Overview

0.1 Workshop Description

This workshop is a lesson on coordinate reference systems, an integral part of working with spatial data.

0.2 Learning Objectives

The expected outcome of this workshop is not that you will understand everything about projections by the end of the 2 hours. Learning and understanding projections for geospatial data is (perhaps unfortunately) a life-long endeavor. Will you have questions later? Of course! That is entirely expected.

By the end of this workshop, learners will

  • Be able to define what a projection is
  • Understand why you would choose one over another
  • Be able to apply a projected coordinate system correctly to geospatial data in a coding environment

0.3 Prerequisites

Participants should have

  1. A basic understanding of how to program in the language used in the workshop (either R or Python).
  2. A basic understanding of spatial data formats, raster and vector data in particular.

Participants needing to learn or brush up on their relevant skills can find materials on DataLab’s Workshop Index. Suggested preparation includes:

  1. R Basics or Python Basics, depending on the focus of the workshop being presented
  2. Introduction to GIS with QGIS - just the introductory material about spatial data formats, before the hands-on portion.