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GIS Software Guide: GIS Training

This guide provides information on how to access and use GIS software. Much of this information is about licensed products, therefore it is geared towards current affiliates of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Classroom GIS Training

GIS short courses are taught periodically by Library Data Services. The uncgis email listserv is used to publicize these training opportunities. The list is also used to share employment opportunities and spatial data resources. If you would like to be added to the email list, subscribe here.

ESRI Training Available to UNC-Chapel Hill Affiliates

UNC at Chapel Hill has a site license for ESRI products, maintained by Software Acquisition. Through this site license, UNC at Chapel Hill affiliates (current faculty, staff, and students) have access to two different types of online tutorials offered through ESRI:​

These are longer, more intensive courses that require passing a knowledge test at the end of the tutorial and earning a certificate of completion.

Quick tutorials to help you get started. These tutorials are considerably shorter and less in-depth than the catalog lessons. They do not require a test, but there is no certificate for completing the tutorial.

ESRI Courses for Beginners

New to GIS? Beginners may find these Catalog Courses and Lesson Plans helpful:

Getting Started with Open Source GIS

How do I ...

...get started with open source GIS?

There are a number of free, open source alternatives to ArcGIS. This page provides general information about open source GIS, as well as links to desktop applications, web mapping frameworks, and geospatial libraries.

...get started with QGIS?

This course series from LinkedIn Learning covers everything from installing QGIS to writing basic Python scripts within the program. For tutorials that cover a wider variety of topics at different skill levels, check out QGIS Tutorials.

...get started with GRASS GIS?

These tutorials were released by Open Source Geo Project, the publishers of GRASS. They include the basics of using GRASS, along with its application to disciplines such as geomorphology and watershed management. A series of Youtube tutorials are also available, however, these videos were published in 2014 so their applicability to the latest version of GRASS may vary.