LibGuides: Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Learning GIS

Courses at Brown

Several dedicated GIS courses are offered at Brown each semester, in: Anthropology, Economics, Environmental Science, Public Health, Sociology, and other disciplines. Search Courses@Brown to see what's being offered. A doctoral certificate in spatial analysis is offered by S4.

Instructors can contact the GIS and Data Librarian to arrange course visits for guest lectures and demonstrations related to GIS, mapping, US census data, and socio-economic / demographic data resources.

GIS Workshops

GIS Institute
This intensive two-week seminar is offered by Brown's S4 each winter and summer, with support from PSTC and the library. It focuses on visualization, management, and analysis of geographic data.
Library Workshops
Brown Libraries offer both short sessions and day-long workshops on various data-oriented tools, including GIS, during the fall and spring.
URI EDC Workshops
The Environmental Data Center at the University of Rhode Island offers in-person GIS training in ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Pro.

Online Tutorials

Brown GIS and Data Tutorials
Written by the GIS Librarian at Brown, these tutorials provide you with an introduction to ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, and US census data.
ESRI Academy Course Catalog
A large catalog of tutorials for all ArcGIS products. Several are free; courses tagged with "Requires Maintenance" can be accessed through Brown's site license (see the Software page of this guide for details). "ArcGIS Pro Basics" (web course) and "ArcGIS Pro: An Introduction" (video) are free and good places to start. "Getting Started with ArcGIS Pro" (web course) is more comprehensive.
Introduction to GIS with QGIS
A comprehensive, introductory tutorial manual with exercise data. Written by Brown's GIS and Data Librarian.
Open Mapping Education Series
US Census Bureau video tutorials on using the OpenStreetMap and QGIS (two separate modules).
OSGEO Resources
For FOSS GIS learning materials filter by: course materials, demos, tutorials, and videos.

Books

The library owns or subscribes to e-books and print books for learning GIS; some are tutorial-based and software specific, while others are more conceptual and software agnostic. Search the library's catalog to find books. The list below is a sample of available e-books.