Map through Data Workshop

EdBrand conducted a workshop on Data Mapping using  Geographic Information Systems (GIS) on 11 August 2018.

GIS is an integrated collection of software and data used to visualize and organize geographic data, conduct spatial analysis, and create maps and other geo-spatial information. Simply put, GIS lets you add spatial information and create digital maps on your computer. An important feature of GIS is that you can associate information (non-geographical data) with places (geographical data). 

GIS can show you things about your data and how they are related in space. For example, mapping the data of patients treated in a state can show a pattern of disease outbreak and how it varies with values such as age group, sex of the patient etc.  During natural disasters, raster data can be useful to show where the impacted areas are. Town planners can use raster data from satellites to see where informal settlements are and to help in planning infrastructure

The workshop taught participants how to use QGIS, a user friendly Open Source Geographic Information System (GIS). Together with the EdBrand mentor, the attendees explored the basics of mapping geographical spaces using both vector data (latitudes and longitudes) and raster data (grid values, photographs from satellites), and of adding non-geographical attributes to the maps. 

Watch the video below to learn your way through data mapping.