QGIS Workshop Agenda

Introduction to QGIS Workshop
Agenda
8:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Morning Session

8:30 – 9:00 | Welcome & Overview of GIS

  • Participant introductions
  • What is GIS?
  • Vector vs. Raster data
  • Coordinate systems (conceptual overview)
    • WSG 84, UTM 15 NAD 83, Mercator - commonly used with Web Maps

9:00 – 9:30 | Introduction to the QGIS Interface and

  • Tour of the QGIS window and Interface
  • Extensions and the plugins we need to turn on as well as other tool bars/panels
    • HCMGIS
    • Add the Advanced Digitizing Toolbar
  • Adding Data and file formats
    • ShapeFiles
    • GeoJSON
    • GeoPackage
    • CSV - with and without coordinates
    • ESRI Geo Database
  • Connect to Data Directory by adding a Favorite
  • Start a new project and adding the “world” Easter Egg as a background
    • vacationStates.shp and files inside National-Regional/
  • Changing the Project CRS
  • Saving and managing projects
  • Layer Management
  • Add some basic symbology
  • Select Features

9:30 – 10:15 | Building Our First Thematic Map

  • Add Iowa county boundary data
  • Connecting to ESRI background map using HCMGIS plugin
  • Add Data
    • ia_border_utm15n
    • airports
    • highway
    • ia_county_utm15n
  • Managing layer order
  • Create a choropleth map
  • Adjust classification methods
  • Explore categorical vs. numerical data symbology
  • Export Map Canvas

10:15 – 10:30 | Break

10:30 – 11:30 | Data & Layer Management

  • Adding vector and raster layers
  • Connecting to OpenStreetMap (XYZ Tiles)
  • Managing layer order
  • Adjusting transparency
  • Organizing projects effectively
  • Edit the Vacations data layer
  • Add csv with coordinates
    • sampleCoordinates.csv
  • Join population CSV data (example 1 with total population)
    • county_PopulationTotalTrends/counties_pop1990_2020.csv

11:30 – 12:00 | Introduction to Print Layout (Part 1)

  • Creating a new layout
  • Adding map elements
  • Exporting PDF and JPEG

12:00 – 1:00 | Lunch Break

Afternoon Session

1:00 – 1:45 | Symbology Deeper Dive and Labels

  • Styling points, lines, polygons
  • Classification and color ramps
  • Refining the Iowa or US map

1:45 – 2:15 | Working with Attribute Tables

-Explore the Schools/2025_26_SchoolDistricts_Enrollment

  • Sorting and filtering
  • Field Calculator
  • Expressions

2:15 – 2:30 | Break

2:30 – 3:00 | Joining & Editing Data

  • CSV joins part 2
    • county_census_acs_2017_5year_b11003.csv
  • Digitizing features
    • Modify USA Map
    • Make new Geometry
  • Saving edits and new geometry into a GeoPackage

3:00 – 3:30 | Geoprocessing Tools - Introduction

  • Temporary Files
  • Geoocoding
    • iowa_geocoding_safe_50.csv
  • Buffer
  • Count points in Poly
  • Clip or Intersect
  • Reprojecting data

3:30 – 3:50 | Print Layout (Part 2 – Advanced)

  • Multiple map frames / Overview map
    • Use Schools/2025_26_SchoolDistricts_Enrollment
  • Legend refinement
  • Export settings for PDF/JPG

3:50 – 4:30 | Practice and Wrap-Up

  • Workshop Eval
  • Practice
  • Final Q & A

Resources