This workshop has been designed to introduce GIS to participants with little to no experience. Quantum GIS (QGIS), an open source geospatial desktop application, has been developing at a rapid pace, and has recently reached version 1.8. Its ease of use and accessibility (available for PC, Mac, and Linux platforms) has created a strong and active user community. In this workshop, we will explore the basic functionality of QGIS so that you may quickly learn how to load and format vector and raster data, edit shapefiles, and query attributes. Agenda: Presentation What is GIS?