Getting started with GIS at MIT

What is GIS?
When should I use GIS?
I have never worked with GIS software before. How do I learn to use it?
Where can I work with GIS software at MIT?
How do I obtain GIS software for my computer?
How do I create a map quickly and easily without experience?
How do I get additional assistance?

What is GIS?

Geographic Information Systems offer a dynamic digital environment for visualizing and analyzing geographic information.

When should I use GIS?

• To find spatial data.
• To analyze data using geospatial methods.
• To map information.

I have never worked with GIS software before. How do I learn to use it?

• ESRI virtual campus classes are available to the MIT community through our site license. These courses are all online and can be started and stopped at one's convenience. ESRI provides a series of Learning Pathways that define a set of ESRI training courses, focused on a particular aspect of GIS.
• ArcGIS Desktop Tutorials
• ESRI web-based help overview
• Many books and manuals are available in the GIS Lab at Rotch and throughout the MIT Library system. An example that is helpful for beginners is Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop. Check the online library catalog, Barton, for the most up to date listing of available books.
• Workshops are held during MIT's Independent Activities Period (IAP) and sometimes during the semester. Check the current workshops page for postings. We also continue to host materials from workshops that have been offered in the past online, on the previously offered workshops page.
• Set up an appointment with a GIS specialist by emailing gishelp@mit.edu. Regular lab hours are available during the academic semesters and can be checked on the GIS Lab home page.

Where can I work with GIS software at MIT?

• GIS Lab - Rotch Library (7-238)
• 37-312 - a WinAthena computer cluster.
• For DUSP students, the Computer Resource Network (CRN) of the MIT Department of Urban Studies & Planning.

Additional information on hardware facilities is available in the hardware & software section.

How do I obtain GIS software for my computer?

Fill out the online ESRI GIS software order form. (You will need MIT certificates to access this page.) Installation instructions are available online. For the latest patches and service packs for ArcGIS Desktop visit the ESRI Support Center. For easy access to the MIT Geodata Repository, a collection of international GIS data, you will want to install a small search tool that runs on top of ArcGIS. To download and find instructions visit: http://libraries.mit.edu/gis/data/repository/install_geodata_census.html

If you need to work with ArcGIS from off-campus you will either need to set up a VPN connection (internet connection required) or obtain a dongle (no internet connection required). Dongles can be purchased directly from ESRI, by calling customer service at 888-377-4575 (use option 1 and ask to order hardware keys). Once you have the dongle/key email its number (usually 371######), with the host name, and model of the computer to gishelp@mit.edu and we will get the license file for you. Sometimes a dongle may be available to borrow for short-term, academic use - Daniel Sheehan is the person to contact regarding these requests: (email dsheehan@mit.edu).

ArcGIS does not run on the MAC OS but it can be run on Macintosh over the network through the citrix server http://citrix.mit.edu/staging or it can be run inside a Windows OS installation on the MAC.

How do I create a map quickly and easily without experience?

ESRI's ArcGIS StreetMap provides nationwide address matching and street map display. ArcGIS StreetMap layers automatically manage, label, and draw features, such as local landmarks, streets, parks, water bodies, and other features. ArcGIS StreetMap can geocode addresses by interactively matching a single address or by batch matching from a file of addresses. This dataset is available in Rotch Library - GIS Collection |CDROM G70.212.E776 2006 (ArcGIS 9.2)

How do I get additional assistance?

If you have questions particularly pertaining to ESRI GIS software send an email to esrihelp@mit.edu. All other GIS questions can be sent to gishelp@mit.edu. The GIS Lab staff offer individual assistance during lab hours and work with classes upon request.