Applied Spatial Analysis Using QGIS - Orientation & GIS Literacy

Applied Spatial Analysis Using QGIS — GIS for Surveyors (2026 Cohort) · 06 Sep 2026 · 47:33 · Watch on YouTube (offline-safe)

I write this after every live session — so students who lost power or signal can catch up in minutes, and so our community has a searchable archive for the future. Week 0 is deliberately ungraded and setup-heavy: if your machine, QGIS, and project are configured correctly today, every week after builds without friction.

Week 0 answers one question: "Why can I see Sudan on any map, but not my own field points — and how do I make them match a real map?"

1. What GIS Actually Is

GIS is computer software that lets you work with data tied to a specific location on Earth.

Every GIS record has two components:

• Spatial — where it is: location as X,Y or Lat/Long, geometry, and its coordinate reference system (CRS)
• Aspatial (attribute) — what it is: a table / relation describing the feature (name, type, area, population)

No location = no GIS. No attributes = just a drawing.

2. Data Models: Vector vs Raster

Two ways the real world is represented:

• Vector — discrete objects: Points (wells, field plots), Lines (roads, rivers), Polygons (parcels, districts). Precise, topology-aware, best for survey and cadastral work.
• Raster — continuous grid of cells: DEM, hillshade, population. Each cell holds a value. Best for surfaces and analysis across space.

You choose the model by the question, not the software. We will use both — often together.

3. Data Is the Project — 70% Is Cleaning

As practitioners we spend more than 70% of our time cleaning data before any model or analysis runs. Bad data produces a bad map, no matter how good the tool.

That is why I prepared the Sudan training dataset — clean, reprojected, and offline-ready — so you can focus on learning analysis instead of hunting files all semester. Copy sdn_datasets_for_training/ from your flash drive to ~/Sudan_GIS_Training/. After loading, open the attribute tables and check fclass, area, and CRS. Knowing your data is part of the analysis.

4. The Missing Piece for Surveyors: CRS — Degrees vs Metres

This is what most beginners miss: WGS84 (EPSG:4326) is in degrees; UTM Zone 36N (EPSG:32636) is in metres. Sudan sits in UTM 36N. If you measure distance in degrees you are wrong.

In Week 0 we set QGIS once to metres / square metres, save the project with relative paths (so it still opens after you move the folder), and verify plugins — qgis2web will matter in Week 8.

Live check we used: "What units does UTM 36N use? 1 = degrees · 2 = metres" → 2 = metres.

5. How to Frame a GIS Project That Gets Funded

A GIS project is not "make a map." It is a proposal that must convince an NGO or donor to fund it. Structure it like this:

1. Research Question — specific, answerable, timed
2. Objectives — what you will deliver to answer it
3. Methodology — data, tools (QGIS, free & open source), steps
4. Statistical / Spatial Models — e.g., buffer, overlay, zonal statistics, MCDA
5. Iteration — loop between 1–4 and reframe as needed before you commit
6. Analysis — run it
7. Insights & Delivery — maps, atlas, web map — what the decision-maker sees
8. Budget — people, time, fieldwork, printing, hosting

Bring that one-page proposal to any NGO or agency and they can say yes. Without it they cannot. We will practice this ladder all the way to the Capstone.

6. Build in Public: GitHub & Teams

Create your GitHub account now. Push your weekly deliverable, share knowledge, work as teams, and keep learning in public. Your profile is your portfolio — donors and employers check it. GIS is a team sport; that is how real projects survive.

What You Should Have Now

• QGIS installed on Linux Mint, project saved with relative paths
• All 9 Sudan layers (training_utm36n/*.gpkg) + DEM + hillshade + population rasters loaded on canvas
• Canvas measuring in metres, plugins verified
• Screenshot posted to WhatsApp Course_Helpers

No graded submission this week — just proof you are ready.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome & how the safety net works
03:58 Install & launch QGIS
07:56 Configure once: metres / relative paths / plugins
15:53 Load all 9 Sudan layers + DEM + population rasters
27:47 Chat check — "What units does UTM 36N use?"
31:44 Recap & your Week-0 deliverable
35:42 Q&A — open floor

What's Next

Week 1 — Field Data Import & Contextualization (Project 1A): we bring field_plots.csv onto the real Sudan map and make your points visible for the first time. Come with your Week 0 project ready. Every Sunday 9:45 a.m.

Resources: YouTube playlist Applied Spatial Analysis Using QGIS — Live Sessions & Labs · Data sdn_datasets_for_training/ · Course site saltco.org · Software QGIS (free & open source, offline) · Full publish kit in recordings/zoom_recordings/00_WEEK0/

Did I miss something? Tell me in the Q&A or open an issue — this archive is living and I will update it. — Sallah