Welcome to Methods 3, Lecture 1
This is a web page that can be viewed as slides.
→ to move forward
← to go back
Methods 3
Syllabus
Syllabus
6 weeks: GIS
5 weeks: online maps
Syllabus
6 weeks: GIS
5 weeks: online maps
4 weeks: final projects
Assignments will be posted in Canvas
Do assignments on time or you may lose 25% credit.
Final grade =
20% attendance and participation +
30% assignments +
50% final project
Email
Notifications from me will come through Canvas
Emailing me
Personal: email me directly
About an assignment: post a Canvas discussion question
GIS
cartography
projections
choropleths
geoprocessing
heat maps
georectification
Online maps
Carto
OpenStreetMap
Mapbox
maps that I've made
today:
What is a map?
What is GIS?
today:
What is a map?
What is GIS?
What are latitude and longitude?
today:
What is a map?
What is GIS?
What are latitude and longitude?
GIS concepts
today:
What is a map?
What is GIS?
What are latitude and longitude?
GIS concepts
Finding data
What is a map?
GIS
GIS
"Any system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to positions on the Earth's surface"
source
VIDEO
a GIS will let you:
visualize map data
create and edit map data
overlay map data
analyze map data
the history of cartography in four bullet points:
up to 15th c: maps mostly as diagrams
up to 15th c: maps mostly as diagrams
15th c: world maps for navigation
up to 15th c: maps mostly as diagrams
15th c: world maps for navigation
19th c: maps combined with data
up to 15th c: maps mostly as diagrams
15th c: world maps for navigation
19th c: maps combined with data
mid 20th c: GIS
"The geographical concept called 'land use' is normally restricted to property mapping. But land is also used directly by humans. What is it that the human child in Fitzgerald actually touches? Is this a suitable surface for human contact, or it just cheap, easy to maintain, easy to drain?"
Bill Bunge, Fitzgerald
"During the last 50 years or so cartography and GIS have very much aspired to push maps as factual scientific documents. Critical cartography and GIS however conceives of mapping as embedded in specific relations of power ."
Crampton, Mapping
What are latitude and longitude?
GIS concepts
GIS concepts
projects
layers
features
attributes
GIS concepts
projects
layers
features
attributes
values
projects
projects
how you organize your work in a GIS
projects
contain settings and layers
layers
layers
generally represent one type of thing being mapped
layers
include styles for your data
features
features
each shape in a layer is a feature
attributes
attributes
a layer usually has numerous attributes that describe its features
values
values
a feature has a value for each attribute
spot these in QGIS
projects
layers
features
attributes
values
QGIS interface
finding data
keep an eye out for metadata or data dictionaries
vector spatial data types
vector spatial data types
shapefile
geojson
geopackage
KML
CSV
...and others!
if you're unsure, download the file and drag and drop into QGIS
CSVs are common and handy for point data
these are simply text files
c omma s eparated v alues
if a CSV has latitude and longitude as two separate columns, you will be able to open that in QGIS
recommended readings
homework
homework
Install QGIS
Draw a mental map of NYC