GIS Basics — A Complete Introduction

GIS Basics is a comprehensive, from-first-principles course covering every foundational topic in Geographic Information Systems. It's modeled on a full university semester: 20 modules, 78 lessons, hands-on labs, and self-check exercises throughout.

What you'll learn

• The core concepts of GIS: spatial data models, coordinate systems, cartographic design
• How to work with every major spatial data format — vector, raster, cloud-native
• Spatial analysis from buffers and overlays to kriging and network routing
• Remote sensing fundamentals, including NDVI and image classification
• Web GIS, tiles, OGC services, and modern mapping APIs
• Programming GIS workflows with Python, GDAL, and PostGIS
• How to think about accuracy, ethics, and your career in geospatial

Who it's for

This course is for complete beginners who want a serious foundation, but also for working professionals who want to fill in the theoretical gaps that most tool-focused training skips. No prior GIS experience required — just curiosity and a willingness to work through the exercises.

How it's structured

Each module has 3–7 lessons. Concept lessons are 15–25 minutes of reading; lab lessons are hands-on workflows you complete in software like QGIS, Atlas, or PostGIS. Every lesson ends with 3 self-check exercises (answers hidden under collapsible sections) so you can verify understanding before moving on.

Recommended pace: one module per week for 20 weeks, or compress into a semester of roughly 12–14 weeks with two modules per week. Fully self-paced — work in whatever order makes sense for you.