Intro to GIS Workshop

Master of Urbanism - Q1 Studio

Date: 3 September 2026 Duration: ~8h

Instructors

Daniele Cannatella, Ines Zaid, Rob van Houten, Ana Petrovic, Claudiu Forgaci, Julia Fossa Marques (TA)

Learning Objectives

  • Understand what GIS is, and its role in urbanism
  • Import vector, raster, tabular data
  • Manipulate attribute tables
  • Basic cartography (symbology, legend, layout)
  • Targeted Analysis (density, spatial join, zonal statistics)

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the workshop, students will be able to:

  1. Explain what GIS is and its role in urbanism; distinguish vector and raster data models
  2. Import vector data and produce a basemap
  3. Import raster data and produce a basemap
  4. Manipulate attribute tables and produce a choropleth map
  5. Perform a spatial join between point and polygon data and calculate density
  6. Compute and interpret basic descriptive and zonal statistics
  7. Apply cartographic principles (symbology, legend, layout) to produce one finished map

Day Structure

All exercise blocks (Parts 1–4 and the Cartography exercise) are self-guided: work through the corresponding method sheet at your own pace within the block time. There are no live demos, instructors and TAs circulate to answer questions and troubleshoot.

Shared Miro board for the day: https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVHBv7hoc=/?share_link_id=687199717309

Time Duration Block Type Deliverable
09:00 45 min Intro — learning line overview, what GIS is, common datasets Lecture + Survey
09:45 15 min Break
10:00 30 min Part 1 - Vector import Basemap of Land Use (BBG+CBS neighborhoods); screenshot to Miro
10:30 30 min Part 2 - Raster import Basemap of DTM (AHN); screenshot to Miro
11:00 45 min Part 3 - Attribute tables + choropleth map Choropleth of densities; screenshot to Miro
11:45 15 min Q&A
12:00 60 min Lunch
13:00 60 min Cartography input Lecture
14:00 15 min Break
14:15 60 min Part 4 - Spatial join, density & statistics Miro + Excel barchart
15:15 15 min Exercise Map review after input
15:30 60 min Part 5 - Cartography exercise Exercise ≥1 map finalized, rest as take-home
16:30 30 min Discussion + Wrap-up

Outcomes

  • Basemap of Land Use - screenshot on Miro (Part 1)
  • Basemap of DTM - screenshot on Miro (Part 2)
  • Choropleth of densities - screenshot on Miro (Part 3)
  • Density + spatial join map of bus stops, with descriptive statistics and an Excel barchart - screenshot on Miro (Part 4)
  • Group discussion/review of maps-in-progress, held right after the cartography input, before individual finalization (Cartography input block)
  • One finished, publication-ready map, produced in class (Cartography exercise) - pdf/jpg on Miro
  • Take-home assignment: the remaining three maps, finalized using the same cartographic workflow

Prerequisites

Software

  • QGIS LTR 3.44 installed and running on every machine
  • Shared Miro board, accessible to all students and staff, set up in advance
  • Excel (or equivalent) available on every machine for the Part 4 barchart
  • QGIS Plugins:
    • QSM (QuickMapServices)
    • PDOK

Data

All datasets for the day (Land Use / BBG, CBS neighbourhoods, AHN raster DTM, and bus stop points) are packaged in a single folder on SurfDrive.

Before the workshop:

  1. Download the .zip folder from the link above.
  2. Unzip it to a location you can find quickly (e.g. Documents) - avoid syncing it to OneDrive or another cloud-synced folder.
  3. Do not rename or move any files or subfolders inside - the QGIS project files use relative paths and will break if the folder structure changes.
  4. Confirm the folder opens and contains the expected subfolders before the session starts; there won’t be time to redownload during class.

Preliminary Preparation

Complete the following before 3 September:

  1. Install QGIS LTR 3.44 and confirm it opens without errors.
  2. Install the required plugins (QuickMapServices, PDOK) via Plugins > Manage and Install Plugins.
  3. Set up your QGIS (see tutorials below).
  4. Download and unzip the data folder (see Data section above).
  5. Install Excel or an equivalent spreadsheet tool (Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc) and confirm it opens .xlsx files.
  6. Check Miro board access using the link provided in advance — flag any access issues before the workshop day.
  7. Bring a charged laptop and charger — the day includes raster processing (AHN DTM), which can be demanding on older machines.

For points 1-3, you can refer to these tutorials:

Contact or in advance if any of the above cannot be completed.

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