Key Points

Data Platforms

  • USGS EarthExplorer provides free satellite imagery and elevation data for studying landscapes and environmental change.
  • Copernicus Data Space offers high-resolution, frequently updated Sentinel imagery for land cover and vegetation analysis.
  • The Census Bureau API enables programmatic access to U.S. demographic data at fine geographic scales.
  • GitHub hosts the workshop materials and supports collaborative sharing of code and research outputs.

Quantum GIS Guide

  • QGIS is a free, open-source GIS application suitable for mapping, visualization, and spatial analysis.
  • Spatial data can be loaded from shapefiles, GeoJSON, GeoPackage, CSV, and raster formats.
  • The Symbology panel controls how data appears on the map — use categorized or graduated styles to highlight patterns.
  • The Print Layout tool lets you compose and export professional maps with titles, legends, and scale bars.

Python Notebook Refresher

  • Jupyter Notebooks let you run Python code in small, interactive cells.
  • Variables persist across cells — execution order matters.
  • If all three exercises felt comfortable, you are ready for the workshop.