layers.
- No-data cells are never scored as suitable.
- Every weight has a recorded source and rationale.
- Sensitivity results accompany every published suitability map.
- Local siting standards, designation rules, data licences and technical requirements are confirmed with the relevant authority before the model informs any decision.
Common mistakes and correction tasks
- Applying equal weights and describing the model as objective. Correction: Record equal weighting as a deliberate choice, state its effect and run a sensitivity comparison.
- Letting no-data areas appear as moderately suitable. Correction: Mask no-data explicitly, show it in the legend and recompute the suitable-area statistics.
- Modelling at a resolution finer than the coarsest input supports. Correction: Resample the analysis grid to a defensible resolution and rerun the model.
- Publishing a single surface with no method statement. Correction: Document every parameter and reissue the package with the method statement attached.
Enrolment status
Enrolment is not currently available. This course is still undergoing content, media and professional review.
Register Interest is an expression of interest only. It works without an account, creates no enrolment, no reserved place and no payment order.
Protected lessons, approved videos and approved resource files are not accessible. No protected file URL, signed link or download entitlement is created.
Payments are disabled. No price, checkout, payment provider, payment order or paid-course claim exists in the Academy.
Outstanding before enrolment could open
- Outstanding — Professional content review is complete
- Outstanding — Required videos recorded, reviewed and approved, or the course approved as written-only
- Outstanding — Required practical resources approved and available
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Progress, assessment and certificates
Submission access is not currently available
Lesson and course progress tracking is not active. No progress record, completion percentage or completed lesson exists for any account, and no course can record progress until enrolment opens.
Practical assessments cannot be submitted. Submission access is not currently available: there is no active enrolment, no upload configuration and no authorised reviewer workflow in operation.
No assessment has been marked, reviewed, corrected or passed. Reviewer feedback, correction tasks and pass decisions are made by an authorised human reviewer and none exists.
No certificate is issued, approved or pending. A future Academy certificate would be a course-completion certificate only — not a professional licence, statutory qualification, accreditation or government-recognised award.
Certificate verification is disabled until a certificate is genuinely issued. No verification result is produced for any reference.
Assessment formats planned for the Academy
Written briefs, required deliverables and marking criteria are published inside the course content above for open review. None of them can be submitted or marked at present.
- Practical planning task
- GIS mapping exercise
- Site-appraisal task
- Feasibility assessment
- CAD or drawing task
- Revit coordination task
- Planning-report task
- Policy-assessment task
- Transport or access analysis
- Environmental or green-infrastructure exercise
- Final course project
Outstanding before completion or a certificate could exist
- Outstanding — Learner identity verified by an authorised member of staff
- Outstanding — Learner holds a valid active or completed enrolment
- Outstanding — All required lessons completed
- Outstanding — All required practical assessments passed
- Outstanding — A recorded assessment decision exists for every required task
- Outstanding — All requested corrections completed
- Outstanding — Course content professionally reviewed and signed off
- Outstanding — Authorised reviewer has approved completion
- Outstanding — Course certificate policy approved
- Outstanding — Certificate wording approved by Ideeplan Consult
- Outstanding — Course is officially available
- Outstanding — Unique certificate numbering and a secure verification route configured
Practical resources
Resources for this course
13 resource records · 13 with a written preview · 0 with a file under preparation · Download access not yet enabled.
All demonstration material is synthetic, publicly licensed or owned by Ideeplan Consult and is labelled as demonstration material. No confidential client file, personal information, private agency document or unreleased project drawing is used.
- Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Practical project brief
Sets the professional situation, the role the learner takes and what must be produced.
- Resource type
- Brief
- Format
- Written brief shown on this page
- Status
- Draft
- Data classification
- Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
- Licence or ownership
- Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
- Related deliverable
- Site-suitability model package: map series, sensitivity results and reproducible method statement
- Lessons supported
- 9 — One brief governs the whole course: every lesson exercise contributes to the same final deliverable.
- Access
- No account required — written preview is public
- A synthetic district with a written agency siting brief, full constraint and context data, and reference sites for validation.
- Your role: Spatial analyst producing a publicly scrutinised suitability model.
- Available information: Synthetic agency siting brief with requirements and exclusions.
- Available information: Terrain, transport, land-cover, utility, designation and settlement layers.
- Available information: Reference sites with known suitability outcomes.
- Available information: Ideeplan-owned criteria, weighting and QA templates.
- Required analysis: Criteria and exclusion specification with sourced thresholds.
- Required analysis: Standardisation and no-data treatment of all criterion layers.
- Required analysis: Weighted combination under at least two weighting approaches.
- Required analysis: Sensitivity analysis across three scenarios.
- Required analysis: Validation against reference sites.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
- Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Client-style instruction and problem statement
Gives the learner the instruction as a practitioner would receive it, and names the problem to be solved.
- Resource type
- Brief
- Format
- Written statement shown on this page
- Status
- Draft
- Data classification
- Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
- Licence or ownership
- Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
- Related deliverable
- Site-suitability model package: map series, sensitivity results and reproducible method statement
- Lessons supported
- 9 — Scenario framing applies to every lesson in the course.
- Access
- No account required — written preview is public
Synthetic district pack: terrain, transport, land-cover, utility, designation and settlement layers, plus a stated set of siting requirements and exclusion rules from a synthetic agency brief.
Suitability models are easy to build and hard to defend. Arbitrary weights, hidden reclassifications and unchecked outputs produce maps that look authoritative and cannot be explained. The professional problem is transparency and verifiability, not modelling sophistication.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
- Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Module 1 learner worksheet — Module 1 — From brief to criteria
Lists the practical steps the learner carries out in this module, in order.
- Resource type
- Worksheet
- Format
- Written worksheet shown on this page
- Status
- Draft
- Data classification
- Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
- Licence or ownership
- Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
- Related deliverable
- Criteria specification with exclusions, indicators, thresholds and sources.
- Lessons supported
- 3 — Supports the 3 lessons in module 1, which build one shared output.
- Access
- No account required — written preview is public
- Exclusions versus scored criteria — Split the teaching brief into an exclusion list and a scored criteria list with a source for each.
- Choosing indicators and defensible thresholds — Define indicators and thresholds for six criteria and mark two where the indicator is a proxy with stated weakness.
- Scale, resolution and the analysis grid — Select and justify an analysis resolution, then document the resampling applied to each input.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
- Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Module 2 learner worksheet — Module 2 — Building, weighting and testing the model
Lists the practical steps the learner carries out in this module, in order.
- Resource type
- Worksheet
- Format
- Written worksheet shown on this page
- Status
- Draft
- Data classification
- Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
- Licence or ownership
- Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
- Related deliverable
- Weighted suitability surface, sensitivity results and a validation table.
- Lessons supported
- 3 — Supports the 3 lessons in module 2, which build one shared output.
- Access
- No account required — written preview is public
- Reclassification and standardisation — Standardise six criterion layers to a common scale and document the no-data treatment for each.
- Weighting methods and combination rules — Produce two suitability surfaces using different weighting approaches and compare their outputs spatially.
- Sensitivity analysis and validation — Run a sensitivity test across three weight scenarios, map the robustly suitable area and validate against the reference sites.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
- Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Module 3 learner worksheet — Module 3 — Quality assurance and defensible publication
Lists the practical steps the learner carries out in this module, in order.
- Resource type
- Worksheet
- Format
- Written worksheet shown on this page
- Status
- Draft
- Data classification
- Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
- Licence or ownership
- Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
- Related deliverable
- Quality-assured suitability map series with a full method statement.
- Lessons supported
- 3 — Supports the 3 lessons in module 3, which build one shared output.
- Access
- No account required — written preview is public
- Map quality assurance in practice — Run the QA checklist over five teaching maps containing planted faults and log every defect with a correction.
- Writing a method statement that can be repeated — Write a method statement complete enough for a colleague to rebuild the model unaided.
- Communicating suitability without overstating it — Produce the final map series with an uncertainty figure and write the caveats section.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
- Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Task checklist
Confirms every required piece of work has been produced before submission.
- Resource type
- Checklist
- Format
- Written checklist shown on this page
- Status
- Draft
- Data classification
- Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
- Licence or ownership
- Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
- Related deliverable
- Site-suitability model package: map series, sensitivity results and reproducible method statement
- Lessons supported
- 9 — A single task checklist tracks progress across all modules.
- Access
- No account required — written preview is public
- Criteria specification document.
- Suitability surface and robust-area map.
- Sensitivity and validation tables.
- Quality-assured numbered map series.
- Reproducible method statement with caveats.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
- Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Example data and drawing base
Synthetic agency siting brief, teaching designation and constraint layers, and an Ideeplan-owned criteria specification template. GIS exercises are planned around plain, checkable formats: CSV and clearly labelled local-grid JSON on the named grid IDP-LOCAL-GRID. GeoJSON is not used for local-grid training data because the format asserts WGS 84 degrees. No QGIS project file, GeoPackage or raster file is claimed.
- Resource type
- GIS exercise pack
- Format
- CSV and local-grid JSON (planned) — no GeoJSON, QGIS project, GeoPackage or raster file is claimed
- Status
- Planned
- Data classification
- Synthetic demonstration data
- Licence or ownership
- Synthetic demonstration material prepared by Ideeplan Consult. No client file, personal information, private agency document or unreleased project drawing is used.
- Related deliverable
- Site-suitability model package: map series, sensitivity results and reproducible method statement
- Lessons supported
- 9 — One demonstration data base is used by every lesson so results stay comparable.
- Access
- No account required — written preview is public
Demonstration data item What it contains and how it is used Data ownership and licence Synthetic training data prepared and owned by Ideeplan Consult. It is fictional: it is not a real client project, a real site or a real location, and it must not be presented as one. Free to study on this page; redistribution is not permitted. Module 1 input — Module 1 — From brief to criteria Synthetic agency siting brief, teaching designation and constraint layers, and an Ideeplan-owned criteria specification template. Module 2 input — Module 2 — Building, weighting and testing the model Reclassified criterion layers from Module 1, an Ideeplan-owned weighting worksheet and a set of synthetic reference sites with known outcomes. Module 3 input — Module 3 — Quality assurance and defensible publication Ideeplan-owned map QA checklist, method-statement template and a teaching set of deliberately flawed output maps. Lawful sourcing where real data is substituted Where a learner substitutes real data, use only openly licensed or lawfully obtained sources, record the publisher, dataset title, version and access date, and cite them in the final deliverable. Do not use restricted, confidential or personal data. Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
- Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Analysis and calculation template
Structures the analysis so assumptions are visible and checkable. Any figures used in a template are teaching assumptions, not market evidence. Local costs, policies, standards and valuation assumptions must be independently confirmed before any of this is applied to a real project.
- Resource type
- Suitability matrix
- Format
- CSV matrix (planned)
- Status
- Planned
- Data classification
- Synthetic demonstration data
- Licence or ownership
- Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
- Related deliverable
- Site-suitability model package: map series, sensitivity results and reproducible method statement
- Lessons supported
- 9 — The same analysis structure is completed progressively through the course.
- Access
- No account required — written preview is public
- Record every assumption on its own labelled row, with the source or reason beside it.
- Module 1 working section — Criteria specification with exclusions, indicators, thresholds and sources.
- Module 2 working section — Weighted suitability surface, sensitivity results and a validation table.
- Module 3 working section — Quality-assured suitability map series with a full method statement.
- Required output carried into the analysis — Criteria specification document.
- Required output carried into the analysis — Suitability surface and robust-area map.
- Required output carried into the analysis — Sensitivity and validation tables.
- Required output carried into the analysis — Quality-assured numbered map series.
- Required output carried into the analysis — Reproducible method statement with caveats.
- Check row: totals, units and areas reconcile before the result is carried into the deliverable.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
- Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Final deliverable template
Sets the expected structure and presentation standard for Site-suitability model package: map series, sensitivity results and reproducible method statement.
- Resource type
- Planning-report template
- Format
- Structured document outline (planned)
- Status
- Planned
- Data classification
- Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
- Licence or ownership
- Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
- Related deliverable
- Site-suitability model package: map series, sensitivity results and reproducible method statement
- Lessons supported
- 9 — The final deliverable draws on every module output.
- Access
- No account required — written preview is public
- Final named deliverable — Site-suitability model package: map series, sensitivity results and reproducible method statement
- Section 1 — Criteria specification with exclusions, indicators, thresholds and sources.
- Section 2 — Weighted suitability surface, sensitivity results and a validation table.
- Section 3 — Quality-assured suitability map series with a full method statement.
- Must be present — Criteria specification document.
- Must be present — Suitability surface and robust-area map.
- Must be present — Sensitivity and validation tables.
- Must be present — Quality-assured numbered map series.
- Must be present — Reproducible method statement with caveats.
- Presentation and submission standard — Every parameter documented, no-data shown explicitly, class breaks justified, and outputs described as relative screening rather than decisions.
- Sources and citations: list every dataset, publisher, version and access date used, and state clearly where synthetic Ideeplan training data was used.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
- Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Quality-control checklist
Professional checks to run before the work is treated as finished.
- Resource type
- Checklist
- Format
- Written checklist shown on this page
- Status
- Draft
- Data classification
- Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
- Licence or ownership
- Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
- Related deliverable
- Site-suitability model package: map series, sensitivity results and reproducible method statement
- Lessons supported
- 9 — Quality control is applied to the whole submission, not to a single lesson.
- Access
- No account required — written preview is public
- Exclusions and scored criteria are held in separate layers.
- No-data cells are never scored as suitable.
- Every weight has a recorded source and rationale.
- Sensitivity results accompany every published suitability map.
- Local siting standards, designation rules, data licences and technical requirements are confirmed with the relevant authority before the model informs any decision.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
- Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Marking and review rubric
States what a satisfactory professional standard looks like for each criterion.
- Resource type
- Marking rubric
- Format
- Written rubric shown on this page
- Status
- Draft
- Data classification
- Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
- Licence or ownership
- Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
- Related deliverable
- Site-suitability model package: map series, sensitivity results and reproducible method statement
- Lessons supported
- 9 — One rubric reviews the final deliverable produced across all modules.
- Access
- No account required — written preview is public
Criterion Satisfactory standard Criteria discipline Exclusions and scored criteria are separated and each threshold cites a source. Transparency Weights, tools and parameters are recorded well enough to rebuild the model. Robustness testing Sensitivity analysis is run and unstable areas are identified. Map quality All planted QA faults are detected and the final series is defect free. Appropriate claims Outputs are presented as a screening filter with stated uncertainty. Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
- Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Correction-task sheet
Common professional mistakes and the correction the learner practises.
- Resource type
- Correction-task sheet
- Format
- Written task sheet shown on this page
- Status
- Draft
- Data classification
- Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
- Licence or ownership
- Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
- Related deliverable
- Site-suitability model package: map series, sensitivity results and reproducible method statement
- Lessons supported
- 9 — Correction tasks address mistakes that can appear anywhere in the course.
- Access
- No account required — written preview is public
- Applying equal weights and describing the model as objective. — Record equal weighting as a deliberate choice, state its effect and run a sensitivity comparison.
- Letting no-data areas appear as moderately suitable. — Mask no-data explicitly, show it in the legend and recompute the suitable-area statistics.
- Modelling at a resolution finer than the coarsest input supports. — Resample the analysis grid to a defensible resolution and rerun the model.
- Publishing a single surface with no method statement. — Document every parameter and reissue the package with the method statement attached.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
- Written preview available — downloadable file not yet available
Submission guidance
How the finished work should be assembled and presented for professional review.
- Resource type
- Checklist
- Format
- Written guidance shown on this page
- Status
- Draft
- Data classification
- Ideeplan-owned demonstration material
- Licence or ownership
- Ideeplan Consult-owned teaching material. Free to read on this page; redistribution is not permitted.
- Related deliverable
- Site-suitability model package: map series, sensitivity results and reproducible method statement
- Lessons supported
- 9 — Submission guidance covers the single final deliverable.
- Access
- No account required — written preview is public
Every parameter documented, no-data shown explicitly, class breaks justified, and outputs described as relative screening rather than decisions.
Resource file not yet available. The written instructions on this page are complete and can be followed without any download, account, enrolment or payment.
Media status
Video lessons for this course
- Video lessons
- Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
- Narration
- Professional narration — planned, not produced
- Captions
- Not yet produced
- Transcript
- Not yet produced
- Software demonstration
- Genuine screen capture from the real application only — no mockup, simulated interface or AI-generated screen.
- Software version and operating system
- No software version is published until it has been read from the actual recorded session. Until then the version reads “To be stated from the recorded session”.
- Production plan
- Prepared for professional review
- Enrolment, payment and downloads
- Disabled
Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required. The written lesson on this page is complete and can be read in full without a video, an account, enrolment or payment.
Authentic software screen capture only — non-negotiable standard
Applies to every software demonstrated in the Academy, including AutoCAD, QGIS, Revit, ArcGIS, SketchUp, Lumion, Civil 3D, Rhino and any other software used. The final video must accurately represent what a learner sees when using the stated software version.
- Every demonstration is a genuine screen recording or screenshot captured from the actual installed software being taught.
- The exact software name, version, operating system and relevant workspace are stated on screen and in the lesson notes, as read from the recorded session.
- The real interface is shown: menus, panels, toolbars, properties, layer controls, settings and the command line or log.
- The real cursor, tool selection, commands, settings and the resulting output are visible.
- Capture is 16:9 and readable at 720p, with clear, unhurried cursor movement; the screen stays clear enough for learners to follow.
- The view zooms in whenever text, settings, coordinates or field values would otherwise be hard to read.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software.
- Useful keyboard shortcuts are shown alongside the menu path, never instead of it.
- Differences between software versions or operating systems are stated wherever the interface may display differently.
- Steps are numbered on screen, with callouts pointing at the actual control being used.
- Any annotation is added only after recording and must never alter or misrepresent the software interface.
- Captions and a complete transcript are produced before professional review.
- Any presenter window stays small, is positioned clear of technical content, and is hidden on mobile widths and on dense technical screens.
Interface visibility on every recording
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning of every demonstration, with the application identity and exact version clearly visible.
- The relevant menu bar, ribbon, toolbar or toolbox stays visible while each step is explained; the interface context is never cropped away.
- Layers, properties, project browser or data panels are shown wherever applicable.
- The command line, status bar or coordinate/CRS information is shown wherever relevant.
- Real cursor movement and visible clicks are captured, with visible cursor highlighting or click indicators.
- The selected tool and its effect are visible, and complete dialog boxes and settings are shown whenever one is opened.
- The resulting drawing, map, model or output is shown in the recording.
- Zoom is used only when necessary for small text or settings, always retaining enough context to identify the application and tool in use.
- The standard applies to every software course and is verified before any video is marked recorded or approved; if the required authentic interface is not visible, the lesson remains “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
Never used
- Generic website mockups standing in for a software workspace.
- Simulated, redrawn, reconstructed or redesigned replica interfaces for any software.
- AI-generated software screens, panels, dialogs or map canvases.
- Generic illustrations replacing the real interface.
- Unverified screenshots taken from any source other than the recorded session.
- Fake video players, placeholder thumbnails or invented durations.
- Invented menus, tool names, command names, dialog options or keyboard shortcuts.
- Hiding important controls or covering them with a presenter window.
- Annotations that alter or misrepresent the recorded software interface.
- Claiming or implying that a simulated screen is an authentic software demonstration.
QGIS — what the recording must show
Exact QGIS version to be stated from the recorded session. Operating system to be stated from the recorded session; menu positions and file dialogs differ between systems.
- 1.Project CRS: Project Properties, the CRS tab and the selected coordinate reference system.
- 2.Layer loading: the Data Source Manager or Browser panel and the layer added to the canvas.
- 3.Layer properties: the Layer Properties dialog and each tab used in the lesson.
- 4.Symbology: the Symbology tab with the real renderer, classes and colour settings.
- 5.Attribute tables: the attribute table, field values, selection and expression use.
- 6.Processing tools: the Processing Toolbox with the tool searched and opened by its real name.
- 7.Analysis settings: every parameter in the tool dialog, including output location.
- 8.Map layout: the Print Layout window, page setup and map item.
- 9.Legend, scale and north arrow: each item added from the real layout toolbar.
- 10.Export and quality checks: the export dialog settings and a check of the exported file.
No authentic software recording or screenshot exists yet. Every software lesson remains “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
Real professional classroom experience — every lesson
Applies to every future Academy lesson, software-based or not. The finished lesson presents as authentic professional training, professionally narrated and screen-led: video + written guide + supporting data + practical task + quality checklist + final named deliverable.
Lesson structure
- 1.Professional introduction.
- 2.Realistic project situation.
- 3.Learner role within that situation.
- 4.Problem statement.
- 5.Learning objectives.
- 6.Required software and data.
- 7.Step-by-step demonstration.
- 8.Explanation of the professional reasoning behind each action.
- 9.Practical learner task.
- 10.Checkpoint or pause activity.
- 11.Common mistake and its correction.
- 12.Quality-control review.
- 13.Final recap.
- 14.Named learner deliverable.
Video requirements
- Professional narration that is clear, natural and paced for instruction, synchronised with the screen action.
- Authentic screen recording from the actual software, with visible menus, tools, panels, commands, settings and outputs.
- Natural cursor movement and deliberate pacing, with a clear explanation of why each action is taken.
- Realistic corrections and troubleshooting shown, not edited away.
- Clear 16:9 screen capture.
- Captions and a complete transcript.
- Chapter titles and lesson sections.
- A small presenter window only where useful; it never covers technical content and is hidden on mobile or dense technical screens.
Never produced as a lesson
- Automated slideshows.
- Generic screen tours.
- Silent software demonstrations.
- Marketing videos presented as lessons.
- AI-avatar presentations.
- Simulated software tutorials.
- Fast montages without explanation.
- An invented tutor, instructor identity, voice, recording, thumbnail or completion status.
Lessons use only synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned examples. No confidential client information is used.
No genuine professional recording exists yet. Until one does, every lesson remains “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.” Enrolment, payments, certificates and protected learner access stay disabled during this production stage.
Professional narration and screen-first production
- Every Academy lesson is planned as a professionally narrated, screen-led practical lesson with captions and a complete transcript.
- No AI avatar, virtual presenter or artificial talking head is used, and no named person is imitated. No lesson is described as human-narrated, instructor-led by a named person or personally presented unless that is factually true.
- No instructor identity is published until a real, named professional has recorded and approved the lesson.
- Recordings are screen-first: the GIS view, planning drawing, AutoCAD or Revit workspace or document remains the main subject of the frame.
- Any presenter picture-in-picture normally occupies about 8–10% of the frame, never covers technical content, and is reduced or hidden on small screens.
- The Principal Consultant portrait is reserved for approved introductions and conclusions. It is never used as a repeated course thumbnail, and the Academy remains company-first.
No lesson has been recorded and no narration has been produced. Scripts exist as production plans only, and every lesson video status remains “Not recorded”.
Demonstration material is synthetic, publicly licensed or owned by Ideeplan Consult. No confidential client file, unauthorised agency dataset or private project information is used.
Methods are jurisdiction-neutral. Learners must confirm local laws, policies and technical standards before applying them to a real project.
A production plan describes how a lesson would be recorded. It is not a recording, and it does not create an enrolment, account, payment or reserved place.
9 lesson production plans · suggested recording time about 90 minutes in total (a planning estimate, not a recorded duration) · every lesson video status: Not recorded.
Lesson 1 · Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Exclusions versus scored criteria
- Learning objective
- Separating absolute exclusions from criteria that vary in degree, why mixing them corrupts a model, and how to document an exclusion so it can be audited or reversed.
- Narration focus
- Convert a written siting requirement into a defensible, measurable criteria framework.
- Screen action
- Split the teaching brief into an exclusion list and a scored criteria list with a source for each.
- Required software
- QGIS, Spreadsheet software, Word processor
- Example data
- Synthetic agency siting brief, teaching designation and constraint layers, and an Ideeplan-owned criteria specification template.
- Expected learner output
- No absolute requirement is expressed as a score, and no preference is expressed as an exclusion.
- Suggested length
- About 8 minutes (planning estimate)
- Captions and transcript
- Required before professional review
- Narration
- Professional narration — not yet produced
Demonstration sequence
- 1.Separating absolute exclusions from criteria that vary in degree, why mixing them corrupts a model, and how to document an exclusion so it can be audited or reversed.
- 2.Split the teaching brief into an exclusion list and a scored criteria list with a source for each.
- 3.No absolute requirement is expressed as a score, and no preference is expressed as an exclusion.
Quality review checklist
- Technical content (map, drawing, model or document) fills the majority of the frame and stays legible at 720p.
- Presenter picture-in-picture, if used, stays at roughly 8–10% of the frame, never covers legends, dimensions, labels or annotations, and is hidden on mobile widths and dense technical screens.
- Software shown is limited to QGIS, Spreadsheet software, Word processor, with no suggestion of provider endorsement.
- Capture is a genuine screen recording from the real application — no mockup, simulated interface, AI-generated screen or unverified screenshot.
- The exact software name, version and, where relevant, operating system are read from the recorded session and stated on screen.
- Menus, panels, toolbars, layer controls and the command line or log are visible and legible; the view zooms in wherever text, settings or coordinates would be hard to read.
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning; menus, tools and panels stay visible throughout and the interface context is never cropped away, with zoom retaining enough context to identify the application and tool.
- Real cursor movement with visible highlighting or click indicators is captured; the selected tool, its effect, complete dialogs and the resulting output are all shown.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software, with useful keyboard shortcuts alongside it and alternative locations explained for other versions.
- Numbered on-screen steps and callouts point at the real controls being used; no menu, tool or command is invented.
- Until an authentic recording exists the lesson reads: “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
- All data on screen is synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned, and is labelled as demonstration data.
- Narration states that methods are jurisdiction-neutral and that local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed.
- Captions and a transcript are produced before the recording can move to professional review.
- No client name, confidential file or private project information appears on screen at any point.
Lesson 2 · Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Choosing indicators and defensible thresholds
- Learning objective
- Selecting an indicator that actually measures the criterion, setting thresholds from policy, standards or evidence rather than convenience, and handling criteria for which no good indicator exists.
- Narration focus
- Convert a written siting requirement into a defensible, measurable criteria framework.
- Screen action
- Define indicators and thresholds for six criteria and mark two where the indicator is a proxy with stated weakness.
- Required software
- QGIS, Spreadsheet software, Word processor
- Example data
- Synthetic agency siting brief, teaching designation and constraint layers, and an Ideeplan-owned criteria specification template.
- Expected learner output
- Every threshold cites a source and every proxy is labelled as one.
- Suggested length
- About 10 minutes (planning estimate)
- Captions and transcript
- Required before professional review
- Narration
- Professional narration — not yet produced
Demonstration sequence
- 1.Selecting an indicator that actually measures the criterion, setting thresholds from policy, standards or evidence rather than convenience, and handling criteria for which no good indicator exists.
- 2.Define indicators and thresholds for six criteria and mark two where the indicator is a proxy with stated weakness.
- 3.Every threshold cites a source and every proxy is labelled as one.
Quality review checklist
- Technical content (map, drawing, model or document) fills the majority of the frame and stays legible at 720p.
- Presenter picture-in-picture, if used, stays at roughly 8–10% of the frame, never covers legends, dimensions, labels or annotations, and is hidden on mobile widths and dense technical screens.
- Software shown is limited to QGIS, Spreadsheet software, Word processor, with no suggestion of provider endorsement.
- Capture is a genuine screen recording from the real application — no mockup, simulated interface, AI-generated screen or unverified screenshot.
- The exact software name, version and, where relevant, operating system are read from the recorded session and stated on screen.
- Menus, panels, toolbars, layer controls and the command line or log are visible and legible; the view zooms in wherever text, settings or coordinates would be hard to read.
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning; menus, tools and panels stay visible throughout and the interface context is never cropped away, with zoom retaining enough context to identify the application and tool.
- Real cursor movement with visible highlighting or click indicators is captured; the selected tool, its effect, complete dialogs and the resulting output are all shown.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software, with useful keyboard shortcuts alongside it and alternative locations explained for other versions.
- Numbered on-screen steps and callouts point at the real controls being used; no menu, tool or command is invented.
- Until an authentic recording exists the lesson reads: “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
- All data on screen is synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned, and is labelled as demonstration data.
- Narration states that methods are jurisdiction-neutral and that local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed.
- Captions and a transcript are produced before the recording can move to professional review.
- No client name, confidential file or private project information appears on screen at any point.
Lesson 3 · Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Scale, resolution and the analysis grid
- Learning objective
- Choosing an analysis resolution suited to the decision, the consequences of resampling, edge effects at the district boundary, and matching model resolution to the coarsest meaningful input.
- Narration focus
- Convert a written siting requirement into a defensible, measurable criteria framework.
- Screen action
- Select and justify an analysis resolution, then document the resampling applied to each input.
- Required software
- QGIS, Spreadsheet software, Word processor
- Example data
- Synthetic agency siting brief, teaching designation and constraint layers, and an Ideeplan-owned criteria specification template.
- Expected learner output
- Model resolution is no finer than the coarsest input can support.
- Suggested length
- About 12 minutes (planning estimate)
- Captions and transcript
- Required before professional review
- Narration
- Professional narration — not yet produced
Demonstration sequence
- 1.Choosing an analysis resolution suited to the decision, the consequences of resampling, edge effects at the district boundary, and matching model resolution to the coarsest meaningful input.
- 2.Select and justify an analysis resolution, then document the resampling applied to each input.
- 3.Model resolution is no finer than the coarsest input can support.
Quality review checklist
- Technical content (map, drawing, model or document) fills the majority of the frame and stays legible at 720p.
- Presenter picture-in-picture, if used, stays at roughly 8–10% of the frame, never covers legends, dimensions, labels or annotations, and is hidden on mobile widths and dense technical screens.
- Software shown is limited to QGIS, Spreadsheet software, Word processor, with no suggestion of provider endorsement.
- Capture is a genuine screen recording from the real application — no mockup, simulated interface, AI-generated screen or unverified screenshot.
- The exact software name, version and, where relevant, operating system are read from the recorded session and stated on screen.
- Menus, panels, toolbars, layer controls and the command line or log are visible and legible; the view zooms in wherever text, settings or coordinates would be hard to read.
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning; menus, tools and panels stay visible throughout and the interface context is never cropped away, with zoom retaining enough context to identify the application and tool.
- Real cursor movement with visible highlighting or click indicators is captured; the selected tool, its effect, complete dialogs and the resulting output are all shown.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software, with useful keyboard shortcuts alongside it and alternative locations explained for other versions.
- Numbered on-screen steps and callouts point at the real controls being used; no menu, tool or command is invented.
- Until an authentic recording exists the lesson reads: “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
- All data on screen is synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned, and is labelled as demonstration data.
- Narration states that methods are jurisdiction-neutral and that local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed.
- Captions and a transcript are produced before the recording can move to professional review.
- No client name, confidential file or private project information appears on screen at any point.
Lesson 4 · Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Reclassification and standardisation
- Learning objective
- Bringing criteria onto a common scale, linear versus stepped standardisation, handling no-data honestly, and why a no-data cell must never silently score as suitable.
- Narration focus
- Produce the suitability surface and prove it is not an accident of the weights.
- Screen action
- Standardise six criterion layers to a common scale and document the no-data treatment for each.
- Required software
- QGIS, Spreadsheet software, Word processor
- Example data
- Reclassified criterion layers from Module 1, an Ideeplan-owned weighting worksheet and a set of synthetic reference sites with known outcomes.
- Expected learner output
- No-data areas are visible in the output rather than absorbed into a score.
- Suggested length
- About 8 minutes (planning estimate)
- Captions and transcript
- Required before professional review
- Narration
- Professional narration — not yet produced
Demonstration sequence
- 1.Bringing criteria onto a common scale, linear versus stepped standardisation, handling no-data honestly, and why a no-data cell must never silently score as suitable.
- 2.Standardise six criterion layers to a common scale and document the no-data treatment for each.
- 3.No-data areas are visible in the output rather than absorbed into a score.
Quality review checklist
- Technical content (map, drawing, model or document) fills the majority of the frame and stays legible at 720p.
- Presenter picture-in-picture, if used, stays at roughly 8–10% of the frame, never covers legends, dimensions, labels or annotations, and is hidden on mobile widths and dense technical screens.
- Software shown is limited to QGIS, Spreadsheet software, Word processor, with no suggestion of provider endorsement.
- Capture is a genuine screen recording from the real application — no mockup, simulated interface, AI-generated screen or unverified screenshot.
- The exact software name, version and, where relevant, operating system are read from the recorded session and stated on screen.
- Menus, panels, toolbars, layer controls and the command line or log are visible and legible; the view zooms in wherever text, settings or coordinates would be hard to read.
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning; menus, tools and panels stay visible throughout and the interface context is never cropped away, with zoom retaining enough context to identify the application and tool.
- Real cursor movement with visible highlighting or click indicators is captured; the selected tool, its effect, complete dialogs and the resulting output are all shown.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software, with useful keyboard shortcuts alongside it and alternative locations explained for other versions.
- Numbered on-screen steps and callouts point at the real controls being used; no menu, tool or command is invented.
- Until an authentic recording exists the lesson reads: “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
- All data on screen is synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned, and is labelled as demonstration data.
- Narration states that methods are jurisdiction-neutral and that local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed.
- Captions and a transcript are produced before the recording can move to professional review.
- No client name, confidential file or private project information appears on screen at any point.
Lesson 5 · Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Weighting methods and combination rules
- Learning objective
- Equal weighting, expert-derived weights and pairwise comparison; weighted sum against constraint-limited combination; documenting who set the weights and on what basis.
- Narration focus
- Produce the suitability surface and prove it is not an accident of the weights.
- Screen action
- Produce two suitability surfaces using different weighting approaches and compare their outputs spatially.
- Required software
- QGIS, Spreadsheet software, Word processor
- Example data
- Reclassified criterion layers from Module 1, an Ideeplan-owned weighting worksheet and a set of synthetic reference sites with known outcomes.
- Expected learner output
- The weight source is recorded and both surfaces are reported, not just the preferred one.
- Suggested length
- About 10 minutes (planning estimate)
- Captions and transcript
- Required before professional review
- Narration
- Professional narration — not yet produced
Demonstration sequence
- 1.Equal weighting, expert-derived weights and pairwise comparison; weighted sum against constraint-limited combination; documenting who set the weights and on what basis.
- 2.Produce two suitability surfaces using different weighting approaches and compare their outputs spatially.
- 3.The weight source is recorded and both surfaces are reported, not just the preferred one.
Quality review checklist
- Technical content (map, drawing, model or document) fills the majority of the frame and stays legible at 720p.
- Presenter picture-in-picture, if used, stays at roughly 8–10% of the frame, never covers legends, dimensions, labels or annotations, and is hidden on mobile widths and dense technical screens.
- Software shown is limited to QGIS, Spreadsheet software, Word processor, with no suggestion of provider endorsement.
- Capture is a genuine screen recording from the real application — no mockup, simulated interface, AI-generated screen or unverified screenshot.
- The exact software name, version and, where relevant, operating system are read from the recorded session and stated on screen.
- Menus, panels, toolbars, layer controls and the command line or log are visible and legible; the view zooms in wherever text, settings or coordinates would be hard to read.
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning; menus, tools and panels stay visible throughout and the interface context is never cropped away, with zoom retaining enough context to identify the application and tool.
- Real cursor movement with visible highlighting or click indicators is captured; the selected tool, its effect, complete dialogs and the resulting output are all shown.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software, with useful keyboard shortcuts alongside it and alternative locations explained for other versions.
- Numbered on-screen steps and callouts point at the real controls being used; no menu, tool or command is invented.
- Until an authentic recording exists the lesson reads: “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
- All data on screen is synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned, and is labelled as demonstration data.
- Narration states that methods are jurisdiction-neutral and that local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed.
- Captions and a transcript are produced before the recording can move to professional review.
- No client name, confidential file or private project information appears on screen at any point.
Lesson 6 · Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Sensitivity analysis and validation
- Learning objective
- Varying weights systematically to find which criteria drive the result, identifying areas that are suitable under every scenario, and testing the model against reference sites with known suitability.
- Narration focus
- Produce the suitability surface and prove it is not an accident of the weights.
- Screen action
- Run a sensitivity test across three weight scenarios, map the robustly suitable area and validate against the reference sites.
- Required software
- QGIS, Spreadsheet software, Word processor
- Example data
- Reclassified criterion layers from Module 1, an Ideeplan-owned weighting worksheet and a set of synthetic reference sites with known outcomes.
- Expected learner output
- The report identifies which criterion most influences the outcome and where the model is unstable.
- Suggested length
- About 12 minutes (planning estimate)
- Captions and transcript
- Required before professional review
- Narration
- Professional narration — not yet produced
Demonstration sequence
- 1.Varying weights systematically to find which criteria drive the result, identifying areas that are suitable under every scenario, and testing the model against reference sites with known suitability.
- 2.Run a sensitivity test across three weight scenarios, map the robustly suitable area and validate against the reference sites.
- 3.The report identifies which criterion most influences the outcome and where the model is unstable.
Quality review checklist
- Technical content (map, drawing, model or document) fills the majority of the frame and stays legible at 720p.
- Presenter picture-in-picture, if used, stays at roughly 8–10% of the frame, never covers legends, dimensions, labels or annotations, and is hidden on mobile widths and dense technical screens.
- Software shown is limited to QGIS, Spreadsheet software, Word processor, with no suggestion of provider endorsement.
- Capture is a genuine screen recording from the real application — no mockup, simulated interface, AI-generated screen or unverified screenshot.
- The exact software name, version and, where relevant, operating system are read from the recorded session and stated on screen.
- Menus, panels, toolbars, layer controls and the command line or log are visible and legible; the view zooms in wherever text, settings or coordinates would be hard to read.
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning; menus, tools and panels stay visible throughout and the interface context is never cropped away, with zoom retaining enough context to identify the application and tool.
- Real cursor movement with visible highlighting or click indicators is captured; the selected tool, its effect, complete dialogs and the resulting output are all shown.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software, with useful keyboard shortcuts alongside it and alternative locations explained for other versions.
- Numbered on-screen steps and callouts point at the real controls being used; no menu, tool or command is invented.
- Until an authentic recording exists the lesson reads: “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
- All data on screen is synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned, and is labelled as demonstration data.
- Narration states that methods are jurisdiction-neutral and that local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed.
- Captions and a transcript are produced before the recording can move to professional review.
- No client name, confidential file or private project information appears on screen at any point.
Lesson 7 · Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Map quality assurance in practice
- Learning objective
- A systematic QA pass: projection, extent, classification breaks, legend accuracy, label collisions, greyscale and colour-vision legibility, scale honesty, and consistency between map, table and text.
- Narration focus
- Check the model like an auditor would, then publish so the method can be repeated.
- Screen action
- Run the QA checklist over five teaching maps containing planted faults and log every defect with a correction.
- Required software
- QGIS, Spreadsheet software, Word processor
- Example data
- Ideeplan-owned map QA checklist, method-statement template and a teaching set of deliberately flawed output maps.
- Expected learner output
- All planted faults are found and each is recorded with a specific remedy.
- Suggested length
- About 8 minutes (planning estimate)
- Captions and transcript
- Required before professional review
- Narration
- Professional narration — not yet produced
Demonstration sequence
- 1.A systematic QA pass: projection, extent, classification breaks, legend accuracy, label collisions, greyscale and colour-vision legibility, scale honesty, and consistency between map, table and text.
- 2.Run the QA checklist over five teaching maps containing planted faults and log every defect with a correction.
- 3.All planted faults are found and each is recorded with a specific remedy.
Quality review checklist
- Technical content (map, drawing, model or document) fills the majority of the frame and stays legible at 720p.
- Presenter picture-in-picture, if used, stays at roughly 8–10% of the frame, never covers legends, dimensions, labels or annotations, and is hidden on mobile widths and dense technical screens.
- Software shown is limited to QGIS, Spreadsheet software, Word processor, with no suggestion of provider endorsement.
- Capture is a genuine screen recording from the real application — no mockup, simulated interface, AI-generated screen or unverified screenshot.
- The exact software name, version and, where relevant, operating system are read from the recorded session and stated on screen.
- Menus, panels, toolbars, layer controls and the command line or log are visible and legible; the view zooms in wherever text, settings or coordinates would be hard to read.
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning; menus, tools and panels stay visible throughout and the interface context is never cropped away, with zoom retaining enough context to identify the application and tool.
- Real cursor movement with visible highlighting or click indicators is captured; the selected tool, its effect, complete dialogs and the resulting output are all shown.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software, with useful keyboard shortcuts alongside it and alternative locations explained for other versions.
- Numbered on-screen steps and callouts point at the real controls being used; no menu, tool or command is invented.
- Until an authentic recording exists the lesson reads: “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
- All data on screen is synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned, and is labelled as demonstration data.
- Narration states that methods are jurisdiction-neutral and that local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed.
- Captions and a transcript are produced before the recording can move to professional review.
- No client name, confidential file or private project information appears on screen at any point.
Lesson 8 · Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Writing a method statement that can be repeated
- Learning objective
- Recording every input, threshold, reclassification, weight, tool and parameter so that an independent analyst reproduces the surface; version control; and documenting decisions that were judgement calls.
- Narration focus
- Check the model like an auditor would, then publish so the method can be repeated.
- Screen action
- Write a method statement complete enough for a colleague to rebuild the model unaided.
- Required software
- QGIS, Spreadsheet software, Word processor
- Example data
- Ideeplan-owned map QA checklist, method-statement template and a teaching set of deliberately flawed output maps.
- Expected learner output
- Every processing step and parameter appears with its value.
- Suggested length
- About 10 minutes (planning estimate)
- Captions and transcript
- Required before professional review
- Narration
- Professional narration — not yet produced
Demonstration sequence
- 1.Recording every input, threshold, reclassification, weight, tool and parameter so that an independent analyst reproduces the surface; version control; and documenting decisions that were judgement calls.
- 2.Write a method statement complete enough for a colleague to rebuild the model unaided.
- 3.Every processing step and parameter appears with its value.
Quality review checklist
- Technical content (map, drawing, model or document) fills the majority of the frame and stays legible at 720p.
- Presenter picture-in-picture, if used, stays at roughly 8–10% of the frame, never covers legends, dimensions, labels or annotations, and is hidden on mobile widths and dense technical screens.
- Software shown is limited to QGIS, Spreadsheet software, Word processor, with no suggestion of provider endorsement.
- Capture is a genuine screen recording from the real application — no mockup, simulated interface, AI-generated screen or unverified screenshot.
- The exact software name, version and, where relevant, operating system are read from the recorded session and stated on screen.
- Menus, panels, toolbars, layer controls and the command line or log are visible and legible; the view zooms in wherever text, settings or coordinates would be hard to read.
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning; menus, tools and panels stay visible throughout and the interface context is never cropped away, with zoom retaining enough context to identify the application and tool.
- Real cursor movement with visible highlighting or click indicators is captured; the selected tool, its effect, complete dialogs and the resulting output are all shown.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software, with useful keyboard shortcuts alongside it and alternative locations explained for other versions.
- Numbered on-screen steps and callouts point at the real controls being used; no menu, tool or command is invented.
- Until an authentic recording exists the lesson reads: “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
- All data on screen is synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned, and is labelled as demonstration data.
- Narration states that methods are jurisdiction-neutral and that local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed.
- Captions and a transcript are produced before the recording can move to professional review.
- No client name, confidential file or private project information appears on screen at any point.
Lesson 9 · Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.
Communicating suitability without overstating it
- Learning objective
- Presenting suitability as relative rather than absolute, avoiding false precision in class breaks, showing uncertainty and no-data areas, and framing outputs as a filter for further work rather than a decision.
- Narration focus
- Check the model like an auditor would, then publish so the method can be repeated.
- Screen action
- Produce the final map series with an uncertainty figure and write the caveats section.
- Required software
- QGIS, Spreadsheet software, Word processor
- Example data
- Ideeplan-owned map QA checklist, method-statement template and a teaching set of deliberately flawed output maps.
- Expected learner output
- The output is described as a screening filter, and no cell score is presented as a site decision.
- Suggested length
- About 12 minutes (planning estimate)
- Captions and transcript
- Required before professional review
- Narration
- Professional narration — not yet produced
Demonstration sequence
- 1.Presenting suitability as relative rather than absolute, avoiding false precision in class breaks, showing uncertainty and no-data areas, and framing outputs as a filter for further work rather than a decision.
- 2.Produce the final map series with an uncertainty figure and write the caveats section.
- 3.The output is described as a screening filter, and no cell score is presented as a site decision.
Quality review checklist
- Technical content (map, drawing, model or document) fills the majority of the frame and stays legible at 720p.
- Presenter picture-in-picture, if used, stays at roughly 8–10% of the frame, never covers legends, dimensions, labels or annotations, and is hidden on mobile widths and dense technical screens.
- Software shown is limited to QGIS, Spreadsheet software, Word processor, with no suggestion of provider endorsement.
- Capture is a genuine screen recording from the real application — no mockup, simulated interface, AI-generated screen or unverified screenshot.
- The exact software name, version and, where relevant, operating system are read from the recorded session and stated on screen.
- Menus, panels, toolbars, layer controls and the command line or log are visible and legible; the view zooms in wherever text, settings or coordinates would be hard to read.
- The full application interface is shown at the beginning; menus, tools and panels stay visible throughout and the interface context is never cropped away, with zoom retaining enough context to identify the application and tool.
- Real cursor movement with visible highlighting or click indicators is captured; the selected tool, its effect, complete dialogs and the resulting output are all shown.
- The exact command, menu path or tool name is shown as it appears in the software, with useful keyboard shortcuts alongside it and alternative locations explained for other versions.
- Numbered on-screen steps and callouts point at the real controls being used; no menu, tool or command is invented.
- Until an authentic recording exists the lesson reads: “Video lesson: Not recorded — authentic professional recording required.”
- All data on screen is synthetic, publicly licensed or Ideeplan-owned, and is labelled as demonstration data.
- Narration states that methods are jurisdiction-neutral and that local laws, policies and standards must be confirmed.
- Captions and a transcript are produced before the recording can move to professional review.
- No client name, confidential file or private project information appears on screen at any point.
Course production standard
- Recordings are screen-first: the planning drawing, GIS view, AutoCAD or Revit workspace stays the main subject of the frame.
- Any presenter picture-in-picture normally occupies no more than about 8–10% of the frame and never covers maps, legends, drawings, dimensions or annotations.
- On mobile and on dense technical screens the presenter window is reduced further or hidden entirely.
- The Principal Consultant portrait is reserved for approved introductions, explanations and conclusions. It is not used as a generic thumbnail for every course.
- Narration is planned for professional human delivery. No AI narration, AI presenter or recorded lesson exists today.
No lesson has been recorded. Every lesson media status is “Not recorded”.
Any example data used in teaching is synthetic, publicly licensed or owned by Ideeplan Consult, and is clearly labelled as demonstration data. No client file, confidential document or unauthorised project material is used.
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