Summary and Schedule

New to Python or GIS? Start here. This module teaches the foundations that every other module in the curriculum builds on: how to run Python notebooks in Google Colab, how to work with tables and charts, how to handle maps and coordinate systems in Python, and how to make a first map in QGIS. No experience with programming or GIS is needed.

Episode	What you will learn	Tools
Introduction to Foundations	The tools of the curriculum, working in Google Colab, and where to go next	Concepts
Python Basics	Running cells, variables, text, lists, dictionaries, decisions, loops and functions	Python notebooks (6)
Working with Data	Tables with pandas and charts with matplotlib	Python notebooks (2)
Geospatial Python Basics	Map layers with GeoPandas, coordinate reference systems, and attribute and spatial joins	Python notebooks (3)
Getting Started with QGIS	Loading data from the web, styling layers, a choropleth map and a finished layout	QGIS

Each Python notebook takes 15 to 25 minutes, covers one idea, reads its data straight from the web, and ends with an exercise and its solution.

Prerequisite

Prerequisites

A Google account, to open the notebooks in Google Colab
A computer where you can install QGIS, for the last episode
Nothing else: no programming or GIS experience is assumed

The Setup page is the central setup guide for the whole curriculum: Google Colab, installing QGIS, and getting a Census API key.

This module is part of Enabling the Geospatial Turn in the Social Sciences, a set of training modules developed at Purdue University with support from the National Science Foundation.

Setup Instructions

Download files required for the lesson

00h 00m

1. Introduction to Foundations

What do I need to know before starting the other modules?
Which tools does this curriculum use, and what is each one for?
How do Google Colab notebooks work?

00h 30m

2. Python Basics

How do I write and run Python code?
How does Python store numbers, text and collections of values?
How do I make decisions, repeat work and reuse code?

03h 00m

3. Working with Data

How do I load a table of data into Python?
How do I select, filter, sort and summarize rows and columns?
How do I turn a table into a clear chart?

04h 10m

4. Geospatial Python Basics

How does Python store and map geographic data?
What is a coordinate reference system, and why does it matter for measuring?
How do I combine a table with a map layer, or two layers with each other?

05h 55m

5. Getting Started with QGIS: Your First Map

How do I load spatial data into QGIS, including directly from the web?
How do I explore a layer’s attributes?
How can I style point data by category and polygon data by value?
How do I create and export a finished map layout?

07h 40m

Finish

The actual schedule may vary slightly depending on the topics and exercises chosen by the instructor.

This page is the central setup guide for the whole curriculum. Other modules link here instead of repeating these steps. Everything is free.

You need	For	Section
A Google account	Running notebooks in Google Colab	Part 1
QGIS installed on a computer	QGIS episodes (this module, Data Collection, Data Visualization, Case Studies)	Part 2
A Census API key	Notebooks that download Census data (Data Collection, Data Analysis, Case Studies)	Part 3

Part 1: Google Colab

Colab runs Jupyter notebooks in your web browser, so there is nothing to install.

Sign in to a Google account (any Gmail account works).
Click a notebook link in any episode’s Notebooks table. It opens in Colab.
Choose File > Save a copy in Drive so your changes are kept.
Run cells from top to bottom: click a cell and press Shift + Enter.
If Colab warns that the notebook was not written by Google, click Run anyway.

All notebooks read their data straight from the web, so you never need to download data by hand. pandas, matplotlib and GeoPandas come installed in Colab; when a notebook needs anything else, its first cell installs it with !pip install.

Part 2: Install QGIS

QGIS is a free, open source Geographic Information System for viewing, analyzing and mapping spatial data.

Go to https://qgis.org and click Download.
Choose the Long Term Release (LTR) version, the most stable one.
- Windows: the standalone installer (.msi)
- macOS: the macOS installer (.dmg). The first time you open QGIS, you may need to right-click the app and choose Open to get past the security warning.
- Linux: follow the instructions for your distribution on the QGIS download page
Run the installer and keep the default settings.
Open QGIS Desktop (not “QGIS with GRASS” or other variants, if several are listed).

The QGIS window

Screenshot of an empty QGIS project window with yellow labels marking its main parts: the menu bar and toolbars across the top, the Browser panel at upper left listing folders and data sources, the Layers panel at lower left, the large map view on the right, and the status bar along the bottom showing coordinates, scale, magnifier, rotation and the project coordinate system.

Part	What it does
Menu bar	All commands, organized by topic (Project, Layer, Vector, Raster and so on)
Toolbars	Shortcuts for common tools such as pan, zoom and identify
Browser panel	Your files, databases and web sources, including XYZ Tiles basemaps
Layers panel	The layers in your project. Layers at the top are drawn on top.
Map view (canvas)	Where the map is displayed
Status bar	Coordinates under the cursor, map scale and the project’s coordinate system (EPSG code)

If a panel is missing, turn it back on with View > Panels.

Loading data from a web address

Many episodes load data straight from the web:

Layer > Add Layer > Add Vector Layer
Source Type: Protocol: HTTP(S), cloud, etc.
Paste the address given in the episode into URI, then click Add

Part 3: Get a Census API key

The U.S. Census Bureau’s data API refuses requests without a key. Every learner needs their own key. It is free and takes a few minutes.

Go to https://api.census.gov/data/key_signup.html.
Enter your organization (for example, Purdue University) and your email address, and agree to the terms.
Check your email. The key arrives within a few minutes.
Click the activation link in the email. The key does not work until you do.
Paste the key where a notebook asks for it.

Treat the key like a password: do not post it online or leave it in a notebook you share.

Optional: Python on your own computer

Colab is the recommended way to follow the curriculum. If you prefer to work offline, install Anaconda and create an environment with the main libraries:

BASH

conda create -n spatialturn -c conda-forge python=3.11 pandas geopandas matplotlib mapclassify jupyterlab
conda activate spatialturn
jupyter lab

Then download a notebook from Colab (File > Download > Download .ipynb) and open it in JupyterLab. The data is still read from the web, so you need an internet connection.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
A Colab cell gives `NameError`	A cell above it was skipped; use Runtime > Run before
A Colab cell gives `ModuleNotFoundError`	Run the `!pip install` cell at the top of the notebook first
Colab disconnected and forgot everything	Reconnect, then Runtime > Run all
QGIS will not open on macOS	Right-click the app, choose Open, then confirm
The Browser or Layers panel is missing	View > Panels, then tick the panel
A layer loaded from a web address shows nothing	Right-click the layer and choose Zoom to Layer; check that the address was pasted completely
The basemap is blank	Check your internet connection; XYZ basemaps need to be online
The Census API returns “Missing Key” or “Invalid Key”	Check that you clicked the activation link, and that the key was pasted completely