A geographic information system (GIS), according to Steinberg and Steinberg (2006) "is a system designed to store, manipulate, analyze, and output map-based, or spatial, information" (p. 7).
As there is no universally agreed upon definition of a GIS, these systems, however, share several common principles:
Steinberg, S. J., & Steinberg, S. (2006). GIS: Geographic information systems for the social sciences: Investigating space and place. Sage.
What Is GIS? A Guide to Geographic Information Systems (8:02 mins) by Spatial Zone (YouTube)
The Library has access to range of resources to support you with using QGIS.
The mapping tools listed under these tabs do not require downloading additional software and offer few barriers to use and access - most only require a dataset (in an appropriate format) to be uploaded to the platform to create a geographical visualisation.
More maps and mapping tools can be found in the Library's Geospatial science guide.
The Australian urban research infrastructure network or AURIN is an online platform that provides access to thousands of Australian datasets with the potential to create spatial visualisations.
The AURIN Map provides access to a range of data layers and the ability to quickly build visualisations, while the AURIN Portal brings together thousands of authoritative, spatially-enabled datasets into a single, robust online analytical platform. The AURIN Portal is free to use for all staff working at or enrolled in an Australian university. It is also free to use for all employees of government departments and non-government (NGO) and not-for-profit (NFP) organisations across all sectors and levels in Australia.
An online, open source mapping platform developed to lower barriers for scholars who wish to explore, visualise, edit and publish geospatial information.
An online map-based tool that allows easy access to spatial data from Australian Government agencies. NationalMap:
There are a range of mapping tools available from Victorian Government agencies. See the 'Victorian maps and spatial data' website below for interactive mapping tools to view environmental, urban, cultural and historical information, as well as access spatial and property data.
Spatial data is available from a range of sources. The links included below focus on Australian and Victorian spatial data.
For more spatial data sources see Datasets in the Library guide for Geospatial science.
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