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How hard would it be to follow the course using QGIS? Is it about the principles, or specific ArcGIS features? I haven't found as good courses in QGIS, but I ha

How hard would it be to follow the course using QGIS? Is it about the principles, or specific ArcGIS features? I haven't found as good courses in QGIS, but I have no interest in learning ArcGIS

nxc18 8y ago
Probably pretty hard, unfortunately. The course teaches cartographic principles, but it does so using ArcGIS pro. You could try doing the activity in Pro and QGIS in parallel; that way you'd learn both. That being said, I'm a very hands-on learner so I get the most benefit from the activities; you may find the videos/quizzes/discussions valuable regardless.
- SOLAR_FIELDS 8y ago
  I am no fan of ESRI, but if you are serious about map cartography in the long run as part of your career you should probably learn ArcGIS. In almost every way QGIS either matches or exceeds ArcGIS (discounting the hideously expensive extensions) except for cartography. The out of the box cartographic tools in ArcGIS remain unrivaled. Most serious cartographers (NatGeo, NYTimes, etc.) that I know of will do line work and maybe some/all labeling in GIS and then export the vectors to Photoshop/Illustrator for the finishing.
  - aw3c2 8y ago
    Which specific tools or features are you referring to?
    - SOLAR_FIELDS 8y ago
      Specifically the labeling engine is very nice, but the other tools listed here are quite valuable as well: http://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/tool-reference/cartography/an-overview-of-the-cartography-toolbox.htm http://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/tool-reference/cartography/...
  - AndyBMapMan 8y ago
    Doesn't the SVG output from QGIS suffice then?
    - SOLAR_FIELDS 8y ago
      Yes, this is actually what I recommend to people not already locked into the ESRI ecosystem. Render vectors in QGIS and then do all coloring etc in Illustrator. ESRI's stuff does give you a bit of an advantage on the start in that their labeling for instance will probably look nicer out of the box but since you're already no longer in turnkey solution domain for your map because you are taking it to Illustrator that's something that isn't too big of a deal in the long run.

How hard would it be to follow the course using QGIS? Is it about the principles, or specific ArcGIS features? I haven't found as good courses in QGIS, but I have no interest in learning ArcGIS

nxc18 8y ago

Probably pretty hard, unfortunately. The course teaches cartographic principles, but it does so using ArcGIS pro. You could try doing the activity in Pro and QGIS in parallel; that way you'd learn both. That being said, I'm a very hands-on learner so I get the most benefit from the activities; you may find the videos/quizzes/discussions valuable regardless.

SOLAR_FIELDS 8y ago
I am no fan of ESRI, but if you are serious about map cartography in the long run as part of your career you should probably learn ArcGIS. In almost every way QGIS either matches or exceeds ArcGIS (discounting the hideously expensive extensions) except for cartography. The out of the box cartographic tools in ArcGIS remain unrivaled. Most serious cartographers (NatGeo, NYTimes, etc.) that I know of will do line work and maybe some/all labeling in GIS and then export the vectors to Photoshop/Illustrator for the finishing.
- aw3c2 8y ago
  Which specific tools or features are you referring to?
  - SOLAR_FIELDS 8y ago
    Specifically the labeling engine is very nice, but the other tools listed here are quite valuable as well: http://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/tool-reference/cartography/an-overview-of-the-cartography-toolbox.htm http://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/tool-reference/cartography/...
- AndyBMapMan 8y ago
  Doesn't the SVG output from QGIS suffice then?
  - SOLAR_FIELDS 8y ago
    Yes, this is actually what I recommend to people not already locked into the ESRI ecosystem. Render vectors in QGIS and then do all coloring etc in Illustrator. ESRI's stuff does give you a bit of an advantage on the start in that their labeling for instance will probably look nicer out of the box but since you're already no longer in turnkey solution domain for your map because you are taking it to Illustrator that's something that isn't too big of a deal in the long run.