The interactive online course in April 2023 had 98% positive feedback.
Location:
Online, interactive course using Zoom.
Cost:
Students from £199
Professionals from £249
Above prices are the early bird discount , £50 more thereafter.
Date:
Please express your interest for the next course here!
Short course description:
This interactive ONLINE course runs over two mornings. It will give you an introduction to Linux and its ability to process big data files fast. Short exercises will show the speed and efficiency of Linux tools compared to other data processing tools such as R or Excel. Exercises will take place in pairs or small groups in virtual breakout room. The facilitator will move from room to room to support you.
You will log in to a training account and familiarise yourself with the Linux environment. You will learn to use basic commands such as ls, cd, mv, rm, less, and history. We will discuss different types of regular expressions as used in Linux commands. You will do practical exercises and we encourage you to bring your own dataset.
You will learn advanced Linux tools such as grep, find, rsync, diff, cut, rename, awk and sed commands. We will explore bash scripting. The course will end with a final file merging task you can solve in several different ways. We will invite you to produce your own solution to produce the desired result.
Learning outcome:
By the end of the course, you will have greater confidence and skills in using LINUX to prepare data for analysis and reformatting files. This will save you a lot of time in future data analysis.
Course objectives:
- Familiarise yourself with the Linux environment and its ability to process large amounts of data fast with minimal resources.
- Apply knowledge to process and manage data files more efficiently and reliably.
Target audience:
- MSc & PhD students
- Early career researchers and other academics
- Those interested in Big Data and the internet of things
Level:
Beginner
There are no pre-requisites for the Linux appeal course. Experience in data processing is advantageous.
Places:
16
Hardware and software requirements:
You will need a laptop or desktop computer. A second external screen will be an advantage (but is not essential). Having a webcam is desirable (but not essential). If you plan to participate from an open-plan office or noisy environment, please wear headphones with a built-in microphone.
You can use a Linux, Microsoft or Apple machine. Before the course starts, you will need to install a “terminal emulator”, which logs into a remote Linux system, to be able to participate in the exercises. Our joining instructions will tell you in detail how to do that.
We will use Zoom to deliver the training course. There are 5 ways to join Zoom (and at least one of them should work for you!). We will provide more information about Zoom with the joining instructions and at the start of the event. You can find more information about Zoom on our FAQ page. We recommend that you install the Zoom program if you are able to do so: https://ukceh-ac-uk.zoom.us/test
Course leader:
Milo Brooks Technical Development and Field Instrumentation Engineer, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.
Milo has a BSc in Mathematics and Computer Science from McGill University. He has over 25 years of experience in data processing, data management and applications development. In the past 5 years, he has used Linux tools and scripts to synchronise, process and aggregate UKCEH datasets for optimal performance, reliability and security. Milo is an open-source technology enthusiast using it for environmental science data processing at work as well as for music, animation, CAD and 3D printing at home.
Previous course participants said:
The interactive online course in April 2023 had 98% positive feedback.
“I really liked the exercises Milo had developed, it was a really nice way to make the course engaging. It made the course fun as well as really useful. The course was pitched at just the right level for me” (interactive online course participant, April 2023)
“I liked how engaging the course was, that we were provided with useful cheat sheets and how knowledgeable the trainer was.” (interactive online course participant, April 2023)
"Thanks very much for the course! I gained a good understanding on how data can be processed with LINUX." (learner, January 2019)
More detail & background:
From its humble origins as a project to put users in control of their own computing, Linux is now everywhere in our daily life. It has been adapted to more platforms than any other in history. When we consider smartphones and embedded systems, Linux is the most widely installed operating system in the world. It is used almost exclusively by web and cloud computing servers. All 500 of the world's fastest supercomputers run on Linux. It sounds too good to be true that a community-developed technology can be so influential, but it is! Join the millions of users worldwide and take part in the ever-growing open-source movement.