Library Guides: GIS (Geographic Information Systems): Tools

Desktop GIS Tools

Esri ArcGIS - The leading commercial software for desktop GIS mapping and analysis. One-year licenses are available to all UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff. The GIF (Geospatial Innovation Facility) provides information and a form for requesting a license. Note: ArcGIS only runs natively on Windows machines.

QGIS - A leading free, open source desktop GIS program. Create, edit, visualize, analyze and publish geospatial information. Runs natively on many operating systems, including Windows and Mac.

ArcGIS Online

UC Berkeley students, faculty, and staff have access to ArcGIS Online (AGOL) through our institutional account. To login into UC Berkeley's AGOL account, go to http://cal.maps.arcgis.com. Click on the link to login using your UC Berkeley Calnet account.

If you find that you need to login to other applications that use ArcGIS Online, look for a link that says, "Sign in with enterprise account."

Open Source Web Tools

CARTO
Upload your own data and create custom visualizations. Allows for interactivity.
MapBox
Upload data files and customize display using CSS. Offers superb customization opportunities. Displays tiled maps.
MapStack (Stamen design)
A relatively painless way to create interesting and beautifully stylized basemaps.

Easy US Demographic Mapping Tools

PolicyMap This link opens in a new window
An easy-to-use mapping program that includes over 15,000 US demographic and socioeconomic data indicators from the neighborhood census block to national levels. Data may be downloaded to csv.
PolicyMap is an easy-to-use mapping program that includes over 15,000 US demographic and socioeconomic data indicators from the neighborhood census block to national levels. Data about demographics, neighborhood conditions, real estate markets, income, jobs and economy, education, crime, and health can be presented as maps, tables, charts and reports.
SimplyAnalytics This link opens in a new window
A web-based data analysis and mapping application that allows users to create custom thematic maps, tables, and reports using demographic, business, and marketing data for the United States. Note: Access limited to 10 simultaneous users. To increase the limit temporarily for use in classes or workshops, please send your request to eart@library.berkeley.edu a minimum of 5 business days in advance.
A web-based data analysis and mapping application that allows users to create custom thematic maps, tables and reports using demographic, business, and marketing data for the United States. Includes over 70,000 data variables related to demographics, employment, real estate & housing, crime, businesses, consumer spending, and points of interest data from the US Census, historical US Census data (2000), SimmonsLOCAL data from Experian, and Nielsen Claritas PRIZM data.
Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
Data and interactive thematic maps from the U.S. Census from 1790-present.
Provides access to current and historical United States census data, including all historic decennial censuses and American Community Surveys, as well as other demographic information, such as religious organizations. Census data is current to 2010 and historical back to 1790. In addition to being a data resource, the web interface lets users create maps and reports to better illustrate, analyze and understand demography and social change.

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GIS (Geographic Information Systems): Tools

Desktop GIS Tools

ArcGIS Online

Open Source Web Tools

Easy US Demographic Mapping Tools