Shapefiles for R Programmers
Easily Make Custom Data Maps in R
Many R programmers need to create custom data maps in R. By "custom maps" I don't mean changing the colors of the map, or other cosmetic tweaks. Instead, I mean mapping a custom geography such as voting districts, neighborhoods and so on. These maps are often distributed as shapefiles. Shapefiles often confuse and frustrate even veteran R programmers.
The good news is this: shapefiles don't have to be confusing or hard to work with. Even better, when you become comfortable with them, it opens up countless doors in data analysis for you.
This course centers around a single example: mapping noise complaints in San Francisco. San Francisco is divided into "Supervisor Districts", and together we will create a choropleth map of this data:
There are several steps involved in creating this map, and I carefully walk you through each one of them.
Satisfaction Guaranteed: If you buy the course, watch the videos, and don't feel like you learned something useful, I will give you a full refund.
Ari Lamstein
Welcome
Project Overview
Getting the Shapefile
Links and Shapefile
Getting QGIS
Download the Links
Opening Shapefiles and Identifying Regions
Zooming and Navigating
Deleting Regions: Part 1
Deleting Regions: Part 2
GIS: Conclusion
Installing the Packages
Download the Code
Importing and Plotting the Shapefile
Plotting the Shapefile with ggplot2
Zooming In
Tweaking the Map
Projections
Data and Code
Reading in Data
Making the Map: Part 1
Making the Map: Part 2
Code
Creating the Choroplethr Object
Creating the Map
Changing Colors
Adding a Reference Map
How to Zoom
Encapsulation
Conclusion
Hi Ari, I just finished your course and very much enjoyed it. Your tone and delivery is easy and pleasant to follow. The technical explanations were ...
Read MoreHi Ari, I just finished your course and very much enjoyed it. Your tone and delivery is easy and pleasant to follow. The technical explanations were clear and comprehensive. I'm most excited about the render_with_reference_map() function. I'm very grateful for you taking the time to compile this course; I have learnt a lot from it and can't wait to plot my own data/maps. Kind regards, Adriano Longo
Read LessI have some experience working with choroplethr and with choropleth maps in ggplot 2. This course really did help to get me started with making my OWN maps ...
Read MoreI have some experience working with choroplethr and with choropleth maps in ggplot 2. This course really did help to get me started with making my OWN maps out of my OWN shapefiles. I hope to use this knowledge as a part of the Civic Data Alliance (the Code for America chapter in Louisville, KY) to do some projects with political data. I don't know if the course was worth $99, but I have gotten far more than $99 of use out of choroplethr and therefore did not mind the price.
Read LessAri Lamstein gently leads us through the process of using shapefiles with a series of short but pithy videos. None of the bite-sized pieces is hard to swallo...
Read MoreAri Lamstein gently leads us through the process of using shapefiles with a series of short but pithy videos. None of the bite-sized pieces is hard to swallow. The ideas are laid out in clear, logical fashion and the videos are just long enough to cover the topic at hand without confusing the viewer with unrelated or extraneous material. It was a pleasure to watch Ari build a series of maps from the same base data, adding new features and pointing out various pitfalls or extra options along the way. I took in the big picture in one pass through the course and I look forward to replaying individual sections for reinforcement when I tackle new projects.
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