All data have a spatial component, even more so with the new prevalence of location-based applications. By asking questions of this data, we can gain insight into our social and environmental context, and tell powerful, analytical stories through visualizations. This class will start by covering the basics of geospatial data: what it is, how it’s organized, and a description of common formats. There are many repositories of open data, so our next step will be to identify a few sources and gather some datasets local to Philadelphia. We will be using the open-source CartoDB to load, visualize, analyze, and share our results.
Note: Sign up for a free CartoDB account before the class, and come equipped with a laptop or tablet to follow along in the class. No programming or GIS experience is required.