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Michigan State University

QGIS Training: Workshop: Choropleth

This guide supports QGIS learners at Michigan State University

Introduction to choropleth mapping

Choropleth mapping is a common method of displaying trends in data across a chosen geographic area.  These maps are commonly used in journalism to map election or poll results but can be useful for many fields from the humanities to natural sciences.  For a more detailed explanation of choropleth mapping see the Penn State University guide here.

The MSU Libraries workshop will walk through how to produce a simple vector map using both choropleth and variable sizing to display two possibly related trends across the state of Michigan.

Workshop Video