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Workshops
The Geospatial Innovation Facility (GIF) offers hands-on applications oriented training in a variety of geospatial topics. We are pleased to offer these workshops at NO COST to UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff. Fees are now $150 for all non-UC affiliates. Unless otherwise noted, these workshops are currently in person only and will be held in 124 Mulford Hall. Seats are limited and will be filled on a first come first serve basis. Stay tuned for additional workshop announcements!
| Spring 2025 GIF Workshops |
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Building Decision Support Web Apps with Shiny for R Friday, February 6, 2026 from 1:00-3:00pm in 124 Mulford Hall, U.C. Berkeley R is a powerful programming environment for data analysis and decision support, however it is not widely known among the general public. The R Shiny package enables R users to turn their data analysis code into web applications with user-friendly interfaces that are relatively easy to deploy. This hands-on, in-person workshop will provide an introduction to Shiny including the principles of reactive programming, fundamentals of UI design, and deployment options. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to take a simple, place-based decision support model and turn it into a Shiny web app. Prerequisites: No experience with Shiny is needed, but some experience with R and RStudio is expected. Participants should register for a free account on Posit Cloud if they don't already have one. Introduction to Open-Source GIS: Working with QGIS Friday, February 20, 2026 from 1:00-3:30 pm in 124 Mulford Hall, U.C. Berkeley QGIS, a free and open-source geospatial desktop application, has been developing at a rapid pace. Its ease of use and accessibility (available for PC, Mac, and Linux platforms) has created a strong and active user community. In this workshop, participants will learn the fundamentals of working with geospatial data. We will explore the basic functionality of QGIS so that you may quickly learn how to load and visualize both vector and raster data, utilize Basemap layers, query attributes, and calculate zonal statistics. After completing this workshop, participants should have the tools to begin spatial analysis on their own study areas. Requirements: None Introduction to Remote Sensing using Open-Source Tools Friday, February 27, 2026 from 1:00-3:30 pm in 124 Mulford Hall, U.C. Berkeley This workshop introduces the basic principles of understanding digital imagery, including the fundamentals of multi-spectral imagery. Participants will learn how to find and download satellite and aerial imagery, how to display and enhance digital imagery and basic techniques for image interpretation and analysis. This workshop will be taught using QGIS, a popular free and open-source geospatial software package. Requirements: None Storytelling with ArcGIS Online and StoryMaps Friday, March 6, 2026 from 1:00-3:30 pm in 124 Mulford Hall, U.C. Berkeley Digital story maps can provide a powerful avenue for telling robust, narrative-driven stories that are situated within their spatial contexts. Researchers can use story map platforms to bring together maps, multi-media components, archival materials, and data analyses. This workshop introduces key terminology, considerations, and paths for getting started with digital mapping. Through critical exploration of examples from different platforms, as well as hands-on practice with Esri’s ArcGIS Online and StoryMaps tools, participants will gain insights into how they might use digital story maps in their own work. Requirements: None Introduction to Google Earth Engine and Vegetation Detection Friday, April 10, 2026 from 1:00-3:30 pm in 124 Mulford Hall, U.C. Berkeley This workshop is for beginner Google Earth Engine users. It introduces the Google Earth Engine applied programming interface (JavaScript version) and basic indicators of vegetation cover and its change from remote sensing imagery. Participants will learn how to find and display digital remote sensing imagery in Google Earth Engine environment, how to create and save code in Earth Engine, and how to manipulate relevant imagery to highlight areas with different presence of vegetation cover. This is a beginner-level workshop that does not require prior work in Google Earth Engine; however, existing users of Google Earth Engine who are new to the topic of vegetation detection are very welcome. Requirements: None Intermediate Google Earth Engine: Image Classification Friday, April 24, 2026 from 1:00-3:30 pm in 124 Mulford Hall, U.C. Berkeley This workshop is for intermediate-level Google Earth Engine users. It introduces the basics of classification of remote sensing imagery to develop land cover maps using state-of-the-art classification algorithms. Participants will also learn how to conduct basic forms of accuracy assessment using independent test samples. Requirements: None |
Cancellation policy: For billable workshops you must cancel your registration up to 24 hours prior to the workshop, to avoid payment.