GIS I: Introduction to GIS

The ability to analyze and manipulate spatial data is critical across many industries, including urban planning, healthcare, agriculture, mining, trade, environmental science, and military intelligence. The demand for skilled GIS analysts is projected to grow rapidly in the coming years, as this specialized area of data analysis is leveraged in an expanding number of fields.

In this introductory course, you will learn the fundamentals of geographic information systems (GIS). Upon completion of the course, you will be able to display, analyze, and store spatial data using GIS, as well as use the different components of Esri ArcGIS Pro. This course also includes an overview of GIS applications in many different industries.

Topics include:

• Cartography and spatial data display
• Querying data for spatial and attribute selections
• Data formats for GIS
• Spatial data analysis tools
• Editing and storing spatial and attribute data
• Map projections and coordinate systems
• Online map creation
• Geocoding

Practical experience:

• Map design
• Spatial data analysis
• Digitizing and editing data
• Geodatabases

Course typically offered: Online, quarterly

Enrollment will be closed three weekdays before course start date. 

Software: Students will use ArcGIS Pro developed by ESRI. The software license is included in the course price and will be distributed within the first week of the course. 

Prerequisites: Strong familiarity with Microsoft Windows 10+ required.

Next steps: Upon completion of this course, consider taking GIS II: Spatial Analysis or GIS III: Web GIS to continue learning.
 
Related Certificate Programs: Geographic Information Systems

Contact: For more information about this course, please contact unex-techdata@ucsd.edu.