The Geospatial/GIS Quarterly

Find out what's happening in the geospatial community at UC Riverside and elsewhere! Whether you are UCR faculty, student or staff, well-versed in geographic information systems (GIS) or just getting started, we hope you'll find something of value here. Be sure to check back for updates!

Join us for a lunchtime discussion about GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and geospatial inquiry. Topics include research, instruction, upcoming events, learning opportunities, and practical applications. A brief presentation is often included.

UCR affiliates from all disciplines and departments, at all skill levels, are welcome and encouraged to attend! Community members are also welcome.

All meetups take place from 12:00 - 12:50 pm on Zoom. Register through Eventbrite.

• Tuesday, April 15 - Career Panel - Early career GIS professionals will share their stories and answer questions!
• Tuesday, May 13 - presentation by Nan Li, Assistant Project Scientist in the Environmental Sciences Dept.

Every quarter the library offers one or more workshops involving GIS tools or related topics.

For Spring 2025, the workshop will be:

Thursday, May 8, 2:00 pm - Introduction to Google Earth

To see past workshops in the Geospatial series, or a video on geospatial resources at UCR, browse the Geospatial playlist on the  UCR Library YouTube channel  (where you'll also find helpful workshops on topics other than GIS!)

Additionally, save the date: Planet Imagery Day is being planned for Friday, May 2! See how UCR researchers have used Planet satellite imagery in their projects, and learn from a  Planet Labs  expert.

Consultations - If you need help with a mapping challenge or finding GIS data,  book a consultation  with Janet Reyes, the Geospatial Information Librarian. You can also email Janet at: janet dot reyes at ucr dot edu.

Mapping tools -  PolicyMap  and  Social Explorer  can be accessed through UCR Library's  list of databases .

A relatively new addition to our list of databases is  Fire Insurance Maps Online , a resource for digital copies of Sanborn maps and other detailed historical maps of California.

Access for these tools is available on campus or by using the VPN.

Online library guides - Need to see how geospatial tools compare? Looking for sites for downloading geospatial data? Curious about historical aerial imagery of the Inland Empire? Check out these guides provided by the UCR Library:

The following courses with a GIS or spatial component are being offered in Spring 2025. Watch this space for updates!

ENSC 175 - Spatial Analysis and Remote Sensing for Environmental Sciences

GEO 004 - Natural Hazards and Disasters

GEO 157 - Introduction to Geographical Information Science

PBPL 255 - Mapping for the Common Good

Where on campus can you find computers with GIS software installed?

Orbach Science Library, Room 147 is home to the Scholarly Technology and Research (STAR) Lab. The  lab  has four reservable high-performance Windows PC workstations. Along with other specialized software, all STAR Lab workstations provide:

• ArcGIS Pro
• Google Earth Pro
• GRASS GIS
• QGIS

ITS labs, in  Watkins 2111 and 2117 , also provide access to ArcGIS Pro, Google Earth Pro, and QGIS.

All UCR affiliates can access ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Desktop (ArcMap) by using  itopia  virtual machines.

Several UCR students looking to expand their GIS skills and knowledge have created an unofficial GIS@UCR Club. Membership is open to undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines. To learn more, contact Kavin Phabiani at: kphab001 at ucr dot edu.

The RAISE initiative (UC Riverside Artificial Intelligence Research and Education Institute) includes a  team  investigating AI applications in Agriculture, Environmental, and Geospatial Sciences.

The  Center for Geospatial Sciences  (CGS) is a research and educational hub housed within UCR's School of Public Policy.

CGS promotes transdisciplinary approaches to problem solving, leveraging spatial analytics, geocomputation and geoinformatics techniques for enhancing decision making and improving public policy. It is structured to cross traditional academic boundaries, interface with the community and engage the public and private sectors.

Dr. Tony Grubesic is the Director of the Center, and Dr. Eddie Helderop serves as the Associate Director.

The  UC GIS Hub  is an evolving source of information about geospatial expertise in the UC system.

The UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Informatics and GIS program ( UCANR IGIS ) offers virtual workshops on a variety of GIS and data topics. Check out their  videos  of past workshops and learn some new skills!

Class Central provides several links to  free online GIS classes  offered by other institutions.

 CalGIS 2025  will be held April 14-16 in Sonoma, California.

The website for the Inland Empire GIS User Group includes a  page for local job postings  as well as several GIS job boards.

 Esri Newsroom 

 QGIS blog 

 Newsweek 

 Wired 

 Newspaper Map 

A story map literally about  maps in the news ! (historically)

UCR affiliates: subscribe to the Geospatial mailing list to keep up with the very latest in our community - including job & internship opportunities, calls for help with a geospatial challenge, program announcements, and more!

To request being added to the mailing list, please email janet dot reyes at ucr dot edu. Thank you!