Mapping resources for North Carolina Educators

North Carolina Public Schools

About

This is a resource for educators interested in utilizing mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in their curriculum. The ubiquity of modern mapping technologies and their applications across science and society justifies the need to introduce students to this powerful tool for understanding and exploring our world. While not exhaustive, this site contains information and links to resources for learning and teaching GIS and mapping. It is focused on data related to North Carolina but should be applicable to anyone interested in mapping.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

A GIS is a computer program for creating, editing, analyzing, and visualizing spatial data. Any information that has a spatial context (state borders, streams, tweets, etc.) can be used in GIS.

GIS Applications

There are many GIS applications available, some open source and some proprietary. Below is a list of a few popular programs:

  • QGIS - QGIS stands out as a free and open source application available for all major operating systems (Windows, Mac, and Linux). It is a powerful system with plenty of mapping functions and is relatively user-friendly (especially for people coming from ArcMap).
  • ArcGIS Desktop - ArcGIS Desktop is a suite of programs that allows high-level and low-level map analysis and publishing and is probably the most common proprietary GIS software. It is produced by Environmental Science Research Institute (ESRI). Many collegiate level GIS classes utilize this software and it is used in countless professional fields. All North Carolina K-12 educators should have access to access to free ArcGIS software. Follow this link for more information: NC K-12 GIS
  • ArcGIS Explorer Desktop – A free map viewing program produced by ESRI. This program allows for basic map viewing, but is extremely limited when it comes to in-depth analyses and editing. The downloaded version is only available for Microsoft Windows while there is an online version for all operating systems.
  • Google Earth Pro – Google Earth Pro is great for viewing data and it does have some rudimentary functions for creating data. Many groups have begun creating map files that fit seamlessly into the Google Earth (.kmz and .kml files). If you search for this type of data online you can find some pretty amazing maps to use in the program. With the Pro version you can also add in a few types of vector and raster GIS data.

GIS Data

There are two main types of digital map data: vector data and raster data.

Vector Data

Vector data represents geographic data as geometric coordinates (x and y position). A vector data set can consist of either points (one coordinate), lines (two or more connected, open coordinates), or polygons (three or more connected, closed coordinates).

Point

Line

Polygon

The most common type of vector data used in GIS is the shapefile. A shapefile is not one file but actually a collection of several files. There are three mandatory files that describe the geometry of the shapefile (.shp), the tabular data associated with the shapefile (.dbf), and an index for moving through the shapefile (.shx), though more may be present (.prj, .shp.xml, .sbn, .sbx, etc.). These files must be kept together in the same directory. When adding a shapefile to a GIS you will load in the file with the .shp extension

Shapefile files

Raster Data

Raster Data is in the form of cells in a grid. Each cell in the grid represents one or more pieces of information (e.g., elevation, color, rainfall, etc.). A photo of Earth from a satellite is an example. If you zoom in close enough you can see the individual pixels (cells) from the image.

Raster Image

There are many raster data formats. A common type is the geoTIFF, a georeferenced image file. Aerial photographs, digital elevation models (DEMs), and land use and land cover are examples of raster data.

Where to Find GIS Data

There are numerous online resources for accessing GIS data. Below are a few helpful sites with free data:

  • NC OneMap Geospatial Portal - for any and all North Carolina based GIS data. Use the search function to find specific data.
  • NCDOT - data from the NC Department of Transportation.
  • NC County Data - links to data sources available for NC counties through NCSU libraries.
  • NC City Data - links to data sources available for NC cities through NCSU libraries.
  • Natural Earth - map data for the entire world at various scales.
  • EarthExplorer - a tool for finding and downloading raster satellite imagery from around the world. Must sign up and request data.
  • US Census - shapefiles related to United States census data.

Learning Resources

  • QGIS Activity - a slide set from a GIS workshop conducted in the Visual World Investigate lab at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. These slides contain a brief background on mapping and an activity on finding, preparing, and manipulating data in QGIS.
  • QGIS Overview - an extensive guide to getting started with QGIS.
  • QGIS Tutorials and Tips - a collection of tutorials for beginners through advanced users.
  • Map School - an awesome overview of cartography and GIS.
  • Map Projections - detailed information on map projections.
  • NCSU GIS data services - resources for exploring and finding GIS data through NCSU Libraries.