Fundamentals of GIS

University of California, Davis via Coursera

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Details

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Provider

Coursera
Pricing

Free Online Course (Audit)
Languages

English
Certificate

Paid Certificate Available
Duration & workload

1 day 2 hours 22 minutes
Sessions

On-Demand
Level

Beginner
Subtitles

Arabic, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, Russian, English, Spanish, Kazakh, Hindi, Swedish, Korean, Greek, Chinese, Thai, Ukrainian, Japanese, Indonesian, Polish, Dutch, Turkish, Hungarian, Bengali, Pashto, Urdu, Azerbaijani, Farsi

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Overview

Explore the world of spatial analysis and cartography with geographic information systems (GIS). In this class you will learn the basics of the industry’s leading software tool, ArcGIS, during four week-long modules: Week 1: Learn how GIS grew from paper maps to the globally integrated electronic software packages of today. You will install ArcGIS on your computer and learn how to use online help to answer technical questions. Week 2: Open up ArcGIS and explore data using ArcMap. Learn the foundational concepts of GIS, how to analyze data, and make your first map. Week 3: Make your own maps! Symbolize data and create an eye-catching final product. Week 4: Share your data and maps and learn to store and organize your data. Take Fundamentals of GIS as a standalone course or as part of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialization. By completing the first class in the Specialization you will gain the skills needed to succeed in the full program. Students who need an ArcGIS license will receive a non-commercial, 1 year student license for participation in this course and specialization.

Syllabus

Course Introduction and Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

In this module, we will cover course expectations, give you a quick overview of GIS and what's great about it, take a first look at ArcGIS Pro and identify key elements in the interface, and define core geospatial concepts and terminology. In Section 2, we will discuss options for desktop GIS, the history of GIS and how it's used today, discuss resources and help that you can use, and lay out core skills that are relevant to you as a GIS analyst. We'll close out by showing you how to get a copy of ArcGIS Pro for this course, and with a tutorial on getting started in ArcGIS.

ArcGIS Basics

In this module, we will explore GIS data using ArcMap and will explore and change properties of GIS layers to change map displays. We will subset data using selections, and explore feature attributes. Finally, we will learn about projections and use that knowledge as we run geoprocessing tools.

Making Maps With Common Datasets

In this module we will identify common datasets in both the US and Internationally. We will use a new mode in ArcGIS to create complete maps that include proper symbology, legends, titles, north arrows, and data sources. We will further use more advanced mapping techniques to output map books and label items on the map.

Retrieving and Sharing Data

In this module, we will view and edit metadata in order to create higher quality data. We will retrieve data from the web and share data, discuss workspaces and file formats, and create layer and map packages. We will also use multiple file formats for GIS data and be able to appropriately choose between them based upon project requirements.

Taught by

Nick Santos

Reviews

3.5 rating, based on 11 Class Central reviews

4.8 rating at Coursera based on 5696 ratings

Start your review of Fundamentals of GIS

Sara J. Carvajal @sarajoha

It's a great course for beginners. If you're interested in GIS you should definitely take this course. The forum is very active and the instructor answers to doubts there.
Anonymous

Firstly, I must say that I would not place GIS under the Cartography category. Under Data Science would probably be more accurate. I started this course because I wanted to get a certification in actual Map Making. I wanted to learn to design and cr…

Firstly, I must say that I would not place GIS under the Cartography category. Under Data Science would probably be more accurate. I started this course because I wanted to get a certification in actual Map Making. I wanted to learn to design and create world maps and etc. The type of maps people display. Actual Cartography. GIS is more data management and GPS oriented. If you want to make Google Maps, you’ll enjoy this course. Anyone interested in Cartography as an art form, you’ll hate it.
Secondly, the instructor goes from A to Z in one step. The lectures given throughout the course have zero to do with the graded final. You’ll definitely end up in the Forum or on Google looking for help. It basically goes from complete newb to GIS master.
Thirdly, I honestly think this course is geared towards people who are already pretty solid with data programs. It doesn’t feel very friendly to beginners at all. If you have no background like myself, prepare to struggle and be frustrated. I also recommend you be a Math lover, or you’ll get bored quickly.
Overall, it’s not a terrible course, just very misleading I’d say. Not really Cartography and Not for beginners.
William Clay

The course started out easy enough and I wanted to earn a verified certificate so I paid the $49. I worked through all the lesson exercises and thought I had a good understanding. When I get to the end to do the only graded assignment, it doesn't ha…

The course started out easy enough and I wanted to earn a verified certificate so I paid the $49. I worked through all the lesson exercises and thought I had a good understanding. When I get to the end to do the only graded assignment, it doesn't have anything to do with what was taught in the first three modules. How do you go from using watersheds in California throughout the course to suddenly having students calculate the percentage of voters at each county level? At no point were you shown how to use the program to get those results. I also had to point out to the course creators that one of the lesson files were missing some data. To their credit, they fixed it quickly. I complained to coursera and they gave me a refund even though seven days had passed. They said it was a one-time exception. If you have prior experience with ArcGis then you may be ok, but if you are completely new then good luck.
Eric Hrahsel

I joined this course to get an idea of GIS that i was completely new to, and i was doing well the first 3 weeks but last week's assignment was hard, without proper guide showing how to do them, it was a pain in the butt,, i am very confused right now. They didn't really teach how to do some of them earlier.
Anonymous

Absolutely fantastic course! Very informative for anyone looking to get started with GIS. The only drawback is that it uses ArcMap and not ArcGIS Pro.
Anonymous

So much for it being free as advertised - the first page I got to after enrolling was to pay $49 per month.
Ahmet Furkan Üstün @ahmetfurkanustun
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