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GIS & Mapping

PennMGIS

Penn Libraries Mapping & GIS club (PennMGIS) by Research Data & Digital Scholarship.

The Penn Libraries Mapping & GIS club (PennMGIS) presented by Research Data & Digital Scholarship team at the Penn Libraries is a group that meets to discuss, learn, and co-work on topics and projects related to mapping, geospatial data processing, visualization, and analysis tools through hands-on tutorials, workshops, and presentations.

The group meets in-person in RDDSX space, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, on the 3rd Tuesday of the month from 12pm - 1pm. 

Students, staff, and faculty at any level of skill are welcome!

2023

PennMGIS meeting
Date: Thu, Oct 19, 2023, 12pm - 1pm.
Topic: Spatial Analysis using Graphical Modeler in QGIS.
This workshop provides an introduction to using Graphical Modeler in QGIS (known as ModelBuilder in ArcGIS) for spatial analysis using a real-world case study and practical example.

Location: Van Pelt Library: RDDSX space (located behind the public printers on the 1st floor)
Optional: Install the free and open-source QGIS from https://qgis.org/en/site/forusers/download.html. It is available for all platforms.
All levels of skill are welcome. Light refreshments will be served.
If you have any questions or require further information, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at  or slack us (pennmgis.slack.com) and share this message to anyone who would be interested.

 

PennMGIS meeting
We are excited to announce that our first PennMGIS session for the semester begins
Date: Thu, Sep 21, 2023, 12pm - 1pm.
Topic: QGIS Basics and Open source Spatial data. We will discuss the various components of the free and open source QGIS and open source spatial data sources.
Location: Van Pelt Library: RDDSX space (located behind the public printers on the 1st floor)
Optional: Go ahead and install QGIS from https://qgis.org/en/site/forusers/download.html. It is available for all platforms.
Our sessions are designed to cater to all levels of expertise. Don't miss this chance to learn and connect with fellow members. Light refreshments will be served.
We look forward to having you join us for what promises to be an enriching experience. If you have any questions or require further information, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at LibraryGIS@pobox.upenn.edu or slack us (pennmgis.slack.com) and share this message to anyone who would be interested.

Spring 2023 schedule

The group meets in-person in Goldstein Electronic Classroom (Room 114), Van Pelt, on the 3rd Thursday of the month from 12pm - 1pm.

Our first session for the semester begins on Feb 16, 2023.

Meeting 2/16/2023, 12pm - 1pm

Location: Van Pelt Library: Meyerson Conference Room (2nd floor) 

Introduction to ArcGIS StoryMaps: 

  • In this workshop, participants will gain an understanding of the ArcGIS StoryMap platform and its capabilities. They will learn how to combine maps, images, videos, and text to create engaging and informative story maps that can be shared online. By the end of the workshop, participants will be equipped with the skills to create their own ArcGIS StoryMap projects. Whether they are looking to create maps for personal or professional use, this workshop will provide the foundation they need to get started. This workshop is suitable for individuals with little to no experience in ArcGIS StoryMap, as well as those who are looking to expand their knowledge of the platform.  

2022

Meeting 01/20/2022, 3pm - 5pm

Digitizing and Editing Spatial Data: 

  • Oftentimes, you might need to create your own vector layers by digitizing from scanned maps or images to use in your analysis. In this meeting we will explore the on-screen digitizing and editing capabilities of both ArcMap and QGIS to create polygon, line, or point vector layers. 

Meeting 02/17/2022, 3pm - 5pm

OSM as a source of Spatial Data: 

  • Often dubbed as the "Wikipedia of maps", the Open Street Map (OSM) can be a source of detailed spatial data for a mapping project any where in the world which otherwise might be difficult to obtain or costly from proprietary sources. OSM is a crowd sourced data constantly edited by a largest volunteer community of mappers. If you would you like to know how to extract and use OSM data for a project or  how you might be able to edit and contribute data for humanitarian emergency areas using OSM, then this session is for you.  

Meeting 03/17/2022, 3pm - 5pm

Building Interactive Web maps: 

  • A hands-on tutorial on how to build interactive web maps in QGIS (no coding), and in python Jupyter notebooks.  

Meeting 04/21/2022, 3pm - 5pm

Cancelled in favor of an Earth Day Mapathon, Friday, 04/22/2022, 3pm - 5pm : 

Meeting 05/19/2022, 3pm - 5pm

Accessing and Visualizing US Census Data: 

  • Demonstrates various ways on how to access and visualize US Census Data in a cloud platform, desktop GIS software, or programmatically in Python & R environments.  

Meeting 06/16/2022, 3pm - 5pm

QGIS Basics tutorial:

Meeting 07/21/2022, 3pm - 5pm

How to create interactive web maps: 

  • Demonstration of various tools of creating interactive web maps.  

Meeting 08/18/2022, 3pm - 5pm

Downloading & using LiDAR point cloud data in QGIS : 

  • Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) is a technology used to create high-resolution models of ground elevation with a vertical accuracy of 10 centimeters. In this session we will demonstrate how to access LiDAR data from the USGS's "The National Map" website, download the data and visualize it in QGIS. 

Meeting 10/20/2022, 3pm - 5pm

30 Day Map Challenge: 

  • During the month of November, map enthusiasts from all over the world join to take part in Topi Tjukanov's #30daymapchallenge where all interested are invited to create a map each day with the tools of their choice centered around that day’s theme posted each year at https://30daymapchallenge.com/ . We will discuss how we can participate in the map challenge for this year.  

Meeting 12/15/2022, 3pm - 5pm

Georectifying scanned historical maps: 

  • Georectification is taking an image such as a scanned map that has not been adjusted to be in a known coordinate system, and assign it a known coordinate system. In this session we will demonstrate various tools and ways of georectifying scanned maps.  

2021

Meeting 02/18/2021, 3pm - 5pm 

  • Brief address by Nicky Agate, Assistant University Librarian for Research Data & Digital Scholarship.
  • Introduction to the purpose, format, and requirements of PennMGIS.
  • Short presentation on Geospatial tools and software.
  • Other discussion, Q&A, and suggestions.
  • Suggest or vote for a GIS/mapping topic you would like to know more about at this link.

Meeting 03/18/2021, 3pm - 5pm

  • QGIS Basics tutorial: We will explore GIS data models and formats, and the various components of the free and open source QGIS interface and tools.
  • Requirement: Bring a laptop with QGIS preinstalled from https://qgis.org/en/site/forusers/download.html
  • Recommended: QGIS Standalone installer 3.16 (also known as "Hannover"), long term release (LTR).

Meeting 04/15/2021, 3pm - 5pm

  • Building interactive Web maps.
  • We will explore how to build interactive Web maps and applications using the ESRI's ArcGIS-online and Web AppBuilder.
  • We will also learn how to create simple web maps using OpenLayers and Leaflet. Both are free and open source JavaScript libraries.
  • Requirement: Bring a laptop with QGIS preinstalled from https://qgis.org/en/site/forusers/download.html and should signup for an ArcGIS online account.
  • Recommended: QGIS Standalone installer 3.16 (also known as "Hannover"), long term release (LTR).
  • If you don't have an ArcGIS online organizational account setup yet, drop me an email at gmisgna@upenn.edu with "ArcGIS online" subject line.

Meeting 06/17/2021, 3pm - 5pm

  • Digitizing and Editing Spatial Data: 
  • Oftentimes, you might need to create your own vector layers by digitizing from scanned maps or images to use in your analysis. In this meeting we will explore the on-screen digitizing and editing capabilities of both ArcMap and QGIS to create polygon, line, or point vector layers. 

Meeting 07/15/2021, 3pm - 5pm

A workshop on Accessing and Visualizing Census Data focusing on various ways of obtaining Census Data for use in GIS analysis and mapping.

  • Access census data through Social Explorer,
  • Access directly from Census Bureau's website and visualize in desktop GIS software (ArcGIS and QGIS),
  • Access through python based census API wrapper.

Meeting 08/19/2021, 3pm - 5pm 

  • Cancelled

Meeting 09/16/2021, 3pm - 5pm

A workshop on Accessing and Visualizing Census Data focusing on various ways of obtaining Census Data for use in GIS analysis and mapping.

  • Access census data through Social Explorer,
  • Access directly from Census Bureau's website and visualize in desktop GIS software (ArcGIS and QGIS),
  • Access through python based census API wrapper.

Meeting 10/21/2021, 3pm - 4pm

  • A workshop on building Interactive map using python and Jupyter notebook.
  • Will demonstrate how to build a simple IP Address locator tool.

Meeting 12/16/2021, 3pm - 5pm (Cancelled, Final Exams week)

QGIS Basics tutorial:

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