This workshop presents a practical guide for handling spatial data in R, focusing on geospatial data (i.e., data that relates to specific locations on the Earth’s surface). Spatial data is widely used in research and decision making across the natural and social sciences. The workshop will provide an overview of the concepts and skills you’ll need to effectively utilize spatial data in your research, with worked examples demonstrating how to read, write, manipulate, and visualize spatial data in R. Topics covered include:
- Spatial data types (vector and raster) and formats
- Coordinate reference systems
- Handling vector data using the sf package
- Working with raster data using the terra package
- Creating maps with ggplot2, tmap, and mapview
This workshop assumes basic familiarity with R (e.g., material covered in Day 1 of The Essentials of R for Statistical Analysis).
For information on how to install R and R Studio, please visit: https://cscu.cornell.edu/installr.