An assessment undertaken at the outset of the Wisconsin Coastal GIS Applications Project uncovered a strong interest and need for GIS training directed at the local government level.  Although Great Lakes coastal county staff indicated that adequate resources existed to support GIS hardware/software acquisition and database development, training funds were scarce in most county budgets. Specific training interests included getting started with a new GIS software package and, in cases where spatial database development was more advanced, applying GIS to specific coastal issues.  To meet this need, GIS training was included as a major element in the Wisconsin Coastal GIS Applications Project.

Introduction to Coastal GIS Applications
A 16-hour Introduction to Coastal GIS Applications training course has been developed. The course is general in nature, designed to provide an overview of desktop GIS capabilities and an example of GIS applied to a coastal issue. The course was held four times with a total of 49 people attending, primarily representing coastal county and municipal staff.
http://coastal.lic.wisc.edu/trainsum.htm

GIS Teaching Models/Web-Based Tutorials
Several example GIS applications have been developed that utilize local government databases and serve as illustrative “teaching models” to demonstrate how GIS can be applied to specific coastal issues.  These include shoreland management for an inland lake in northern Wisconsin, coastal erosion along Lake Michigan in Sheboygan and Ozaukee Counties,and urban stormwater management.  GIS training exercises (consisting of instructions and GIS data sets) have been placed on-line. 
http://coastal.lic.wisc.edu/apps.htm

Mobile GIS Lab/Customized GIS Courses
A mobile GIS training lab, consisting of six laptop computers with ArcView desktop GIS software, has been implemented. The laptops allow GIS training to be conducted in coastal locations, resulting in greater convenience for professional staff and decision-makers. So far, GIS training sessions using the laptops have been conducted in Manitowoc, Middleton, Bayfield, Waukesha,Sturgeon Bay ,Racine, Kewaunee, Caledonia, and LaCrosse.  Training topics range from getting started with ArcView using local data sets to applications in land use and coastal erosion.

Web Mapping Tutorials
A set of web-based tutorials are being developed to demonstrate how to use interoperable web mapping sites to integrate federal (FEMA), state (DNR), and local (Fond du Lac County) data sets to address floodplain management concerns and to demonstrate how to use interoperable web mapping sites to integrate federal (Census), state (DNR), and local (Kewaunee County) data sets to address dam safety concerns.

Lake Michigan Bathymetry Explorer
This educational web site helps citizens and coastal decision-makers gain a better understanding of underwater features in Lake Michigan and Lake Superior and make a connection between the lakes and their watershed.
http://coastal.lic.wisc.edu/bathyexplorer/welcome.htm