What is GIS and why use QGIS?

In this introductory tutorial we'll discuss what geographic information systems (GIS) are, their applications, and potential uses in your own areas of work and expertise. We'll briefly discuss and download QGIS - an open-source program - which can be used to perform common GIS tasks, such as combining, analyzing and visualizing spatial data. These QGIS tutorials are created for new GIS users - with no formal training or experience using GIS. We'll start with foundational concepts and skills, and build towards more advanced topics. You can then extend these skills to datasets of thematic relevance to you in addressing common challenges and tasks.