DIY Exercises from Free GIS Tools for Transit Analysis and Map Making

  • Date: February 4, 2022

On January 26th and February 2nd, 2022, the National Center for Applied Transit Technology held a workshop with Foursquare ITP titled “Free GIS Tools for Transit Analysis and Map Making”. The workshop was designed for staff at small-urban, rural and tribal transit agencies with little to no prior GIS experience to explore:

  • How to access and use free GIS and online mapping tools;
  • How to make maps and perform transit planning analyses; and
  • Approaches and tools – both fancy and simple! – that can be used to successfully implement new mapping technology in your transit planning.

As part of the workshop, handouts with step-by-step instructions on different functions of GIS were developed. These exercises are designed for individuals to go at their own pace and practice the fundamentals of using GIS. Feel free to use these to sharpen your skills or learn something new!

We will be holding this workshop again in the future. Sign up for N-CATT’s newsletter, follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn) or e-mail Marcela Moreno at moreno@ctaa.org for the latest information on the workshop!

Handout Title Description
Free GIS Tools This handout outlines five free GIS tools available for use – ArcGIS Online, Google Earth, Google Maps, QGIS, and Ride with GPS – including skill level needed, key GIS capabilities, and the strengths and limitations of each program. Many of the tools, including ArcGIS Online, Google Earth, and Ride with GPS offer both free and paid subscriptions. This handout focuses on functionalities available in the free versions of each program and/or tool.
Resources This handout provides a list of resources that include expanded GIS information and instruction beyond what is covered in the workshop, including online resources, articles and books, and tutorials. Some of the subjects included in the resources are based on participant feedback from the sign-up survey, where participants indicated subjects they would like to learn more about but for which there was not enough time in the workshop to cover (such as creating a GTFS feed, monitoring bus performance, and information about bus network redesigns).
Installing QGIS This document details the steps associated with installing QGIS in preparation for the National Center for Applied Transit Technology Free GIS Tools for Transit Analysis & Map Making course.
Exploring Geospatial Data This handout details the steps associated with the import and exploration of shapefiles using the examples in the N-CATT GIS Workshop > Day One > Module 2 > Data > Exploring Geospatial Data folder.
Getting Started With QGIS This handout details the steps necessary to open QGIS, save a new project, and install the MapTiler plugin.