Zero to Map · Session 1 · ~75 minutes
Your first map.
By the end of this session you will have installed industry-grade GIS software, loaded two real DC datasets, styled them, and exported a finished map — which goes straight on the Map Wall with your name on it.
Before you arrive (10 min)
- 1. Install QGIS (free) Download the Long Term Release (LTR) for your OS from qgis.org. It's ~1 GB — do this on good wifi before the session. Open it once so first-run setup finishes.
- 2. Download: DC wards (GeoJSON) Eight polygons — the District's wards. Right-click → Save Link As if it opens in the browser.
- 3. Download: Metro stations (GeoJSON) Forty points — every Metrorail station in the District. Same data that powers our live atlas.
Put both files in a folder you can find, e.g.
Documents/spl-workshop-1/.
Part 1 — Load the data (10 min)
Open QGIS → Project → New. Then drag
wards.geojson from your file browser anywhere onto
the QGIS window. A map of DC appears. Drag
metro-stations.geojson in the same way.
Look at the Layers panel (bottom-left). Two entries — this is the core idea of GIS: your map is a stack of layers. Drag metro-stations above wards if it isn't already (points draw on top of polygons).
Right-click the wards layer → Open Attribute Table. Every shape on the map is also a row of data. Close it. That table is what makes this a information system and not a drawing.
Part 2 — Style the wards (15 min)
Double-click the wards layer → Symbology (left sidebar of the dialog).
At the top, change Single Symbol to
Categorized. Set Value to
name, pick a color ramp you like, press
Classify, then OK. Eight
wards, eight colors.
Too loud? Reopen Symbology, click the Symbol above the classes list, and drop Opacity to ~50%. Subtle beats saturated.
Part 3 — Style the stations + labels (15 min)
Double-click metro-stations → Symbology. Make the marker a white circle, size 2.5–3 mm, with a dark outline (Stroke color). Instant transit map.
Now labels: with the same dialog open, switch to
Labels (left sidebar) → change No
Labels to Single Labels, set Value
to name, font size ~8, and under
Buffer tick Draw text buffer (white,
0.7 mm). Press OK. If it's cluttered, that's normal —
labels are a craft; keep them or turn them off, your call.
Part 4 — Export your map (15 min)
Project → New Print Layout, name it anything, OK. In the layout window: Add Item → Add Map, then drag a rectangle across the page. Your styled map appears.
Add a title: Add Item → Add Label, drag a box, type a real title (“Metro Stations by Ward” beats “my map”), bump the font in Item Properties. Add another small label with your name and “Data: DC Open Data” — cartographers always sign and cite.
Layout → Export as Image… → save as PNG. Done. That's a map you made.
The trophy
Post it on the Map Wall — the how-to is in ADDING-YOUR-WORK, and any officer will walk you through the pull request. Attend → make → publish, all in one session.