How to use R language as GIS tool, my own learning experience (with Videos)

R is a free software environment for statistical computing and graphics, and so much more.

There are too many resources about how to use R lang. from basic to master level, So..!

what will we offer in this series?

“as a geomatics engineer, how to use R, in geospatial environments, with very basic or no background about programming or statistics “

In this session, I will talk about;

1.Introduction to effective way in learning R.

2.Do and Don’t do in the learning journey.

3.Effective R environment setup for a new project.

At the end of these sessions, you will be able to

1.Understand the effective method to learn any programming language.

2.Effectively setting your project environment according to R.

3.Have a clear plan, about how to develop new programming skills, using the powerful R language.

Why learn R

1.R is a fast growing open source contestant to commercial software packages like SAS, STATA and

SPSS to geospatial solution software (ArcGIS, IDRISI, ENVI..etc)back and forth.

2.R is used by over 2 million analysts worldwide.

3.R adopted by premier analytics-driven companies like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft and the

New York Times.

4.Install it on as many computers as you want to.

5.Anyone can write an add-on package for it

6.R is very rich and efficient tool for non-spatial data, dozens of code written, we can create a novel

work by introducing spatial data in it.

7.And much more…………………………..

What Support is Available for R Programming?

•R mailing lists with thousands of subscribers(www.r-project.org/mail.html).

•Stack overflow (stackoverflow.com)

•Many free books on R programming

How do I start?

•Download and install r-project (https://cran.r-project.org/) for Windows, Mac OS, Linux.

•Setup the project environment

•Read and understand the “help function”

•Imagine the solution of any dilemma by guessing any sort of related keywords.

A common question by most of the learners:

“Too many resources out there. But still, struggle with the basics of R! “

Answer:

To learn new language..! you have to follow 3 steps!

Example: Ask yourself…!! About (rep)

1st Step: How many phases it has

rep(x, times)

rep(x, each)       # not the same.

rep(x, each = , len = )

rep(x, each = , times = )

2nd Step What is it composed of?

x, times, len, c(), each

3rd Step How to use it with real data

rep(1:4, 2)

rep(1:4, each = 2)       # not the same.

rep(1:4, c(2,2,2,2))     # same as second.

Fact In Coding

Most of the users are copying, editing and manipulating the codes.Later, they might think about how to build new code from scratch.

References:

1.Introductory Statistics with R.

2.R a self-learning tutorial.

3.An R and S-Plus Companion to Applied Regression.

4.Data Analysis and Graphics Using R: An Example-based Approach.

5.Data Analysis Using Regression and Multilevel / Hierarchical Models. 

6.Many cheat sheets are available free online.

The following videos will take your hand step by step, to achieve your goals in learning how to use Ras GIS tool, and make use of the powerful analytical and statistical libraries of R.

Happy learning,

Omar Althuwaynee.

Links to my YouTube channel "Althuwaynee"