Millions of people across the world love maps, yet only a small percentage of people know how to make maps - and I'm on a mission to change that. Taking your first steps in geographic information systems (GIS) and digital cartography can be really enjoyable, but if you don't have a guide it can also be a wee bit daunting, so that's why I've launched Map Academy. Using real data from many different countries, this course contains over 140 short lessons to help you get up and running with map making and spatial analysis in QGIS. If you want me to add a new video on a topic of your choice, just get in touch and I'll do my best to create one.

QGIS is the world's most popular open source GIS and is used by major corporations worldwide, as well as by national, regional and local governments - and by academics, students and amateur map enthusiasts. It's 100% free, and it works on Mac, PC and Linux. QGIS downloads and installs in minutes and requires no licences or registration - ever.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to make many different kinds of maps and save them as high quality images in a variety of file formats (e.g. pdf, jpg, png, and many more) for use in documents, presentations and other settings. You might be surprised at how much you can learn and how far you can go with QGIS in a short space of time.

Map Academy: Get mapping quickly, with QGIS is organised into the following sections:

• Introduction

• Know your way around QGIS

• Let's make a map

• Data handling

• Locator maps

• 'Heat maps'

• Election maps

• Density maps

• Fun map stuff

• Vector tools in QGIS

• Working with raster data

• QGIS Plugins

• Tips and tricks

• Recap

Okay, so why QGIS? Yes, it's 100% free, but that's not why I want you to use it. The main reasons we use QGIS in this course are as follows.

• BEAUTY: you can produce beautiful maps in QGIS, with minimal fuss.

• SPEED: it's fast - it helps you get the job done quickly and meet those pesky deadlines.

• POWER: its powerful - you can do all kinds of complex spatial analysis with it and go way beyond mapping, if you need to.

But what if you only need to make simple maps? No problem - it's great for that too. You can use QGIS to make basic maps, as well as performing more complex mapping and spatial analysis tasks - if you need it, QGIS can do it.

Like all software, the initial learning curve can be a bit steep and you can quickly become overwhelmed with words, concepts, data formats and menu options - not to mention the unsettling feeling you can get when you first look at a new user interface. You can find lots of QGIS tricks and tips online, but if you're just starting out with GIS it's often difficult to know what terms to search for, where to look, and who to trust.

This is why I've launched Map Academy here on Udemy. This QGIS course is a systematic, step-by-step introduction that begins with the basics of GIS and data, and guides you all the way through different map types and how to create high quality outputs.

Along the way, you'll learn a ton about fundamental GIS concepts and techniques, all based on the idea of doing-as-you-learn and learning-as-you-do. I'll provide a wide range of interesting, in-depth examples from across the world so that you can apply the learning here to your own specific needs. I'll provide all the data you need - as well as showing you where to find more when you need to (a crucial skill for any GIS user).

I assume no prior knowledge or experience of QGIS, or any other GIS software. So long as you're comfortable using a computer, are enthusiastic about maps, and love learning new things then this course is for you.

I look forward to seeing you in class.

- Alasdair :)