Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Can I attend a GIS Users Group meeting?

A: Anyone is welcome to attend a GIS Users Group meeting. We meet every six weeks to discuss GIS and how we are using it to create a better world.

Q: Who uses GIS software on this campus?

A: GIS software can be used in many professions. There are several departments and colleges that use GIS software on this campus, including but not limited to:

• The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
• The College of Agricultural Sciences
• The Department of Geography
• The Department of Landscape Architecture

Q: I am a faculty member and I want to use ArcGIS Desktop in my course, how do I acquire it?

A: If you are wanting to use ArcGIS Desktop in your course, you can acquire it by following the instructions listed.

Q: I am a student and I want to use ArcGIS Desktop in my undergraduate career, how do I acquire it?

A: If you are wanting to use ArcGIS Desktop in your undergraduate career, you can acquire it by following the instructions listed.

Q: I do not understand how to use this software. Where can I go to get help?

A: Resources are available to help you use geospatial software. The Penn State University Libraries’ Donald W. Hamer Center for Maps and Geospatial Information has resources, individualized consultation services, and events to assist you to further your geospatial activities and projects. There is also courses taught here at Penn State that can further home your skills with the software.  There are some free tutorials offered by Esri if you are Penn State faculty members, staff members, and students. To access those tutorials follow the instructions under Esri Training.

Q: Where can I learn more about Esri Products?

A: Esri has a lot of products. For information about the products Esri does have you can click the link shown here. For information about how to use some of these products there are some free  tutorials offered to Penn State. To access those tutorials follow the instructions under Esri Training.

Q: I want to start mapping data. Where can I go to acquire data?

A: There is many places that offer data. Here at Penn State we have places such as the Pennsylvania State Data Access (PASDA), Penn State Data Commons, and Penn State OPP Maps. These places all have data available for use. Also there is government agencies that have public data available for use. Agencies such as, United States Census Bureau, United States Geological Survey, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration all have data available for use. These are just some of the many data sources that are available. There is many more data sets out there.  Some of those data sets do require money to access the data. When you do decide what data set you are going to use just remember to look out for if there is a cost associated with them.

Q: I want to grow professionally with GIS software. Where can I find opportunities at Penn State to apply GIS to the real world?

A: Penn State is a great place to grow professionally. There are many opportunities to apply your knowledge of GIS and GIS software in the real world. Penn State is one of the greatest research schools in the world, with many opportunities for GIS to be used in undergraduate research. There are also many opportunities to develop your GIS skills through the Student Engagement Network, where students can develop how they want to expand their GIS knowledge outside of the classroom. If you want to expand beyond Penn State you can look at nittanyLionCAREERS. This resource is a recruitment tool for any employer for either jobs or internship positions. These positions can enhance your skills with GIS depending on what job or internship you are looking for.

Q: What OpenSource options are there for me?

A: There are several options that can be used to complete GIS tasks without ArcGIS desktop. You can use programming languages such as R, Python, or JavaScript to complete GIS tasks. Alternative GIS-specific applications, such as QGIS and GRASS, can also be used.

Q: I forgot my login to the Penn State ArcGIS Online Account?

A: Your login to the Penn State ArcGIS Online account is connected to your PSU email and password. Go to https://pennstate.maps.arcgis.com/ and enter your email, password, and enter your two-factor authentication.

Q: How do you change content ownership within the Penn State ArcGIS Online Account?

A: Content added to ArcGIS Online can be transferred to another individual within the organization. For instance, a student is working as an intern for a faculty member and when the intern graduates the ownership of materials can be transferred to the faculty member’s ArcGIS Online account.

Q: How do I transfer content to another ArcGIS Online organization?

A: Content can be transferred between ArcGIS Online organizational accounts (i.e. another university organization account, or an ArcGIS Online personal use organization). See this page on transferring content. In order to transfer content, the user login to the Penn State ArcGIS Online Account needs to be still active.

Q: How do I set-up a group in ArcGIS Online?

A: From the top menu, select Groups, click Create group (left side). Enter group name, summary, and tags, as desired. Review Group Membership options. If desired to have a group with items in the group editable by all members in the group enabled, please contact an administrator or administrative contact of the ArcGIS Online Account to set-up.

Q: What happens to my access to ArcGIS Online when I leave the university or graduate?

A: Your access to the Penn State ArcGIS Online organizational account is based on your Penn State email access. When your Penn State email access ends, you will no longer be able to sign into the Penn State ArcGIS Online organizational account with your Penn State credentials. Please see this reference page for timeframes of access. Thus, taking actions to copy content, retain original datasets used in the creation of content, and configuration of settings of applications would be helpful while your account login is active.