Get over to Chez Scholars’ Lab for the hottest GIS workshops in town. And fear not, our references may be from the nineteen hundreds, but much like the themes of that movie, the content of these workshops is ahead of its time.

Spring semester is when we shift gears and turn our workshop focus to ArcGIS Online (AGOL), Esri’s GIS solution for the cloud. AGOL is browser-based, eliminating any Windows vs. Mac shenanigans, and allowing us to provide temporary access to members of the community that don’t have UVA credentials. Not sure what the difference is between ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online? Mark Patterson sums it up well here. Still not sure? As always, feel free to contact us with any questions.

• Sessions are one hour and assume participants have no previous experience using GIS. These will be hands-on demonstrations with step-by-step tutorials.
• We will meet in-person in the Scholars’ Lab (Shannon Library 308) on Wednesdays from 2PM to 3PM, and openly welcome the UVA and larger Charlottesville community.
• Walk-ins are welcome, but due to limited seating, we strongly encourage registering using the links below or at our Events page. If you’re waitlisted, please contact us at uvagis@virginia.edu.
• Class materials will be made available on the Spring 2026 Workshops tab of our Teaching Resources page.
• We will not be offering a virtual option this semester. We apologize for any inconvenience.
• Please note, these workshops are not intended for course instruction. If you’re here at the direction of your professor, or if you’re teaching a class and would like to include GIS instruction, please contact us at uvagis@virginia.edu.

January 28th - Introduction to ArcGIS Online

ArcGIS Online is the cloud-based younger sibling of ArcGIS Pro. It can’t do some of the less flashy, GISy kind of things, but it’s in the cloud, it’s connected, which adds all the hip functionality we’ve come to expect. With ArcGIS Online, you can find and create spatial data, maps, and applications. Access a limited but powerful set of analysis tools that take advantage of cloud computing and pre-configured data and resources. Share and collaborate with small groups or with the world. It’s an easy-to-use entry into the world of GIS, all from the comfort of your browser.

Register Here!

February 4th - Find and Create Spatial Data

Start your data search with AGOL’s collection of geographic information from around the globe. Not finding the data you seek? We’ll cover how to create your own data, and how to share it with the world.

Register Here!

February 11th - Collect Data in the Field

Whether you are crowd sourcing spatial data or performing survey work, having an application that records location and uploads data directly to a mapping application is incredibly useful.

Register Here!

February 18th - Web Mapping and Visualization

Pop-ups, filters, clustering, advanced symbology. There are many ways to personalize your maps, enhancing the story your data tells. We’ll dive into some of the more advanced functionality that allows you to fine-tune your Web Maps. Don’t be put off by “advanced”, though, this session is beginner friendly.

Register Here!

February 25th - Spatial Analysis with ArcGIS Online

Perform basic analysis with tools like Buffer and Spatial Join. Or, enhance your data, taking advantage of the always up-to-date elevation, streets, and demographics data available in ArcGIS Online with tools like Create Viewshed, Find Nearest, and Enrich. Come for the learning and stay for stories about the old days when we had to create all that data ourselves. Uphill. Both ways!!

Register Here!

March 4th - Spring Break, No Workshop!

Enjoy a break. We’ll see you next week!

March 11th - Instant Apps and More

Dip your toes into the world of web GIS applications with AGOL’s quick-configure app builders. We’ll explore a few of the many options for enriching your map and data with focused applications. From time animation to interactive multimedia, these easy-to-use templates and builders take your data to the next level.

Register Here!

March 18th - Introduction to ArcGIS StoryMaps

StoryMaps is a website builder that makes it easy to add narritive and multimedia context to your ArcGIS Online maps. Whether telling a story, giving a tour, or comparing historic maps, StoryMaps is an easy-to-use tool that allows you to create a polished web presentation.

Register Here!

Jet on in to our Fall GIS Workshop Series. In between arguments among Chris and I about which one of us is Maverick and which one is Goose, we’ll be covering basic GIS operations. I know Goose is from the first movie, but I can’t remember any other characters from the sequel. I think Jon Hamm is in it?

This semester we’ll primarily be GISing with the desktop GIS software ArcGIS Pro, covering basic use and techniques that will get you comfortable and exploring on your own. If you’re interested in ArcGIS Online, we’ll briefly cover that in the last couple of sessions, and will do a deeper dive in the Spring. Not sure what the difference is? ArcGIS Pro is a Windows-only desktop program that you install on your (Windows) computer. ArcGIS Online is a web-based GIS platform that you access through a web browser on nearly any device. Mark Patterson sums it up well here. Still not sure? As always, feel free to ping us with any questions.

• Sessions are one hour and assume participants have no previous experience using GIS. These will be hands-on demonstrations with step-by-step tutorials.
• We will meet in-person in the Scholars’ Lab (Shannon Library 308) on Wednesdays from 2PM to 3PM, and openly welcome the UVA and larger Charlottesville community.
• We will provide laptops for easy access to ArcGIS Pro.
• Walk-ins are welcome, but due to a limited number of laptops, we strongly encourage registering using the links below or at our Events page. If you’re waitlisted, please contact us at uvagis@virginia.edu.
• We will not be offering a virtual option this semester. We apologize for any inconvenience.
• Please note, these workshops are not intended for course instruction. If you’re here at the direction of your professor, or if you’re teaching a class and would like to include GIS instruction, please contact us at uvagis@virginia.edu.

September 10th - Making Your First Map with ArcGIS Pro

Here’s your chance to get started with geographic information systems software in a friendly, jargon-free environment. This workshop introduces the skills you need to make your own maps. Along the way you’ll get familiar with the desktop GIS application ArcGIS Pro, and a gentle introduction to cartography. You’ll leave with your own cartographic masterpieces and tips for learning more in your pursuit of mappiness at UVA.

Register Here!

September 17th - Putting Old Maps and Aerial Photos on Your Map: Georeferencing in ArcGIS Pro

Would you like to see historical maps overlaid on modern aerial photography? Do you need to extract features of a map for use in GIS? Georeferencing is the first step. We will show you how to take a scan of a paper map and align in it in ArcGIS.

Register Here!

September 24th - Getting Your Data on a Map, Plotting Lat/Lon Coordinates

Do you have a spreadsheet of Lat/Lon coordinates you would like to see on a map? We will show you how to do that and more. ArcGIS Pro makes it easy to take your tabular data and generate stylized points on a map.

Register Here!

October 1st - Mapping Street Addresses (Geocoding), and More Spatial Things

Do you have a list of street addresses crying out to be mapped? Have a list of zip codes or census tracts you wish to associate with other data? We’ll start with addresses and other things spatial and end with points on a map, ready for visualization and analysis.

Register Here!

October 8th - Taking Control of Your Spatial Data: Editing in ArcGIS Pro

Until we perfect that magic “extract all those lines from this paper map” button we’re stuck using editing tools to get that job done. If you’re lucky, someone else has done the work to create your points, lines, and polygons but maybe they need your magic touch to make them better. This session shows you how to create and modify vector features in ArcGIS Pro. We’ll explore tools to create new points, lines, and polygons and to edit existing datasets.

Register Here!

October 15th - Easy Demographics

Need to make a quick demographic map? This workshop will show you how easily navigate Social Explorer. This powerful online application makes it easy to create maps with contemporary and historic census data and religious information.

Register Here!

October 22nd - Introduction to ArcGIS Online

With ArcGIS Online, you can use and create maps and scenes, access ready-to-use maps, layers and analytics, publish data as web layers, collaborate and share, access maps from any device, make maps with your spreadsheet data, customize the ArcGIS Online website, and view status reports.

Register Here!

October 29th - ArcGIS Story Maps

ArcGIS StoryMaps is a spatially enabled website/application builder that allows you to add narrative and multimedia context to your ArcGIS Online maps (or locational context to your narrative and multimedia content, depending on how your brain works). Whether telling a story, giving a tour or comparing historical maps, ArcGIS StoryMaps is an easy-to-use builder that creates polished presentations.

Register Here!

Or is it Happily ever Mapter? Definitely not Mappily Ever Mapter though, that would be silly. Anyway, if your goal is to learn GIS, this workshop series may have the fairytale ending you’re hoping for. If nothing else, you’ll leave these sessions feeling spatial.

Spring will allegedy be springing - depending on when you’re reading this, you may have missed or forgotten the mini ice age we are currently experiencing. Regardless, it’s a new year and it’s a good enough time for us to shift gears and turn our workshop focus to ArcGIS Online (AGOL), Esri’s GIS solution for the cloud. AGOL is browser-based, eliminating any Windows vs. Mac shenanigans, and allowing us to provide temporary access to members of the community that don’t have UVA credentials.

• Registration is required, please use the links below or check out our Events page to sign up.
• All sessions are one hour and assume participants have no previous experience using GIS. They will be hands-on demonstrations with step-by-step tutorials.
• Sessions will be taught on Tuesdays from 1PM to 2PM in Shannon Library 308 and virtually and are free and open to the UVA and larger Charlottesville community.
• Please bring your laptop. If you don’t have a laptop, we’re able to provide one.

January 28th - Introduction to ArcGIS Online

ArcGIS Online is the cloud-based younger sibling of ArcGIS Pro. It can’t do some of the less flashy, GISy kind of things, but it’s in the cloud, it’s connected, which adds all the hip functionality we’ve come to expect. With ArcGIS Online, you can find and create spatial data, maps, and applications. Access a limited but powerful set of analysis tools that take advantage of cloud computing and pre-configured data and resources. Share and collaborate with small groups or with the world. It’s an easy-to-use entry into the world of GIS, all from the comfort of your browser.

Register Here!

February 4th - Find and Create Spatial Data

Start your data search with AGOL’s collection of geographic information from around the globe. Not finding the data you seek? We’ll cover how to create your own data, and how to share it with the world.

Register Here!

February 11th - Collect Data in the Field

Whether you are crowd sourcing spatial data or performing survey work, having an application that records location and uploads data directly to a mapping application is incredibly useful.

Register Here!

February 18th - Web Mapping and Visualization

Pop-ups, filters, clustering, advanced symbology. There are many ways to personalize your maps, enhancing the story your data tells. We’ll dive into some of the advanced functionality that allows you to fine-tune your Web Maps.

Register Here!

February 25th - Spatial Analysis with ArcGIS Online

Perform basic analysis with tools like Buffer and Spatial Join. Or, enhance your data, taking advantage of the always up-to-date elevation, streets, and demographics data available in ArcGIS Online with tools like Create Viewshed, Find Nearest, and Enrich. Come for the learning and stay for stories about the old days when we had to create all that data ourselves. Uphill. Both ways!!

Register Here!

March 4th - Instant Apps and More

Dip your toes into the world of web GIS applications with AGOL’s quick-configure app builders. We’ll explore a few of the many options for enriching your map and data with focused applications. From time animation to interactive multimedia, these easy-to-use templates and builders take your data to the next level.

Register Here!

March 11th - Spring Break, No Workshop!

Enjoy a break. We’ll see you next week!

March 18th - App Your Map with Experience Builder

Continuing with the app theme, we’ll go beyond templates into custom application creation. Would you like to make a custom online mapping application without having to code? We would, and do. ArcGIS Experience Builder allows users of all levels to drag and drop tools to create responsive mapping applications, from simple to expansive.

Register Here!

March 25th - Introduction to ArcGIS StoryMaps

StoryMaps is a web application builder that makes it easy to add narritive and multimedia context to your ArcGIS Online maps. Whether telling a story, giving a tour, or comparing historic maps, StoryMaps is an easy-to-use tool that allows you to create a polished web presentation.

Register Here!

Now what you hear is not a test, we’re mapping to the beat! With apologies to The Sugarhill Gang, I welcome you to our 2024 GIS workshop series. We can’t promise any beats or boogieing, but there will be mapping. Lots of it. And if you’re so inclined, plenty of “map” puns (map battle) to ponder.

This semester we’ll be learning common GIS tasks primarily using the desktop GIS software ArcGIS Pro, covering basic use and techniques that will get you comfortable and exploring on your own. If you’re interested in ArcGIS Online, we’ll briefly cover that in the last couple of sessions, and will do a deeper dive in the Spring. Not sure what the difference is? ArcGIS Pro is a Windows-only desktop program that you install on your (Windows) computer. ArcGIS Online is a web-based GIS platform that you access through a web browser on nearly any device. Mark Patterson sums it up well here. Still not sure? As always, feel free to ping us with any questions.

• Registration is required, please use the links below or check out our Events page to sign up.
• All sessions are one hour and assume participants have no previous experience using GIS. They will be hands-on demonstrations with step-by-step tutorials.
• Sessions will be taught on Wednesdays from 2PM to 3PM in Shannon 317 and virtually and are free and open to the UVA and larger Charlottesville community.
• We will provide laptops for in-person attendees. In-person registration is limited to the number of laptops we have available. However, if you’re waitlisted, please contact us at uvagis@virginia.edu. Virtual attendees please scroll to the bottom for information about accessing ArcGIS Pro.

September 11th - Making Your First Map with ArcGIS Pro

Here’s your chance to get started with geographic information systems software in a friendly, jargon-free environment. This workshop introduces the skills you need to make your own maps. Along the way you’ll get familiar with the desktop GIS application ArcGIS Pro, and a gentle introduction to cartography. You’ll leave with your own cartographic masterpieces and tips for learning more in your pursuit of mappiness at UVA.

Register Here!

September 18th - Putting Old Maps and Aerial Photos on Your Map: Georeferencing in ArcGIS Pro

Would you like to see historical maps overlaid on modern aerial photography? Do you need to extract features of a map for use in GIS? Georeferencing is the first step. We will show you how to take a scan of a paper map and align in it in ArcGIS.

Register Here!

September 25th - Getting Your Data on a Map

Do you have a spreadsheet of Lat/Lon coordinates you would like to see on a map? We will show you how to do that and more. ArcGIS Pro makes it easy to take your tabular data and generate stylized points on a map.

Register Here!

October 2nd - Points on Your Map: Street Addresses and More Spatial Things

Do you have a list of street addresses crying out to be mapped? Have a list of zip codes or census tracts you wish to associate with other data? We’ll start with addresses and other things spatial and end with points on a map, ready for visualization and analysis.

Register Here!

October 9th - Taking Control of Your Spatial Data: Editing in ArcGIS Pro

Until we perfect that magic “extract all those lines from this paper map” button we’re stuck using editing tools to get that job done. If you’re lucky, someone else has done the work to create your points, lines, and polygons but maybe they need your magic touch to make them better. This session shows you how to create and modify vector features in ArcGIS Pro. We’ll explore tools to create new points, lines, and polygons and to edit existing datasets.

Register Here!

October 16th - Easy Demographics

Need to make a quick demographic map? This workshop will show you how easily navigate Social Explorer. This powerful online application makes it easy to create maps with contemporary and historic census data and religious information.

Register Here!

October 23rd - Introduction to ArcGIS Online

With ArcGIS Online, you can use and create maps and scenes, access ready-to-use maps, layers and analytics, publish data as web layers, collaborate and share, access maps from any device, make maps with your spreadsheet data, customize the ArcGIS Online website, and view status reports.

Register Here!

October 30th - ArcGIS Story Maps

ArcGIS StoryMaps is a spatially enabled website/application builder that allows you to add narrative and multimedia context to your ArcGIS Online maps (or locational context to your narrative and multimedia content, depending on how your brain works). Whether telling a story, giving a tour or comparing historical maps, ArcGIS StoryMaps is an easy-to-use builder that creates polished presentations.

Register Here!
 

For virtual attendees:

Unfortunately, we cannot provide access to ArcGIS Pro to our virtual attendees that aren’t affiliated with the University. To be clear, ArcGIS Pro is NOT required to virtually attend the sessions, but it is required to complete the hands-on exercises from the first six sessions on your own. The final two sessions cover ArcGIS Online which is browser-based and can be made available to everyone.

• For our virtual non-UVA attendees, unfortunately, we’re unable to provide ArcGIS Pro licenses. Our suggestion would be to take advantage of the GIS computers in the Scholars’ Lab or one of the public computer labs on Grounds. If that’s not feasible, another option is to acquire a personal use license.
• For our virtual attendees with a Mac computer, ArcGIS Pro is not Mac compatible. For UVA affiliates, the simplest solution is to take advantage of UVA’s Remote Apps which provides access to Pro. There are several ways to run Windows on a Mac, including a multi-boot utility like BootCamp or a virtual machine, both of which require expertise we’re unfortunately unable to provide.

What do obscure Gen-X movie references have to do with GIS workshops? Nothing at all, just go with it.

Ah Spring! Plenty of cliches that could go here, about renewal and growth perhaps, but not really fitting as most of these sessions occur during the icy depths of winter. Regardles, it’s a good enough time for us to shift gears and turn our workshop focus to ArcGIS Online (AGOL), Esri’s GIS solution for the cloud. AGOL is browser-based, eliminating any Windows vs. Mac shenanigans, and allowing us to provide temporary access to members of the community that don’t have UVA credentials.

All sessions are one hour and assume participants have no previous experience using GIS. Sessions will be hands-on demonstrations with step-by-step tutorials and expert assistance. All sessions will be taught on Wednesdays from 2PM to 3PM and are free and open to the UVa and larger Charlottesville community. Late-comers are welcome and encouraged, registration will remain open until the conclusion of the workshop. Use the links below to register and get a Zoom link. Yeah, I know, Zoom-fatigue and all that. We’re gonna do virtual one last time, then we will be moving to a hybrid setup for next Fall. If you’re sick of virtual, but want to put a positive spin on things, you are experiencing the end of an era. Exciting, right?

January 31st - Introduction to ArcGIS Online

ArcGIS Online is the cloud-based younger sibling of ArcGIS Pro. It can’t do some of the less flashy, GISy kind of things, but it’s in the cloud, it’s connected, which adds all the hip functionality we’ve come to expect. With ArcGIS Online, you can find and create spatial data, maps, and applications. Access a limited but powerful set of analysis tools that take advantage of cloud computing and pre-configured data and resources. Share and collaborate with small groups or with the world. It’s an easy-to-use entry into the world of GIS, all from the comfort of your browser.

Register Here!

February 7th - Find and Create Spatial Data

Start your data search with AGOL’s collection of geographic information from around the globe. Not finding the data you seek? We’ll cover how to create your own data, and how to share it with the world.

Register Here!

February 14th - Collect Data in the Field

Whether you are crowd sourcing spatial data or performing survey work, having an application that records location and uploads data directly to a mapping application is incredibly useful.

Register Here!

February 21st - Web Mapping and Visualization

Pop-ups, filters, clustering, advanced symbology. There are many ways to personalize your maps, enhancing the story your data tells. We’ll dive into some of the advanced functionality that allows you to fine-tune your Web Maps.

Register Here!

February 28th - Spatial Analysis with ArcGIS Online

Perform basic analysis with tools like Buffer and Spatial Join. Or, enhance your data, taking advantage of the always up-to-date elevation, streets, and demographics data available in ArcGIS Online with tools like Create Viewshed, Find Nearest, and Enrich. Come for the learning and stay for stories about the old days when we had to create all that data ourselves. Uphill. Both ways!!

Register Here!

March 6th - Spring Break, No Workshop!

Enjoy a break. We’ll see you next week!

March 13th - Instant Apps and More

Dip your toes into the world of web GIS applications with AGOL’s quick-configure app builders. We’ll explore a few of the many options for enriching your map and data with focused applications. From time animation to interactive multimedia, these easy-to-use templates and builders take your data to the next level.

Register Here!

March 20th - App Your Map with Experience Builder

Continuing with the app theme, we’ll go beyond templates into custom application creation. Would you like to make a custom online mapping application without having to code? We would, and do. ArcGIS Experience Builder allows users of all levels to drag and drop tools to create responsive mapping applications, from simple to expansive.

Register Here!

March 27th - Introduction to ArcGIS StoryMaps

StoryMaps is a web application builder that makes it easy to add narritive and multimedia context to your ArcGIS Online maps. Whether telling a story, giving a tour, or comparing historic maps, StoryMaps is an easy-to-use tool that allows you to create a polished web presentation.

Register Here!