2  Possible Course Outline

ImportantMapping is FUN and CHALLENGING

Mapping is fun. Many people enjoy looking at maps, and find them informative and helpful. Many people find it very fun to learn how to make maps. At the same time, making even basic maps with geographic data can be challenging. Making an aesthetically pleasing and useful map can also be very challenging. We will work hard in this course to learn these important skills. At the same time, we will have fun doing so!

2.1 5 Week MiniCourse

1. Introduction
   • Introduction to the Course
   • Introduction to Shapefiles (Chapter 8) (and Possibly sf Objects) (Chapter 7) as GIS Data
   • Introduction to Appropriate Software: R / RStudio / sf / ggplot; or ArcGIS; or QGIS; or Tableau
   • Quick Mapping Exercise
2. Basic GIS Skills
   • Symbology (Chapter 11)
   • Joining by Attribute (Chapter 15)
3. Data With Geographic Coordinates & Geographic Concepts
   • Data With Latitude and Longitude (Chapter 16)
   • Coordinate Reference Systems (Chapter 6)
4. Geocoding (Chapter 17)
5. Lab Day for Final Projects

2.2 More Advanced Topics

1. Basemaps e.g. leaflet (Chapter 19)
2. Projections, projecting and re-projecting geographic data (Chapter 5)
3. Geoprocessing (Spatial joins; Spatial Selection; Selection by Attribute)

2.3 Full Semester Course

• Begin with a coding (R) approach to the topics listed in Section 2.1.
• Revisit these topics, and discuss each topic in more depth, with drag and drop software: ArcGIS; QGIS; Tableau. Build in more advanced topics (Section 2.2).
• Finish up with a Mapping Showcase constructing useful maps with aesthetically pleasing and clearly understandable design elements.