Mapping Census Data in Desktop GIS

The goal of this workshop is to show students how to map census data using QGIS, a free and open source desktop software tool for working with geographic data. We will briefly discuss the basics of spatial data and coordinate reference systems. We will show how to load data in CSV and ESRI shapefile formats. We will demonstrate how to join census tabular and geographic data files so that we can create thematic maps based on the census variables. For example, we may map population densities using a graduated color ramp. You will learn the basic data preparation, loading, joining, and mapping functionality in QGIS. This workflow is also applicable to other desktop GIS software such as ArcGIS.

No prior knowledge is required but some experience with geographic data is recommended. However, we highly recommend the April 1 D-Lab workshop on Census data.

Please install the latest long-term release of QGIS (v2.8) on your laptop if you want to follow along with the exercises in the workshop.