Participants are required to bring their own laptops. We will provide you with the necessary software (i.e. ArcGIS and GCD). This page provides more details on these requirements and what participants can do to prepare for the workshop.

Participant Background

• Participants are expected to have some previous GIS experience, familiarity with ArcGIS (don’t need to be an expert), and some understanding of topographic data and digital elevation models.

If its been a while since you've used ArcGIS and you want a refresher, you may find these 'Getting Organized and Oriented' pages helpful, or you may find Task 1 of this Intro to GIS Lab Exercise  helpful (don't bother with the making a website portion; Task 2 and 3). 

Hardware/ Laptop & Software  Requirements

Before you get to Logan, all participants will need:

• Their own laptop computer with Windows (Windows 7 recommended; XP Pro or Vista will work) and:
• Most recent Windows Updates (how to run)
• DotNet 3.5 or later installed (Automatic if you have Windows 7; how to check if you have DotNet for XP Pro users)
  
• Access to a User Account with Administrative Privileges is mandatory. You cannot install ArcGIS, or the GCD Software plugin without it.
  
• Wireless network access
  
• For ArcGIS to run efficiently in Windows 7, 4 GB or more of RAM is recommended (2 GB RAM minimum for either Windows 7 or XP)
• A mouse is strongly encouraged over a trackpad
  

If you are uncomfortable installing software, but have met the above requirements, you can come to the Pre Registration Session on Monday morning (8AM - 9 AM), and we will help you install the software.

• Required Software Installed
• ArcGIS 10: ArcInfo version with Spatial Analyst & 3D Analyst extensions installed and enabled (one-year license student versions will be available at the Pre Registration Session at no charge). If you want some step-by-step instructions for installing the student version of ArcGIS, see here. We also recommend that you have Service Pack 4 installed.
  
• GCD 5.  The most recent release of GCD software we will be using for the workshop will be provided to you when you register in person in Logan. For those of you wishing to play around with the software ahead of time, you may download the software here. USACE IT will be installing GCD ahead of time for workshop participants. However, we will show you how to install the software in the Pre Registration Session on Monday Morning from 8 AM to 9 AM for those experiencing difficulty.   See the System Checks page for detailed instructions on the System Checks we will go through in the Pre Registration Session.
• Optional Software (NOT MANDATORY)
  
• Old Geomorphic Change Detection Software (GCD 4.0) stand-alone and ArcGIS plugin (free)
• Installation of Matlab w/ fuzzy logic toolbox and copy of DoD 3.0
• Powerful text editor, such as Notepad++

If you can not meet any of the above requirements, please contact Joe Wheaton prior to the workshop so we can make alternative arrangements or help you with the necessary changes.

Bringing Your Own Data

If you have your own repeat topographic survey data and/or surfaces that you want to analyze, feel free to bring them to the workshop. On the third day, we will have a session devoted to working through analyses on your own. We will provide a dataset you can use, or you can choose to bring your own data. Raw topographic survey data can be in tabular or text file format (e.g. *.csv, *.txt, *.xyz) or in any point feature class type in ArcGIS (e.g. ShapeFiles or feature classes in file geodatabases). DEM surfaces will need to be in *.img, *.tif, or ESRI raster format.