1 Introduction

This tutorial provides a brief overview on how to map data in Quantum Geographic Information Systems (QGIS); it is designed for use in a course on data advocacy. Instructions for how to download the open-source QGIS application are available at the QGIS project site.

Our applied example in the tutorial will demonstrate how to map data on state-level variation in the average indebtedness of student borrowers in the year 2020. Data for the exercise comes from the Institute for College Access and Success and can be downloaded from their website.

Data to complete the exercises (including the student debt data from the Institute for College Access and Success) can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GpXKSwTlzdeoW2rmjZrSiqvtYrtI-p_k?usp=sharing.

In what follows, Section 2 provides a brief overview of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Section 3 provides a hands-on tutorial on making simple maps in QGIS by demonstrating how to map the student debt data discussed above. Section 4 offers discussion questions and exercises that can be completed after the completion of the tutorial in Section 3.