A class in more advanced topics of GIS using QGIS.

Slides are available here.

Goals

• Review basic geospatial and cartographic concepts
• Further develop the ability of students to think spatially
• Demonstrate and apply methods for processing geospatial data within a GIS
• Understand the structure and use of relational databases for spatial analysis
• Introduce best practices in acquiring, cleaning, and visualizing spatial data

Outcomes

• Participants will understand the fundamentals of creating more accurate and visually compelling maps
• Participants will better understand the spatial data processing, analysis, and visualization workflow in QGIS
• Participants will be able to connect to a spatial database (PostGIS) using QGIS
• Participants will be practiced in composing SQL statements to perform basic geoprocessing tasks

Outline for the Class

• Introductions
• Review of basic concepts
  • What is geographic data
  • What is GIS
• Practical Exercise 1
  • Open a basemap in QGIS
  • Import a shapefile in QGIS
  • Import CSV data to QGIS
  • Review projections
  • Basic styling in QGIS
• Introduction to spatial databases
  • When have you used a spatial database?
  • What is a spatial database? (like a shared file server)
  • A quick and simple introduction to the relational model
  • Sharing data with databases
  • Introduction to schemas (as relate to datatypes in SHP)
  • Performance benefits of databases
• Practical Exercise 2 (connecting to a database and manipulating data in QGIS)
  • Connect to a PostGIS database
  • Selecting data in QGIS (injuries in a particular boro)
  • Export selected features as shapefile
• Practical Exercise 3 (bicycle injuries in NYC)
  • Buffering features
  • SRID map units
  • Reprojecting data in QGIS
  • Select by location (intersection of buffered injury points with bike lanes)
  • Spatial joins (count of injuries by community district within boro)
  • More advanced styling in QGIS (style result by number of injuries)
  • Calculating fields and normalizing results
• Introduction to SQL
  • A basic introduction to SQL
  • Select query for features in single table
  • Introduction to PostGIS and spatial SQL
  • Introduction to PostGIS functions
• Practical Exercise 4 (basic spatial SQL functions)
  • Union features in database
  • Spatial join (count injuries by boro)
  • GROUP BY features spatially (injuries by community district)
• Practical Exercise 5 (Putting it all together)
  • Working with 311 Service Requests for DOT, filter results by boro, join complaints by community district, create and style a choropleth map in Print Composer
  • Create a kernal density map in Print Composer
  • Present maps to the class
• Wrap-up
  • Discussion of data formats
  • Introduce PostGIS documentation and other resources
  • Quick demonstration of model builder in QGIS
  • Discuss geocoding of addresses in QGIS
• Q & A/Evaluations
• Dismissal