Learning GIS

There are hundreds of tutorials on the Internet for all different levels and topics of GIS needs. This guide suggests a number of GIS tutorials for various topics and software.

UH students, faculty, and researchers can request a UH Esri Training Account to access Esri's self-paced e-learning catalog — online videos, training materials, and study plans. If you are new to ArcGIS, we highly recommend starting with some of the basic tutorials that introduce the ArcGIS line of products such as GIS Basics, ArcGIS Pro Basics, and Getting Started with Spatial Analysis.

GIS Overview

• What is GIS? (Esri)
• A Gentle Introduction to GIS (QGIS Documentation)
• The Beginner's Guide to GIS (Mango Map)
• Geospatial Revolution (Penn State University) - A video series highlighting the various applications of geospatial technology.

Understanding GIS Data

• GIS Data (GIS Lounge)
• Vector vs Raster: What's the Difference Between GIS Spatial Data Types? (GISGeography)
• Introduction to image and raster data (Esri)
• The Ultimate List of GIS Formats and Geospatial Extensions (GISGeography)

Coordinate Systems and Map Projections

• Coordinate Systems: What’s the Difference? (ArcGIS Blog)
• Basics of Geographic Coordinate Systems (Esri Academy - UH Esri training account required)
• What Is A Map Projection? (Geography Realm)

Scale

• Map Scales (USGS)
• What is Scale? (Mapping our Changing World - Penn State University)

Map Design and Visualization

• Cartography Guide: A short, friendly guide to basic principles of map design (Axis Maps)
• Design principles of cartography (ArcGIS Blog)
• ArcGIS Blog by John Nelson (Cartographer at Esri)
• Mapping and visualization in ArcGIS Pro - Learn essential techniques of map design, layout, and data visualization in ArcGIS Pro.

• ColorBrewer 2.0 - Online tool to create color palettes for maps.

Spatial Analysis

• The Language of Spatial Analysis (Esri)
• Intro to GIS and Spatial Analysis (Manuel Gimond)
• Geospatial Analysis - A comprehensive guide (Longley, 2021)

Online Tutorials and Courses

Esri Academy (ArcGIS)

There are many online classes on a wide range of topics that are free to UH students, faculty, and staff.

• Visit Esri's catalog of training website to learn about web courses, videos, and many other learning formats.
• To enroll, you need to request a UH Esri Training Account. The account is valid for two years and renewable as long as you are an active UH student, faculty, or staff.

ArcGIS

• ArcGIS Online Help (Esri)
• ArcGIS Pro Help (Esri)
• ArcGIS Help for older versions (Esri's archive of older help systems)
• Exercises and Data for Esri's GIS Guide to Public Domain Data (Spatial Reserves)

QGIS

• QGIS Tutorials and Tips (SpatialThoughts)
• Getting Started With QGIS: Open Source GIS (GIS Lounge)
• Installing QGIS and Adding Layers (Geospatial Historian)
• Creating New Vector Layers using QGIS (Geospatial Historian)
• Georeferenceing using QGIS (Geospatial Historian)

Assorted Courses and Tutorials

• GIS @ UC San Diego Tutorials
  Various tutorials created by the GIS Coordinator at UC San Diego as well as selected tutorials from other websites.
• Coursera
  Choose from hundreds of courses created by the world’s top educational institutions. Courses are open to anyone, and learning is free. Geospatial examples:
  • Fundamentals of GIS
  • Spatial Analysis and Satellite Imagery in GIS
  • Getting Started with CyberGIS
• Open GIS Lab: An Open Learning Lab in Portland (formerly Hawaii)
  A spring board to creating local interest in open source GIS and provide an opportunity to share and learn from each other.
• GISGeography
  Managed by a team of GIS evangelists who are passionate about all aspects of GIS. Includes well-crafted geo-infographics, comprehensive guides, and exhaustive lists. The focus of GISGeography.com is in the following areas: Analysis, Career, Datasets, Mapping, Satellites, Software, US Maps, World Atlas.
• Geography Realm GIS Tutorials (ArcGIS, QGIS, Maptitude, and other mapping tools)
• Spatial Thoughts OpenCourseWare (QGIS, Python, GDAL, Google Earth Engine)
• Introduction to Python for Geographic Data Analysis (by Henrikki Tenkanen, Vuokko Heikinheimo, David Whipp)
• Geographic Data Science with Python (by Sergio Rey, Dani Arribas-Bel, Levi John Wolf)
• Using Spatial Data with R (by Claudia A. Engel)