If you are new to GIS software, one way to go get a head start is to follow tutorials available online. The GIC also periodically offers some short courses. Visit our upcoming events section for more information.
Selected online tutorials
- GIS Tutorials and Exercises from Havard Map Collections
- A series of introduction to GIS, the science behind it and some exercises
- Quantum GIS (QGIS) Tutorials.
- Tutorials based on the open-source software demonstrating various type of analysis avaible in QGIS.
- ESRI On-line training.
Getting started with GIS can be difficult. However, as the field is evolving, better resources are available to help people understand the concepts and theory behind GIS analysis. Here is a compilation of some interesting introductory manuals (available as e-books from the McGill Library).
- Encyclopedia of GIS. 2008. Shashi Shekhar; Hui Xiong
- “Entries explain the key software, data sets, and processes used by geographers and computational scientists. Includes major overviews on topics, such as geoinformatics, spatial cognition, and location-based services. Shorter entries define specific terms and concepts, such as the global positioning system, digital elevation/terrain model, and remote sensing.” —McGill Library Summary
- Key Concepts and Techniques in GIS. 2007. Jochen Albrecht.
- “A concise overview of the fundamental ideas that inform Geographic Information Science. It provides detailed descriptions of the concepts and techniques that anyone using GIS software must fully understand to analyze spatial data”--Publisher description.
- GIS for Dummies. 2009. Michael N. DeMers.
- “[…] GIS For Dummies tells you all about mapping terminology and digital mapping, how to locate geographic features and analyze patterns such as streets and waterways, and how to generate travel directions, customer location lists, and much more with GIS. Whether you’re in charge of creating GIS applications for your business or you simply love maps, you’ll find GIS For Dummies is packed with information. “–Publisher’s website.