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Welcome to the University of Texas Libraries' GIS and Geospatial Data Services LibGuide homepage. This page provide links to all of the UT Libraries' GIS related resources so that everything is easy to find from this one, central starting point. If you find yourself frequently looking for geospatial information on this page or on any linked pages, you should consider adding a bookmark in your browser so that you can reach this page more easily the next time you need to return to it. In the left column menu you will find links to all GIS related LibGuides. If you have specific geospatial research questions you can set up a personalized research consultation by clicking the Email Me button and describing your particular research project. If you want to stay up to date about GIS relevant news on campus, visit https://utlists.utexas.edu/sympa/info/gis-users to subscribe to the UT GIS user email list.

Spring 2025 Workshops

Spring 2025
Open Source GIS: From QGIS to PythonDonut logo
Instructor: Alex Marden
Date: 1/31/2025
Time: 12:00 - 1:15p.m.
Location: PCL Scholars Lab Data Lab
& Zoom (Virtual Workshop)
Download: Presentation Slides
Download: Code (Colab)
Watch: Zoom Recording
This workshop will guide attendees through open source GIS workflows using QGIS's approachable user interface and demonstrate how to replicate those processes programmatically in Python for enhanced reproducibility and efficiency. GIS beginners can expect a well rounded introduction to geospatial data and software, while seasoned users will benefit from techniques for automating their workflows with Python.
Intro to Python for Data ManagementDonut logo
Instructor: Michael Shensky
Date: 2/11/2025
Time: 12:00 - 1:15p.m.
Location: PCL Scholars Lab Data Lab
& Zoom (Virtual Workshop)
Download: Presentation Slides
Download: Code (Colab)
Watch: Zoom Recording
When you start working with large datasets or need to develop reproducible workflows that can openly be shared with others, the ability to develop scripted processes for data processing and analysis can be essential. Tune in for this workshop to learn the basics of using Python, a popular free and open source scripting language, to process and manage research data.
Python for Data Retrieval and Visualization
Instructor: Ian Goodale &
Michael Shensky
Date: 2/12/2025
Time: 12:00 - 1:15p.m.
Location: Zoom (Virtual Workshop)
Download: Presentation Slides
Download: Code (Colab #1)
Download: Code (Colab #2)
Watch: Zoom Recording
In this workshop you will have a chance to go beyond the basic of Python to gain experience using scripts to retrieve data from different online sources that you can utilize in your research. After retrieving data using APIs, you will learn how to process and clean the data for further analysis and visualization using pandas and matplotlib.
Making Beautiful Plots in R's ggplot2Donut logo
Instructor: Jessica Alexander
Date: 2/13/2025
Time: 12:00 - 1:15p.m.
Location: PCL Scholars Lab Data Lab
& Zoom (Virtual Workshop)
Download: R Code
Watch: Zoom Recording
Never have plot envy again! This hands-on workshop will demystify the fundamentals of using the ggplot2 package in R and will supercharge your plots with statistical data. You will get the most out of this workshop if you already know R basics (e.g., how to define a variable and how to specify input parameters to a function), but otherwise assumes no knowledge of coding in R or building plots in ggplot2.
Where and How to Publish Research DataDonut logo
Instructor: Bryan Gee
Date: 2/14/2025
Time: 12:00 - 1:15p.m.
Location: PCL Scholars Lab Data Lab
& Zoom (Virtual Workshop)
Download: Presentation Slides
Watch: Zoom recording not available
There are a wide range of platforms available to researchers to share their data, and it can be overwhelming trying to find the best home for your data (including which platforms to avoid). This workshop will provide an overview on how to pick a repository for publishing your data, with an emphasis on generalist (non-discipline-specific) platforms, and provide best practices for sharing high-quality metadata and data that maximizes their accessibility and reuse potential and that complies with federal agencies' policies.
How to Share Sensitive (Human) Data
Instructor: Meryl Brodsky &
Bryan Gee
Date: 2/28/2025
Time: 12:00 - 1:15p.m.
Location: Zoom (Virtual Workshop)
Registration: Sign Up Here!
Sharing research data is a requirement of many funding agencies and journals. When the data includes information which, when made public, could be used to harm research participants, researchers must maintain a duty of care to keep the data secure and to protect participants’ identities. In this workshop, we’ll discuss how to meet requirements for data sharing while ensuring ethical treatment and protection of sensitive data. We will address consent issues and IRB, secure storage, anonymization, and de-identification, as well as data (re)use agreements. We will also point out which data can be shared.

UTL GIS & Geospatial Data Services & Resources

UT Libraries GIS & Geospatial Data Services & Resources
Geospatial Research Reference and Consultations
If you have GIS or geospatial research questions you can email gis@lib.utexas.edu for assistance or click the "Schedule Appointment" button on the right side of this page to select a time to meet with a member of the UTL Research Data Services team to discuss your project in detail.
Workshops and Lectures
The UTL Research Data Services team regularly offers workshops on popular geospatial research topics and GIS workflows. If you would like a customized workshop for your research team, lab, center, or department or are interested in a GIS focused guest lecture for your class, please contact us.
Guides
You can find helpful GIS and geospatial research guides that have been custom developed for the UT campus community by browsing the guide list on the left side of this page where you will find them organized by subject.
Geospatial Data from UTL Collections
In 2019 the UT Libraries launched the Texas GeoData portal to expand access to geospatial data from its collections and allow researchers to more easily access geospatial data shared by other institutions. Visit the portal to find downloadable georeferenced maps and vector datasets that you can use in your research.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Generic License.