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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Fundamentals of GIS by University of California, Davis

4.8
stars
5,500 ratings

About the Course

Explore the world of spatial analysis and cartography with geographic information systems (GIS). In this class you will learn the basics of the industry’s leading software tool, ArcGIS, during four week-long modules: Week 1: Learn how GIS grew from paper maps to the globally integrated electronic software packages of today. You will install ArcGIS on your computer and learn how to use online help to answer technical questions. Week 2: Open up ArcGIS and explore data using ArcMap. Learn the foundational concepts of GIS, how to analyze data, and make your first map. Week 3: Make your own maps! Symbolize data and create an eye-catching final product. Week 4: Share your data and maps and learn to store and organize your data. Take Fundamentals of GIS as a standalone course or as part of the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialization. By completing the first class in the Specialization you will gain the skills needed to succeed in the full program. Students who need an ArcGIS license will receive a non-commercial, 1 year student license for participation in this course and specialization....

Top reviews

A

May 16, 2021

GREAT COURSE TO JUMPSTART FOR ANY NEW LEARNERS IN THE FIELD OF GIS. It is extremely helpful to learn the basics & the projects help any new learners to understand what kind of work is done in ArcGIS.

BQ

Dec 27, 2018

the content is awesome. i would recommend it to those who need to have some basic knowledge of GIS. it's very easy to learn the ArcGIS because of the instructions and demos given by the instructor.

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201 - 225 of 1,683 Reviews for Fundamentals of GIS

By Caitlin B

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Sep 25, 2020

I really enjoyed this course, and honestly felt like I learned more and was more able to work with data and maps in GIS after taking this 4 week course than I ever was after I tried taking a semester-long course in college on it. Thanks so much for this course! I look forward to taking the other courses in the specialization. It was a really well-done course.

By Eric L

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Jul 15, 2018

Great overview and introduction to ArcGIS. It might feel basic, you might want to skip parts, but there is valuable information throughout if you're relatively new to ArcGIS. Explaining how to navigate a program like this is especially helpful when so many powerful features are unintuitively buried in right-click menus or a settings button three levels deep.

By Golam T H

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Jul 28, 2017

This is amazing! Absolutely great, useful and easy online course. I have learned very basic things about ArcGIS and got everything I needed to start right away with the complex software package. The course was very interesting and student friendly and it helped me a lot understanding things I wanted and things that were vital for me to learn and understand.

By Tryfonidou E

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Sep 20, 2020

This lesson was really helpful. It was the first time I have never studied ArcGIS before, so I was a total beginner. It was an understandable lesson, with many tutorials and scripts which helped me to understand what GIS is what types of data it uses and basic functions of it. I would totally recommend it for every scientist. It is a a very important tool.

By Andrew J

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Mar 2, 2020

Excellent introduction to ArcGIS. The course took about three weeks to complete during work hours at a casual pace. The three assignments were great at reinforcing course content I'd just learned, and the forums were very helpful. I'm currently enrolled in the second ArcGIS course and the materials from the Fundamentals course are already coming in handy.

By Deva D

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Oct 2, 2016

The Fundamentals of GIS course is very easy to understand with the examples to practice. I am an IT professional, generally develop software solutions to store and analyse data by generating different types of reports. After learning the GIS fundamentals, I am very confident to use the GIS for most of the applications to highlight data based on location.

By Carmen B

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Feb 9, 2024

The course is well-designed, offering a balanced blend of theoretical foundations and practical application, enabling learners to develop hands-on skills using industry-standard GIS software. The instructional materials, including video lectures, readings, and interactive assignments, are meticulously curated to ensure clarity and engagement. Loved it!

By Kendel B

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Jun 18, 2020

GIS is awesome! Many thanks to the organizers especially to the course instructor, Sir Nick Santos, for imparting his great knowledge in GIS; job well done. I learned everything from it which enables me to improve academically in order to achieve my career goals as a lecturer and researcher in higher education. Highly recommended course for beginners.

By Palaiologou M

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Jul 3, 2023

It is a very important course if you want to learn all the basics about ArcGIS. It contains many information about GIS and ArcGIS and when finished you are capable of understand how the software and gIS in general works and what you can do using it. I am very happy I chose this lesson and very satisfied I completed it! Thank you for this opportunity!

By Caitlin E

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Apr 12, 2021

Really thorough and detailed course. I really feel as though I have learnt a lot from the course and I am excited to apply these skills to future careers. Definitely worth paying the money for the course as it allows for access to the software and to the assignments which allow you an opportunity to test your skills and learn from trying it yourself.

By Aroin V

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Jun 18, 2020

The flow from intro of GIS to the actual usage of GIS for analysis is fluid. Every lesson prepares you for the next one. The question included in the quizzes are not that difficult but they are definitely the important points of the lesson. The assignments is easy to follow and the materials provided will be very useful as guides for future analysis.

By Oghenevwede E

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Nov 25, 2018

Great Introductory course to ArcGIS. I have always wanted to learn how to use ArcGIS, that was how I came across it on coursera. At first I was a little bit apprehensive but once I started watching the videos and doing the assignments, it became alot easier. Nick & Co did a great job with the videos and assignments. It was the deal breaker for me.

By Josh W

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Jul 14, 2021

Really enjoyed everything about this course. It was set up well, the instructor is personable and easy to follow, and the free access to ArcGIS for the course is so incredibly nice. Highly recommend taking this. GIS software in general is very fun to work with and this course sets you up with great basics to move on to more advanced projects with.

By Mehran A

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Nov 16, 2022

Dear Nick, you're just awesome!

The course is well-organized and wisely structured. I am fully satisfied with the content and the way it is delivered. It is totally beginner-friendly and it delivers the results it promises. Thanks to UC Davis and Coursera. Thanks to Esri for this collaboration and for granting me a one-year license to use ArcGIS.

By Mohammad A M

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Sep 8, 2021

This was my first online course on Coursera, and it was excellent. I took this course because I needed to learn about GIS and improve my research and future career. Thanks to UC Davis and Mr. Santos (The professor), It was super easy to learn and understand GIS Basics. If you want to start using GIS, I highly recommend you to take this course.

By henloy A

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Aug 22, 2018

Excellent course. learnt a lot from it . It is a good course for beginners. I would just like to add that if you could put in a note at the start of the course that the video demo data is not provided and the students should just try and understand rather than look for the data to join in with the instructor, that would help new students a lot

By Sangay C

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Apr 21, 2021

The course was really worth the time and effort. I got to learn quite a lot about GIS. Within that short period of time, it has covered a lot of important topic about mapping. It is really easy to understand for someone who has barely had any idea about the software. It is fun being able to test yourself at the end with the capstone project.

By Megan M

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Mar 16, 2016

Very thorough course with a great instructor. There are a few tweaks that I think would make the course even better - for example providing examples in the lectures that can be followed along at home. At the end of the day I can functionally use ArcGIS and understand many of the basic concepts to be able to apply GIS technology in my career.

By Silvia G T

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Nov 27, 2022

This course gives a strong introduction to GIS in general and to ArcMap in particular. The instructor is really engaging and enthusiast, and his passion is contagious. The course also gives a free ArcMap license to use. I didn't learn much about GIS analysis, but I hope that this gap will be filled in the next courses in the specialization.

By UlaÅŸ F T

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Mar 29, 2021

Nick is a great teacher. I've used ArcMap in the past, so I was familiar with most of the learning material, and I think Nick covers them in a great way. I've also picked up some extra tricks like spatial join and labeling options in cartography. This course covers the entire basics and is a great starting point for anyone getting into GIS.

By Austin D

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May 22, 2019

This course was great for a first time GIS student. The content level was just right, it introduced me to ArcGIS and showed me how it works, and ultimately, what it does. The course allowed me to take things at my own pace (while keeping me on track) as well as provide labs at the end of each week to practice the skills learned. Nice work!

By Debabrata C

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May 29, 2018

Great course - well designed and organized. The instructor does an excellent job explaining the theoretical concepts in an easily understandable manner. Recommended for anyone who wants to get started with GIS.

A request to the UC Davis, would you please consider offering a similar MOOC on "Remote Sensing", "GOINT" and ArcGIS Server?

Thanks

By Max L

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Sep 29, 2023

Overall great introductory class into GIS and ArcGIS using ArcMap. It is structured in a way that anyone can learn about these powerful tools, the professor is clear and instructive, the assignments are straight forward and easy to follow, and the challenges are all there. great course! looking forward to the other courses by UofC Davis

By Jacqueline C

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Nov 26, 2018

Videos are excellent and the three early assignments are really helpful. As a complete novice I was able to follow. The final assignment is quite challenging for novices, but I was able to complete it by reviewing the videos again. I did not use any other material outside the course, but may invest in the recommended text book now.

By Hannah J G

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May 8, 2018

I like how the basics of GIS are taught in this course. They are easy to follow and understand. The practice assignments are very helpful to me since I easily learn and remember something when I do it myself. The assignments allows me to practice on my own and I have something to compare my work with so i'll know where to improve.