GIS Workshop

This three-day intensive course introduces participants to the fundamentals of geospatial data visualization and spatial analysis using open-source software. This year’s workshop features two distinct tracks:

1. Track 1: QGIS
Participants in this track will learn to use QGIS, a traditional Geographic Information System with a user-friendly, point-and-click interface for creating maps and conducting spatial analyses. Additional tools, like GeoDa and GWR4, will support QGIS to enhance spatial analysis workflows. 

2. Track 2: R and RStudio
This track focuses on geospatial analysis using R, a versatile programming language, and RStudio, its integrated development environment (IDE). Participants will explore leading packages like ggplot2 for mapping and sf for geoprocessing. These tools provide robust spatial analysis and visualization capabilities, offering a programmatic alternative to traditional GIS software. 

Both tracks emphasize the use of open-source tools and publicly available environmental and demographic data to explore spatially centered visualization and analytical techniques. The workshop integrates lectures with hands-on applications, allowing participants to practice the methods taught. No matter which track you choose, you will have full access to all lab materials and instructions from both tracks. This ensures participants can explore and learn from the entire workshop, regardless of their initial choice.

The workshop is comprised of 4 components 1) data visualization, 2) geo-processing, 3) cluster analysis, and 4) relationship identification.  

This workshop is led by Dr. Jeremy R. Porter and Dr. Joel Capellan two of the highest-rated teachers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the authors of many celebrated geospatial analysis publications and books. This workshop will integrate lectures with hands-on application.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:

• Principles of data visualization and analysis
• Sources and techniques for the acquiring and managing spatial data
• Methods for geospatial visualization and analysis
• Techniques for the identifying statistical hotspots and clusters
• Incorporating spatial data into traditional regression methods of association studies

The GIS Workshop is a livestream, remote training that takes place over live, online video on July 27-29, 2026 from 10am EDT - 4:30pm EDT. Please note this training is not a self-paced, pre-recorded online training.

Investigators at all career stages are welcome to attend, and we particularly encourage trainees, students, and early-stage investigators to participate. There are three prerequisites/requirements to attend this workshop:

1. Each participant must have an introductory background in statistics.
2. Each participant must be familiar and have a basic understanding of R.
3. Each participant must have a laptop with QGIS, saTScan, GeoDa, R, and R-Studio downloaded and installed prior to the first day of the workshop. All of the packages listed are available for free download and installation on Mac, PC, and Linux devices. Personal laptops will be used for multiple workshop sessions.

If you have any specific questions about prerequisites/requirements, please email us.

New to R? We've Got You Covered!

If you're new to R but are interested in the R track, don’t worry! We provide a free, self-paced 5-module Gentle Introduction to R to help you get started. Designed specifically for beginners, this course will give you the foundational skills you need to confidently participate in the R track during the workshop.

Jeremy Porter, PhD, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University. Dr. Porter is a Lecturer in the Environmental Health Sciences Department with his primary duties being associated with teaching and advising in the area of Public Health GIS and Spatial Statistics. Additionally, he is a Professor at the City University of New York and holds appointments in multiple departments and institutes throughout the university, where he is currently the Chair and Director of the Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences Department at the CUNY-Graduate Center. He regularly serves in consulting capacities with a number of government, non-profit, and for-profit entities on research exclusively focused on the development and implementation of spatial methods.

Joel Capellan, PhD, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Environmental Health Sciences Department and as an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at John Jay College. He specializes in gun violence, spatial analysis, and policy evaluation. He has published extensively and trained public safety professionals in Central America on USAID-funded projects. Currently, he serves as the Director of the Center for Enhancing the Research Capacity of Minority Serving Institutions at John Jay College. His work has been featured in The Guardian, NPR, and ABC News.

Scholarships are available for the GIS Workshop.

"I really enjoyed this workshop and the instructors did an amazing job at relaying this complex information in a way that is easily digestible and understandable. I am excited to now utilize my knowledge of GIS in R for future research efforts." - PhD Candidate at University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, 2025

"This workshop was a great overview of GIS and mapping in open-source software. The instructors were passionate and everything was well organized!" - Public Health Analyst at State of Vermont Department of Health, 2025

"This workshop was a great hands-on introduction to spatial analysis! The instructors made the complex concepts approachable by having a lecture and lab setup. The content was well-organized and built progressively." - Research Assistant at George Washington University, 2025

"This was an excellent training that taught me multiple ways of doing a variety of spatial analyses and then visualizing the results. I can use the content from this course in my work almost immediately." - Fellow at Union of Concerned Scientists, 2024

"Great workshop to get an introduction to GIS and mapping. I went in with no prior experience beyond making a cloropleth map in Stata once, and I came out of this workshop feeling like I can do way more GIS work now!" - Postdoc at Stanford University, 2024

"The GIS workshop was highly informative because it covered several important methods of geographic data analysis such as GWR, spatial regression, space-time cluster analysis, etc. as well as the basic principles behind GIS and how it can be applied to various situations. The workshop also included labs in breakout rooms where attendees were able to use tools such as QGIS, R, GeoData, and SatScan to create maps, run tests such as GWR and Moran’s I, and analyze data across both time and space." - Non-profit Founder, 2024

Registration Fee is based on your category and includes course materials. Course material will be available to all attendees during and after the workshop. 

2026 Registration Category Rates: 

• Student/Postdoc/Trainee: 

  • Early-bird rate: $995 

  • Regular rate: $1,195 
     

• Faculty/Academic Staff/Non-Profit Organizations/Government Agencies: 

  • Early-bird rate: $1,195 

  • Regular rate: $1,395 
     

• Corporate/For-Profit Organizations: 

  • Early-bird rate: $1,395 

  • Regular rate: $1,595 

$200 early-bird discount is automatically applied if you register before the May 15 deadline.  

• $200 Early-bird Discount: This is automatically applied if you register before the May 15 early-bird deadline.  

• 10% Columbia Discount: This is valid for any active student, postdoc, staff, or faculty at Columbia University. If paying by credit card, use your Columbia email address during the registration process to automatically have the discount applied. If paying by internal transfer within Columbia, see below.  

• 10% Mailman Alumni Discount: This is valid for any individual who graduated from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. To access the Mailman Alumni discount and receive a registration code, please email sharp_program@cumc.columbia.edu your graduation year and degree.  

• Group discounts are available for organizations sending 5+ participants. Please contact us directly at sharp_program@cumc.columbia.edu for more information.

If paying by internal transfer within Columbia, submit this Columbia Internal Transfer Request form (link to form coming soon) to receive further instructions. Please note: filling out this form is not the same as registering for a training and does not guarantee a training seat.

If you would prefer to pay by invoice/check, please submit this Invoice Request form (link to form coming soon) to receive further instructions. Please note: filling out this form is not the same as registering for a training and does not guarantee a training seat.

Cancellations: Cancellation notices must be received via email at least 30 days prior to the training start date in order to receive a full refund, minus a $75 administrative fee. Cancellation notices received via email 14-29 days prior to the training will receive a 75% refund, minus a $75 administrative fee. Please email your cancellation notice to ColumbiaSPH.GIS@gmail.com(link sends e-mail). Due to workshop capacity and preparation, we regret that we are unable to refund registration fees for cancellations less than 14 days prior to the training.

If you are unable to attend the training, we encourage you to send a substitute within the same registration category. Please inform us of the substitute via email at least one week prior to the training to include them on attendee communications, gather registration details, and provide materials. Should the substitute fall within a different registration category (e.g. you are a faculty member and they are a postdoc), your credit card will be credited/charged respectively. Please email substitute inquiries to ColumbiaSPH.GIS@gmail.com(link sends e-mail). In the event Columbia must cancel the event, your registration fee will be fully refunded.