This has been an excellent and informative introduction to GIS! The videos have been clear and engaging. One request/thought that I have: perhaps consider providing downloadable or linked data for small practice projects. Many of my favorite tutorials - where I've learned the most by doing hands on, guided projects - provide learners with the basic data and then walk them through the steps. I know that we've been able to see walk-throughs in these videos - which is quite helpful - but actively doing small, buildable projects oneself is a way to solidify that learning. And, while I get the sense that being able to find accurate, reliable, and usable data is a huge skill and portion of the work within GIS, being an introductory student and trying to make your first maps with data that might be incomplete, less than helpful, or even impossible to download in the first place can be quite frustrating and makes for difficult practice. Other than that request, I just wanted to say thanks for putting together these excellent courses!

I recently completed the online Introduction to GIS Mapping course taught by a professor from the University of Toronto, and I highly recommend it for beginners. The course is well-structured, making complex concepts accessible and easy to understand. The professor excels at breaking down technical information into simpler terms, ensuring that all students, regardless of their prior knowledge, can follow along. The assignments and quiz questions were particularly effective, as they were directly aligned with the course content and reinforced key concepts. This practical approach allowed me to apply what I learned in real-world scenarios. The professor's enthusiasm for the subject and commitment to student success created a supportive online environment. Overall, this course is an excellent starting point for anyone interested in GIS mapping, providing both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in a user-friendly format.

Prof Boyes is a great teacher, introducing you to GIS in a way that requires no prior background at all. Software used is ArcGIS, but ArcPRO seems to be the dominant version now, so not all software steps he demonstrates might be applicable. But, the fact that it's not at all hard to figure out what to do in ArcPRO by simply watching him explaining how to do it in ArcGIS is testament to how clear his explanations are. You'll never just get the steps, you'll get the "why the steps are important" and "what the steps are doing" also. Refreshing to have software taught in such a demystifying way!

Es un excelente curso de introducción. De verdad es el mejor curso que he tomado en Coursera. Es muy completo, el profesor es excelente, dinámico, con ejemplos variados y alguno que otro chiste. Sin duda lo recomiendo a todos los que quieren iniciar en este campo. Yo estoy ya involucrado con el manejo de software GIS pero hay conceptos y algunas cosas prácticas que me ayudó a comprender al ciento por ciento. Me gustó mucho la manera de ilustrar todos los ejemplos, los entendí muy claro. Espero poder terminar todos los cursos de especialización.

Overall the course was structured promisingly and moreover learnt very basic things as they were beautifully explained and would like to congratulate proffessor Don Boyes and team for designing the course chapters accordingly to the title and lastly it gives me immense pleasure to thank university of toronto for providing me with financial aid which i was in much need of and this course has benifitted me lot and would like to hear from the university end about any opportunities for me further wherein i can serve the university .

The course is really great especially the instructor. The material is really well done. There are some issues with the software of course, if you are not a Windows user. ESRI only runs on a Mac using a windows emulator. So the install instructions on a MAC needs some external, ESRI web site, research.

The submission of the material for the lab is confusing. as it asks for three JPEGS but only accepts one. Some external knowledge is needed.

Then the dreaded peer review, as always in MOCs a poor process.

Don Boyes is an outstanding teacher. He is probably one of the best teachers I have ever seen in my entire life. By completing this course, I have learned the basics of GIS and learned about the projection system in a more detailed way. It is an outstanding course for GIS. Those who are going to learn it for the first time will have no problem understanding it. Don Boyes visualizes his discussions in the learners' minds. That is one of the many reasons I have enjoyed this course a lot.

Hello, I overall liked the course. Thank you very much Dr. Boyes for making such amazing learning content.

One suggestion: Please add some content explaining the various types of files and its components used in ArcGIS. I felt a little confused over what a file geodatabase held, what were feature classes, feature datasets, raster datasets etc. So if you could make a video about those file types and their components, it would be wonderful.

Once again, thanks a lot, You're a great teacher!

This is a very interesting course and helpful to gain a solid foundation in understanding GIS and maps in general. I had some experience using GIS and have studied geoscience previously but this has really helped build a good understanding of the fundamentals of creating maps I have previously taken for granted.

I recommend this for anyone who wants to understand maps better in general whether a beginner or someone with more experience but perhaps lacking a formal understanding.

First of all thanks to the instructor , he really deserve the appreciation. He taught it in a very efficient manner, explanation is very easy to understand too. As for the course material it was also excellent. I have learnt a lot of things in this course such as, how to create file geodatabase, feature class, vector and raster representation of the real world, base map, digitizing etc....

This course is very helpful towards other GIS mapping or spatial analysis related course.

Very good basic course. My only suggested improvement is to issue an updated version of this course using ArcGIS Pro, given that it has now been implemented across many institutions, and realistically a course on ArcMap is now a bit outdated. Having said that, I was able to do some ArcGIS Pro tutorials, and teach myself to apply the concepts and skills learned in the course, without too much difficulty.

I absolutely enjoyed the course to the fullest. The thing that I enjoyed most, was the fact that the instructor already put forth the doubts the learners may have in mind, while going through the course videos. Explained in a simple and efficient manner, the course helps almost anyone, to explain GIS and its use to a layman. I would love to learn more courses from the instructor. Thank you!

This is the best course to follow on GIS for a beginner. The lecturer makes the subject very interesting and keep the curiosity throughout the course. He explains basics very well and make sure to explain practical aspects as well. I started liking GIS and developed an interest to learn more about Geography in general after following the course. Thank you Don! Highly recommended.

Dr Boyes, thank you so much for clearing the concepts of basic knowledge on GIS and user interface to ArcGIS.

I am well satisfied with your all explanation; most people do work ultimately but partly understand the knowledge on the part of the coordinate system and projection.

Finally, I got clear now from you well sequence lecture. I was planning to join other courses too.

Prof. Don Boyes has presented the course in a detailed and a systematic order. This course has changed my perspective of maps and has given me a skill to digitize and create feature classes in ArcGIS.

I recommend this course to those who want to change their perspective on 2D Maps and for those who want to explore the digital world of Earth and its applications.

Hello Sir, '

It was a great experience for me to became a participant of this programme. Course content & the way of delivering the content was very good. I definitely looking forward for the next course on this topic. Teaching method of the faculty was excellent and being a faculty i must appreciate his communication skills. Thank you very much.

first of all, I warm thanks for COURSERA and University of Toronto, Thanks Dr. Don Boyes for teaching its is a great opportunity, especially for mine. such a great time we spend here, this pandemic time it is a great opportunity. I learn many things Introduction to GIS Mapping course. it is very helpful for my upcoming study

thankyou very much

This course was really helpful for me to get familiar with the fundamentals of

GIS. My field is in Environmental Engineering and I did not have any idea about geographic maps, coordinate systems, projection and etc. but everything was explained in an easy understanding and interesting way that motivated me to continue the course, Thank you.

I learned in this course the more impotants concepts to start to work with GIS. The meaning of the features, geodatabase, why and how represents things in a map, tools to design in ArcMap and ArcGis, how to save the information, ArcCatalog and many other things amazing about the maps world. I learned a lot thanks the DonBoyes teacher.

It is a suitable course for those who want to enter the world of GIS. Professor Don Boyes addresses each topic without rushing and in a simple way, explaining complex topics with clear and punctual examples. It makes clear basic concepts of cartography and design, a good introduction to the other courses of the specialization.

Excelente curso de introducción, ya he trabajado con GIS antes, por lo que conozco varias funciones, pero me sirvió para repasar conceptos técnicos olvidados. El curso no deja pasar ningún detalle lo que lo hace muy completo, como explicar los tipos de archivos, la escala, los diferentes sistemas de coordenadas, etc.

Tiene mucha base de cartografía que es de bastante utilidad para para no confundir conceptos. Tanto si tienes conocimientos o no en el tema de SIG, tiene información que no está tan clara en otros lados. Lo recomiendo ampliamente. Muy buen curso y bien explicado cada concepto y suficiente desarrollo de los temas.

I loved this introduction and the way in which the professor manages to explain some difficult concepts such as "Projections". The explanation of such a difficult topic (trying to visualize all the 3D background involved on "projections") was excellent! "Projected shadow into a sheet of paper"... Brilliant!

I think this is a great introductory course to GIS mapping as it covers the necessary concepts to start feeling confident with GIS, and you get to start using the software. Also, Don explains everything - even the most complex ideas- in a way that is very engaging and understandable. I highly recommend it!

I liked this course a lot! Don Boyes is really an excelent teacher and he makes every topic really easy to undestand. I struggled in week 5 because it's a lot of information but I managed to learn the basics and I downloaded the explanations so I can consult them whenever I want to refresh my knowledge.