Articles

Screenshot from QGIS showing a satellite image of a beach with red dots and triangles for types of nesting sites.

How to Find the URL to an ArcGIS Online Web Map and Add it to QGIS

Caitlin Dempsey

Learn how to find URLs for older feature and map servers hosted on ArcGIS Online so they can be added to QGIS.

A yellowed map of the Philadelphia area from the 1800s.

Chorology and Chorography

Caitlin Dempsey

Chorology examines places and regions, often known as regional geography, while chorography focuses on describing or mapping those regions.

Screenshot of a raster file geodatabase in QGIS.

How to Use Esri File Geodatabases in QGIS

Caitlin Dempsey

Learn how to load both Esri vector and raster file geodatabases in QGIS.

Screenshot in QGIS of a world map with smiley face emojis mapped across it.

Little Known QGIS Parlor Tricks

Caitlin Dempsey

The coordinate box in QGIS is one place where you can uncover neat little GIS mapping tricks.

A screenshot showing the stylized Q for QGIS with a bold dark blue arrow pointing towards the Applications folder on a Mac.

How to Install QGIS on a Mac Computer

Caitlin Dempsey

Follow these step-by-step instructions on how to install QGIS on a Mac.

Map showing the location of Alert, Canada. Data from Naturalearth.com, map by Caitlin Dempsey.

What to Know About Absolute and Relative Location

Caitlin Dempsey

Understand absolute and relative location: absolute uses coordinates or fixed points, while relative describes a place in relation to another location.

A white sign with black writing indicating it's a witness post.

Witness Posts

Caitlin Dempsey

Witness posts are signs that alert visitors to the presence of a nearby survey marker.

An abnormal growth of leaves in a conifer tree.

Witch’s Broom in Trees: Dense Clump of Leaves and Branches

Caitlin Dempsey

Witch's broom affects trees like birch, spruce, and pine, causing dense twig and leaf clusters due to pathogens, parasites, and environmental stressors.

A map of the southwest region of the US showing in deep red extreme heat across the area.

Using Satellite Data to Map Extreme Heat

Caitlin Dempsey

As heatwaves grow more frequent and severe, scientists use remote sensing and Earth system models to monitor and forecast extreme heat.

Side by side satellite images of a glacier in 1988 and 2015 showing the glacier shrinking.

Venezuela Becomes the First Country to Lose its Glaciers

Caitlin Dempsey

Venezuela became the first country to lose all of its glaciers as the last remaining ice on Pico Humboldt shrank to less than two hectares.

An annotated satellite image of a white icy area.

Understanding Fast Ice in Polar Ecosystems and Climate Dynamics

Caitlin Dempsey

Fast ice, found in both polar regions, is sea ice that attaches to coasts, icebergs, ice shelves, or the ocean floor.

Colorful tropical fish swim underwater around a reef.

Mapping Coral Reef Health with Sound

Mark Altaweel

Scientists used artificial intelligence and passive acoustic monitoring to assess coral reef health by analyzing the sounds of the ocean.

View of the Manu'a Islands with the volcanic islands of Ofu and Olosega (background), and Ta'u (foreground). Image, NPS, public domain

A Guide to the Geography of U.S. National Parks

Caitlin Dempsey

Find out the answers to geography trivia questions and more in this article about the geography of U.S. National Parks.

A symbols map using the height of cones in blue to show the number of annual visitors to each U.S. national park. The outline of the U.S. states is in gray.

Explore U.S. National Parks: Fun Map and Geography Trivia

Caitlin Dempsey

This interactive map lets you browse interesting geographical facts and trivia about the 61 U.S. national parks.

A diagram with numbered labels for all the areas of a map layout.

What’s in a Map? Exploring the Elements of Cartography

Caitlin Dempsey

Maps visualize geographic data, and contain elements like data frames, legends, titles, north arrows, scale bars, citations, borders, and inset maps.

A rocky outcrop of a mountain completely surrounded by glaciers.

Nunataks: Glacial Islands

Caitlin Dempsey

Nunataks are isolated mountain peaks visible above ice sheets in polar and high-altitude regions.

An underwater view of staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) on the sandy floor of the ocean.

Study Models How Well Marine Protected Areas Overlap Fish Habitat

Caitlin Dempsey

A study found that most marine protected areas (MPAs) don't adequately cover key habitats of diadromous fish with only 50% of core habitats protected.

A colored map showing major and minor tectonic plates on Earth.

Understanding the Earth’s Structure: A Guide to Tectonic Plates

Caitlin Dempsey

The Earth's lithosphere is divided into tectonic plates, which are in constant motion. Learn where to find GIS data on tectonic plates.

A small child riding a kids red play scooter on a sidewalk.

Using GIS to Design Child-Friendly Cities

Mark Altaweel

Using GIS, cities can design child-friendly pedestrian pathways that prioritize children's interests and safety, promoting urban living and sustainability.

In March the ice arch starting to disintegrate. By April, satellite imagery was showing the crumbling of the ice pack behind the ice arch. By May, sea ice was flowing freely through Nares Strait. Images: NASA.

What is an Ice Arch?

Caitlin Dempsey

An ice arch forms when sea ice buckles under pressure, creating a natural arch-shaped structure in polar regions, often blocking the movement of ice.

A polynya that has formed in an embayment where the Venable Ice Shelf meets Farwell Island in Antartica. Photo: John Sonntag/NASA, public domain.

Polynyas: Natural Openings in Polar Ice

Caitlin Dempsey

Explore the geography of polynyas, unique open water areas in polar ice, and learn about their formation, ecological impact, and role in climate dynamics.

Shaded relief globe centered on Europe and Africa showing where the Prime Meridian and Equator cross in bold white lines.

What is at Zero Degrees Latitude and Zero Degrees Longitude?

Caitlin Dempsey

What can be found at zero degrees latitude and zero degrees longitude?

A series of maps measuring heat stress and heat risk reduction in a neighborhood in Washington D.C. and the relationship to urban tree cover.

Urban Tree Canopy Affects How Heat Stress Impacts Residents

Mark Altaweel

Minority and low-income neighborhoods have 11% fewer trees, are 1.5ยฐC hotter, and have 14% more impervious surfaces than wealthier, whiter areas.

A map showing in orange the range of steller's jay and in blue the range of blue jay over a gray shaded relief map of the United States.

Types of GIS Data Explored: Vector and Raster

Caitlin Dempsey

Explore the key differences between GIS vector and raster data, and how each type supports diverse spatial analysis tasks.

QGIS on a laptop. Image: Caitlin Dempsey

Building a GIS Career

Caitlin Dempsey

Geospatial technology is widely used across industries, with evolving GIS skills. Here are tips to prepare for a GIS career.

Photo of the Espada Acequia in San Antonio, Texas.

Acequias in the Southwest U.S.

Caitlin Dempsey

In New Mexico and other Southwestern states, acequias are channels that are dug to divert water from snow runoff and rivers in order to irrigate fields.