Visualizing Space with ArcGIS/QGIS

The Data Jam theme during week 5 was on Visualizing Space. The week was also when a GIS Day event is celebrated internationally. Penn Libraries celebrates the annual GIS Day event by hosting a diverse group of GIS related activities on campus.

One of the activities was a workshop on Visualizing Space with ArcGIS/QGIS. The workshop explored the various components of the ESRI's ArcMap and the free and open source QGIS interface and tools, creating a new map, adding data layers, changing layer symbol and display properties, setting layer symbol, creating map layouts with legends, titles, north arrows, and other map elements.

Lessons Covered

• Spatial data models, file formats, and coordinate reference systems
• Explore the various components of ArcGIS/ArcMap & QGIS interfaces, tools, extensions and plugins
• Adding data layers and base map
• Changing layer symbol and display properties
• Creating map print layouts with legend, title, and scale
• Exporting maps
• Opening delimited text files (csv) and EXCEL Sheets
• Opening delimited text files (csv) and EXCEL Sheets containing coordinate data
• Joining two tables
• Running geo-processing tools

See the workshop slides containing the main outlines and links to further resources and watch the recording.