Maps and the Geospatial Revolution

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9/10 stars
based on  132 reviews
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Maps and the Geospatial Revolution
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Course Details

Cost

FREE

Upcoming Schedule

  • On demand

Course Provider

Coursera online courses
Coursera's online classes are designed to help students achieve mastery over course material. Some of the best professors in the world - like neurobiology professor and author Peggy Mason from the University of Chicago, and computer science professor and Folding@Home director Vijay Pande - will supplement your knowledge through video lectures. They will also provide challenging assessments, interactive exercises during each lesson, and the opportunity to use a mobile app to keep up with yo...
Coursera's online classes are designed to help students achieve mastery over course material. Some of the best professors in the world - like neurobiology professor and author Peggy Mason from the University of Chicago, and computer science professor and Folding@Home director Vijay Pande - will supplement your knowledge through video lectures. They will also provide challenging assessments, interactive exercises during each lesson, and the opportunity to use a mobile app to keep up with your coursework. Coursera also partners with the US State Department to create “learning hubs” around the world. Students can get internet access, take courses, and participate in weekly in-person study groups to make learning even more collaborative. Begin your journey into the mysteries of the human brain by taking courses in neuroscience. Learn how to navigate the data infrastructures that multinational corporations use when you discover the world of data analysis. Follow one of Coursera’s “Skill Tracks”. Or try any one of its more than 560 available courses to help you achieve your academic and professional goals.

Provider Subject Specialization
Humanities
Sciences & Technology
4719 reviews

Course Description

Learn how advances in geospatial technology and analytical methods have changed how we do everything, and discover how to make maps and analyze geographic patterns using the latest tools.
Reviews 9/10 stars
132 Reviews for Maps and the Geospatial Revolution

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Rankings are based on a provider's overall CourseTalk score, which takes into account both average rating and number of ratings. Stars round to the nearest half.

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dagush profile image
dagush profile image
10/10 starsCompleted
  • 1 review
  • 1 completed
6 years ago
Although I have taken about 8 Coursera courses so far, this one is among the best I've seen. My previous experience includes a los of OpenStreetMap and Esri's CityEngine, but not any other GIS software, so I had a lot to larn. I loved the course rithm, and after revisiting it all in preparation for the final exam, I could see "the big picture", and I realized the efforts devoted in its creation and organization! Finally, I must confess the professor itself is really great, very clear and a great speaker. Also, I really enjoyed his sense of humor. If you already enrolled, great. If you didn't, you should. ;-)
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Abhishek Ramesh profile image
Abhishek Ramesh profile image

Abhishek Ramesh

10/10 starsTaking Now
1 month, 4 weeks ago
Very informative to the uninitiated with respect to geography and maps. Really helps in understanding the prevalence of maps around us. Nice video presentations and quizzes. The assistance in using dynamic map softwares was truly beneficial.
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student

8/10 starsCompleted
2 months, 3 weeks ago
Great Introductory course to the basic concepts and some applications. The course has flexibility in content from 5 minute lectures, websites, readings, practice maps and external links and videos. You are required to create an account on Esri and able to submit your map for peer review. There are several links to useful resources enclosed in the text and separately after the link to the final exam in the fifth week.. The course is fast paced and covering broad range of basic definitions. It made use of available data from the US census bureau and other sites.
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Scott Depooter profile image
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Scott Depooter

10/10 starsTaking Now
4 months, 1 week ago
I quite enjoyed the course. I have a degree in Geography many years ago and actually became a Geography teacher. It was nice to be able to refresh in what is going on in Geography rather than my usual professional development which is always related to teaching rather than my subject specialty. I am hoping to bring more awareness to my students of the power of geo-spatial data and mapping. I would have liked to have some specific instruction on how personally collected data can be presented on mapping software that currently exists.
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yewubdar Berhanu profile image
yewubdar Berhanu profile image

yewubdar Berhanu

8/10 stars
9 months, 1 week ago
The course is helpful and awesome. I learnt new things and how to use different kinds of maps. The way of teaching the course is easy and understandable. I try to practice on my own till i can do it. I w Thank you
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W D profile image
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W D

10/10 starsCompleted
1 year, 1 month ago
This is the first Coursera course I have taken to give me an overview before I start studying an MSc in GIS. The content was fantastic as well as the videos.
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10/10 starsCompleted
  • 1 review
  • 1 completed
1 year, 2 months ago
Interesting, Formative and Funny, a great experience for me. I learn more and more and the time I spend was full of exercises and nice examples, which allow understand concepts in better way. Thanks to the instructor and the whole equipment that worked hard to do this MOOC.
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10/10 starsCompleted
  • 1 review
  • 1 completed
1 year, 8 months ago
The instructor is engaging and knowledgeable (even if his jokes may need a bit of work). The course content provides an entertaining overview of the the subject matter and a useful introduction to important tools such as ArcGIS Online. As such, it should motivate anyone with an interest in the field to embark upon a more serious program, such as the courses offered by Penn State or other online programs.
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Student

10/10 starsCompleted
2 years ago
I'm a first-timer to GIS. In fact to online classes. I was introduced by a friend who encouraged me to take the course and I didn't regret the decision. It was so enjoyable, I finished the 5 week program in less than 2 weeks. I hope to further my studies in GIS and other related fields. The professor was great!!!! Really cracked me up with his humor. Content was relevant and informative. I'd encourage anyone with the chance to take this class to do so. You use GIS to get to the bathroom! SURPRISE!!!!
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Student

10/10 starsCompleted
2 years, 9 months ago
I am a brand new GIS user and this introductory course was not only very informative, but was lots of fun. The instructor is quite funcastic and his jokes are very intelligent and tons of fun. But one question I have (Yoda style): Who is that "little man kinda like Waldo" that appears in almost all video-lectures? He is always in different locations... I found it quite clever and always motivated me to not only keep eye on the animations and pay attention in the content, but I always tried to find that guy! Hahahahaha... Great multitasking exercise! :-)
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Student

10/10 starsCompleted
2 years, 9 months ago
This is an excellent innovative course for everybody. The instructor presents a variety of relevant mapping/information ideas and venues that can be accessed for free.
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Brantly Goodwin profile image
Brantly Goodwin profile image
10/10 starsCompleted
  • 1 review
  • 1 completed
2 years, 11 months ago
This is a fantastic course to help you see the world in a new light. GIS is a fairly new technology that ties in with all of the information that is now available to us and this course is a great start on how to connect to this technology. Anthony Robinson does a very nice job of making the subject fun and approachable. He has collected an amazing variety of data sources from around the web. I would recommend this class to everyone who is interested in what is going on around them.
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Student

8/10 starsCompleted
2 years, 11 months ago
I think the idea is amazing, but I'd have liked the course to be slightly more technical. I sometimes felt it stretched simple parts unnecessarily while breezing through more interesting ones (like analysis, models, etc). A solution might be to have a follow up course!
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10/10 starsCompleted
  • 1 review
  • 1 completed
4 years, 4 months ago
I've got to know lots of interesting stuff - theory and practice, knowledge and tools. The instructor talked clearly and with humor, gave lots of options to watch/read video lectures, gave links to more stuff on the web for those who want and have more time to read. Discussions brought a lot of ideas, considerations, findings - an effect of massiveness. The instructor was involved in the course - participated in forums, wrote announcements. Peer assesment was an interesting exercise. Before the course, I expected that I'll be forced to go out with my GPS receiver and record stuff in the field - I wasn't, but it was an option. It's OK too, just different from what I thought. I found discussion assignment themes in forums to be too weekly organized - I'd liked a subforum per theme (if somebody wants to say about multiple themes, he/she may post to main forum for the discussion). Mapping assignments took a lot of time from me to do. ... I've got to know lots of interesting stuff - theory and practice, knowledge and tools. The instructor talked clearly and with humor, gave lots of options to watch/read video lectures, gave links to more stuff on the web for those who want and have more time to read. Discussions brought a lot of ideas, considerations, findings - an effect of massiveness. The instructor was involved in the course - participated in forums, wrote announcements. Peer assesment was an interesting exercise. Before the course, I expected that I'll be forced to go out with my GPS receiver and record stuff in the field - I wasn't, but it was an option. It's OK too, just different from what I thought. I found discussion assignment themes in forums to be too weekly organized - I'd liked a subforum per theme (if somebody wants to say about multiple themes, he/she may post to main forum for the discussion). Mapping assignments took a lot of time from me to do. Maybe they could be shorter? It would be good to know required final mapping assignment scope - this one took a lot of time from me too, but I've seen much shorter stories made by peers. Shortcomings were minor and I'm happy I took this course. I'd like to see more introductory courses, in any area, so well organized. The instructor made great job, the provider was good and was not getting in the way of learning process. Thank you, guys!
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Sanjay George profile image
Sanjay George profile image
4/10 starsCompleted
  • 1 review
  • 1 completed
4 years, 4 months ago
I liked the lectures and read through the transcripts just to make sure I didn't miss out on anything. Personally I feel the course could have been completed in 2 - 3 weeks if several topics had not been stretched out so much. Also I thought the mapping assignments were very poorly designed and difficult to do. From an ergonomic and visual POV, they were a pain. I had to keep on flipping between the extremely verbose instructions and the less than appealing GUI of the external map providers (ESRI, ARGCIS, etc). I would have preferred this to have been shown as another video so that I could digest the information in one shot without having to constantly lose focus by shifting from instructions to map and back. Doing problems by oneself is good in Maths but for using a tool, simple spoon-feeding would have been better. To judge if someone really understood how to use those map tools, simple questions could have been included in the ... I liked the lectures and read through the transcripts just to make sure I didn't miss out on anything. Personally I feel the course could have been completed in 2 - 3 weeks if several topics had not been stretched out so much. Also I thought the mapping assignments were very poorly designed and difficult to do. From an ergonomic and visual POV, they were a pain. I had to keep on flipping between the extremely verbose instructions and the less than appealing GUI of the external map providers (ESRI, ARGCIS, etc). I would have preferred this to have been shown as another video so that I could digest the information in one shot without having to constantly lose focus by shifting from instructions to map and back. Doing problems by oneself is good in Maths but for using a tool, simple spoon-feeding would have been better. To judge if someone really understood how to use those map tools, simple questions could have been included in the weekly quizzes. I feel bad being so negative about this one sore point I have and I would like to thank the course makers for the huge amount of knowledge I gained by going through this course. I completed all quizzes albeit after the hard deadline. Thanks to my OCD I did not skip even those painful mapping assignments :-P !
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Student

10/10 starsCompleted
4 years, 4 months ago
No previous knowledge is required for this course, only to be passionate with maps. You will change completely the way you look at a map.
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Student

10/10 starsCompleted
4 years, 4 months ago
All 5 stars! I like the course. It makes me think in a new way. The teacher and website are helpful to me. Even though I learnt this industry in the university, but after graduating, I seldom work with this knowledge. Learning this course gives me further sight and skills. I have known something new happened during these years. Maybe more reading materials will be better to increase my ability. I'm sure in the future I will take other courses of this field.
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10/10 starsCompleted
  • 1 review
  • 1 completed
4 years, 4 months ago
This was my second MOOC on Coursera and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The lectures were relevant and entertaining. The quizzes were well done and followed the lesson content. The final exam required you to draw deep from what you'd learned and the final project was both challenging and rewarding. The peer review is a great tool as well. Overall, if you are interested in geography, this is a great course.
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8/10 starsCompleted
4 years, 4 months ago
Dr. Robinson really "makes" this course content happen. The arrangement & depth of the course content has a nice pace while being moderately challenging. But in his video lectures, Dr. Robinson presents the material for an engaging overview of the lesson, rather than a re-hash of what's to come.
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10/10 starsCompleted
4 years, 4 months ago
this is a very interesting introductory course on GIS and mapping. great choice of content, gives you a great overview of the GIS world. the instructor Anthony is just great. He is funny and chill but he really know his stuff!
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10/10 starsCompleted
4 years, 4 months ago
This was my second course in GIS and in short it was amazing experience. Course content, Professor, Delivery mechanism every thing was perfect. I learned a lot in a very short time and was able to even do some practical work which has always been my dream. The education in this domain in my country is very rare and i was lucky to have been part of this MOOC to learn so much which i will use to enhance my professional goals.
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10/10 starsCompleted
4 years, 4 months ago
This is a well presented course. The mapping assignments are challenging and take quite a bit of time to work through if you are new to ARCGIS, but overall worth the effort. I loved the mix of videos and lecture notes. They made learning interesting and easy. This course is an excellent introduction to GIS or as an update on new uses of GIS.
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8/10 starsCompleted
4 years, 4 months ago
Anthony is an awesome instructor (great sense of humor). Coursera is well, it is what it is. The best part of the MOOC is the final project. I liked this course so much that I am taking additional courses from Penn State.
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10/10 starsCompleted
4 years, 4 months ago
This course was exciting for me: although I already knew several topics, it was a great pleasure to accept this challenge and use the online version of software - that I know little - made available by ESRI. I had applied last year but I couldn't complete: I was very busy because of work. But I really wanted and I expected this new session to organize myself better and take the necessary time. As for the time, in the first 4 weeks I took just about 6-9 hours a week as expected, but in the fifth week I needed more than 20 hours, some of which spent in unsuccessful searches because a lot of data that would be useful not were available. However, this experience was invaluable. Thanks!
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10/10 starsCompleted
4 years, 4 months ago
I found course topics and materials quite useful. It covers introductory subjects of geography, geographical information systems and remote sensing. I strongly recommend this course if you are a university student or if you interested in these topics.
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8/10 starsCompleted
4 years, 4 months ago
Great instructor, lessons are condensed, short but at the same time clear and easy to follow. I guess for professional use more details should be included but for me the material covered was just OK. Interesting and inspiring course. If you liked geography at school, it will leave you with the need of mapping everything you can think of :]
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10/10 starsCompleted
4 years, 4 months ago
I believe the instructor, pacing and content made this class stellar. The amount of content each week was the just right, and the videos and written materials were for the most part, very clear. The one exception, was the instructions for using ESRI. They were directionally accurate but could have been a bit more precise in describing the step-by-step activity. Dr. Robinson's engaging style, clarity and sense of humor made the class both informative and fun.
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10/10 starsCompleted
4 years, 4 months ago
This course had a great balance of theory and practical applications. It gave a great overview of GIS and has left me wanting to become involved in crowd-sourcing of data for organisations like Ushahidi.
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10/10 starsCompleted
4 years, 4 months ago
This was one of the most well designed online courses I have taken. The range of activities, videos, labs and projects was impressive. Topic level was advanced beginner, perhaps a little fast for absolute newbies, but quite a bit of review for those of us with a geography background. Professor is a bit corny but engaging, which makes for a more entertaining MOOC. Recommended as a moderately intensive introduction to GIS mapping and analysis.
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10/10 starsCompleted
4 years, 4 months ago
This was my fourth or fifth Coursera course, but the first in Geography. I am taking these MOOCs purely for my own personal growth, now that I have a bit more time. This was by far the most fun, the lecturer is really great, and doesn't take himself or his subject too seriously, and at the same time allowed us to get a glimpse of all of the amazing resources available through the internet in this quickly evolving field. I especially appreciate having the transcript of the lectures, which for me makes learning much easier. This took some time each week , especially the Mapping projects, but it was just fascinating! Thanks you Professor!
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