About the workshop

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) rely on spatial data—meaning data with a location element such as coordinates. But did you know that non-spatial data can also be converted into spatial data, or combined with it? Doing so opens up new possibilities for uncovering spatial patterns.

This workshop will introduce you to key concepts and skills that enable you to integrate non-spatial data with spatial data, allowing you to answer questions or present results in a spatial format. Rather than focusing purely on technical aspects, the workshop aims to  you to  what could be done with your data—how it can be enriched by adding a spatial component—and what spatial questions you might ask.

 This workshop will cover:

• What is spatial data?
• Geocoding
• PCCF (Postal Code Conversion File)
• Attribute Join
• Spatial Join 

Requirements

Software

ArcGIS Online. SFU students, staff and faculty are eligible for ArcGIS Online accounts for free of charge. If you don’t already have an existing ArcGIS Online account, you can log into ArcGIS Online with your SFU computing ID. For instructions on how to get access to it, refer to this page: https://www.lib.sfu.ca/find/other-materials/data-gis/gis/software-arc-gis