- Geographic Information System (GIS)
- Cartography
- Esri
- Mapping
- Spatial Analysis
GIS, Mapping, and Spatial Analysis Specialization
Launch your career in mapping and GIS!. Learn the concepts, tools, and techniques to make great maps that answer geographic questions.
Offered By


Skills you will gain
About this Specialization
Applied Learning Project
The courses are based on the idea that you will get the most out of the learning experience if you can tailor your work to your own interests. You will learn how to create GIS data, how to find and evaluate data found online, how to design an effective map, and how to filter data and analyze spatial relationships, and how to work with satellite imagery. In the capstone course, you will apply everything you have learned by either building a portfolio of your work through "mini projects" or planning and executing one large project. Your capstone work will then be presented in a web-based story map that you can share with your friends, family, and colleagues.
No prior experience required.
No prior experience required.
How the Specialization Works
Take Courses
A Coursera Specialization is a series of courses that helps you master a skill. To begin, enroll in the Specialization directly, or review its courses and choose the one you'd like to start with. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. It’s okay to complete just one course — you can pause your learning or end your subscription at any time. Visit your learner dashboard to track your course enrollments and your progress.
Hands-on Project
Every Specialization includes a hands-on project. You'll need to successfully finish the project(s) to complete the Specialization and earn your certificate. If the Specialization includes a separate course for the hands-on project, you'll need to finish each of the other courses before you can start it.
Earn a Certificate
When you finish every course and complete the hands-on project, you'll earn a Certificate that you can share with prospective employers and your professional network.

There are 4 Courses in this Specialization
Introduction to GIS Mapping
Get started learning about the fascinating and useful world of geographic information systems (GIS)! In this first course of the specialization GIS, Mapping, and Spatial Analysis, you'll learn about what a GIS is, how to get started with the software yourself, how things we find in the real world can be represented on a map, how we record locations using coordinates, and how we can make a two-dimensional map from a three-dimensional Earth. In the course project, you will create your own GIS data by tracing geographic features from a satellite image for a location and theme of your choice. This course will give you a strong foundation in mapping and GIS that will give you the understanding you need to start working with GIS, and to succeed in the other courses in this specialization.
GIS Data Acquisition and Map Design
In this course, you will learn how to find GIS data for your own projects, and how to create a well-designed map that effectively communicates your message. The first section focuses on the basic building blocks of GIS data, so that you know what types of GIS files exist, and the implications of choosing one type over another. Next, we'll discuss metadata (which is information about a data set) so you know how to evaluate a data set before you decide to use it, as well as preparing data by merging and clipping files as needed. We'll then talk about how to take non-GIS data, such as a list of addresses, and convert it into "mappable" data using geocoding. Finally, you'll learn about how to take data that you have found and design a map using cartographic principles. In the course project, you will find your own data and create your own quantitative map.
Spatial Analysis and Satellite Imagery in a GIS
In this course, you will learn how to analyze map data using different data types and methods to answer geographic questions. First, you will learn how to filter a data set using different types of queries to find just the data you need to answer a particular question. Then, we will discuss simple yet powerful analysis methods that use vector data to find spatial relationships within and between data sets. In this section, you will also learn about how to use ModelBuilder, a simple but powerful tool for building analysis flowcharts that can then also be run as models. You will then learn how to find, understand, and use remotely sensed data such as satellite imagery, as a rich source of GIS data. You will then learn how to analyze raster data. Finally, you will complete your own project where you get to try out the new skills and tools you have learned about in this course.
GIS, Mapping, and Spatial Analysis Capstone
In this capstone course, you will apply everything you have learned by designing and then completing your own GIS project. You will plan out your project by writing a brief proposal that explains what you plan to do and why. You will then find data for a topic and location of your choice, and perform analysis and create maps that allow you to try out different tools and data sets. The results of your work will be assembled into an Esri story map, which is a web site with maps, images, text, and video. The goal is for you to have a finished product that you can share, and that demonstrates what you have learned.
Offered by

University of Toronto
Established in 1827, the University of Toronto is one of the world’s leading universities, renowned for its excellence in teaching, research, innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as its impact on economic prosperity and social well-being around the globe.
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