In the past month, I was taught several valuable skills in the theory and practice of Geographic Information Science (GISci). Skills such as open data sourcing, working with different types of spatial data files (CSV, Tiff, Shapefiles, GeoJSON, Hosted feature service, LAS, etc...), using different GIS softwares for spatial data analysis (including Google Earth Engine (GEE), ArcGIS PRO, Esri Online, and QGIS), and finally, incorporating principles of cartography to create informative maps.
Experimenting with various map-making projects and stylizations, I came to appreciate the science and art of cartography. I learned that maps can serve distinct purposes; from thematic choropleth maps showing global carbon emissions rates to 3D LiDAR scene maps, useful for government policy, research, and public knowledge. Maps effectively condense large amounts of complex data into accessible visuals. Additionally, GIS analysis tools can filter and highlight critical trends, aiding decision-making and monitoring for businesses and governments.
Thus, this course has given me the practical tool of GIS & cartography; to apply the theory I have learnt in my environmental, anthropological, and economic courses. It has paved the way for a new form of research that I would like to undertake in my future career in environmental and anthropological research.
