GDAL is an open-source library for raster and vector geospatial data formats. The library comes with a vast collection of utility programs that can perform many geoprocessing tasks and build scalable spatial ETL pipelines without the need for expensive software. This class introduces GDAL and OGR utilities with example workflows for processing satellite and aerial imagery.

Upon successful completion of all the live online sessions and the class assignments, participants will be issued an employer-verifiable certificate from Spatial Thoughts. Learn more.

This GDAL course offers a good knowledge foundation, and enables you to start working with this geospatial library. The course is based on multiple practical exercises and you recive support from the instructors. The tools and methods taught are really useful in different scenarios such as data cleaning, pipeline design, etc. The documentation and class recordings are useful reference materials.

Hector Martinez, Analyst, Scottish and Southern Energy, United Kingdom.

GDAL underpins almost all GIS software. This training (and other free learning resources) consists of many hands-on use cases. The exercises encourage you to find and read user documentation for answers. This is my second course with Spatialthoughts.com, and my goto resource for help. I can’t say enough, the quality and attention to detail speak for themselves. Many thanks.

Greg Cermak, Natural Capital Accounting Intern, USGS, United States.

“Mastering GDAL Tools” is a magic wand to address huge datasets. Ujaval’s approach to the design of class materials is very insightful. The depth of his expertise and kind way of addressing the questions are remarkable. I am very fortunate to learn under his guidance, the link to various materials enables me to learn and discover more. Highly recommended to all seekers of geospatial domains. 

Raghavendra S P, India.

This GDAL/OGR course is phenomenal! Not only did it delve into raster and vector analysis, Spatial ETL pipelines, and Batch Spatial Data Processing, but each section also offered supplementary tools tailored to various geospatial data sources like aerial, satellite, WMS layers, georeferencing, and KML files. As a geospatial programmer, this course has truly expanded my toolkit, empowering me to tackle diverse geospatial tasks with ease. I highly recommend it!

Abdillahi Osman Omar, ITC, University of Twente, Netherlands.

Great course! There is a lot to learn in the topic and the course provides the necessary knowledge to start working with it. Working with GDAL and command prompt seemed daunting but now I feel I can actually use it. I find it is hard to understand all at once but the video recordings are also great to come back and review.

Marco Hernandez, Design Engineer, Helios Nordic Energy AB, Sweden.

So happy to have learnt GDAL at precisely the right moment in my journey. The advent of Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFFs (COGs) has undoubtedly transformed the landscape of geospatial data handling, and my knowledge of GDAL has played a pivotal role in navigating and leveraging this exciting development.

GDAL has been an invaluable tool in my toolkit, empowering me to efficiently work with geospatial data, perform various operations, and adapt to the evolving standards in the industry. The flexibility and robustness of GDAL have not only made it an essential skill to possess but have also allowed me to seamlessly integrate COGs into my workflows.

Linda Angulo Lopez, Research Data Mission Officer at Ecole centrale de Lyon, France.

This was the very helpful course. Before, I couldn’t run functions using gdal. After this course, I think I’m on high level. thank you sir for your excellent work.

Suvasthigha Puvanenthirarajah, Research consultant, International water management institute, Sri Lanka.

As someone who has worked in the geospatial industry as a scientist and software engineer for 15 years, I was pleasantly surprised by how much value I derived from the “Mastering GDAL” course. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or someone just starting out in the field, this course is an excellent resource.

More than just providing an introduction to GDAL/OGR tooling, the course lays out a strong foundation and provides direction on what other capabilities exist with these tools and how to utilize them. The interludes in which Ujaval shared experiences from his work, examples of projects done by past students, lends a refreshing and practical perspective that is often missing from other courses.

Atma Mani, OneConcern, United States of America.

With expert instructor, Ujaval Gandhi and hands-on exercises, the GDAL courses offered by spatial thoughts equip learners with the skills necessary to effectively manage and manipulate geospatial data.

younes abid, BAYANAT, United Arab Emirates.

Mastering GDAL Tools is one of the best courses I have received. Is incredible how powerful this command line tools are. After this course I was able to solve several problems in simple bash scripts and convert data easily. I was able to re-write several workflows like download and processing of GIS data that has taken me hundreds of lines in the python and setting several libraries, all with simple isolated bash scripts. The teaching methodology is great, with plenty of use cases and patience to explain. Highly recommended!

Norman Avila, Climaya, Guatemala.

Although I am working with GDAL already, this course is helping me reach the next level in my GDAL skills as I have learnt many other things in GDAL during this course. Ujaval is such an excellent teacher and the many examples he gives during the course makes the class interactions very lively and interesting.

Ellen Brock, Freelance data scientist, India.

Another great course delivered by Ujaval and Santhosh, I already have ideas of how to use this newfound knowledge in my work. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

Steven Shepperson, MarineSpace, United Kingdom.

Till today, GDAL was more like a black-box for me. Thanks to this course from Spatial Thoughts, I now have a good insight on GDAL, especially the simplified methods of doing ETL on bulk datasets. Thanks Ujaval and Santhosh for all the support!

Gurudatta Kannambadi, Aaron GSD, India

This is world’s no. 1 course on GDAL. we learn things here that you wont find naywhere. i have been struggling with gdal for 5 years now. only after this course i am feeling more confident. if you have any wordly connections to GDAL then trust me you definitely should do this course.

Kaushik Roy, AI Engineer, Canada

I have some years of using GDAL in a basic way, now with this course, I feel that I have enhanced my skills, and I am sure that it will help me to have a better data workflow. The teachers are excellent, they have a great command of the subject and their examples are very clear.

Alexander Quevedo Chacón, Consultant, Mexico

The course offers a complete vision of GDAL / OGR that allows to know a wide range of possibilities in the raster and vector analysis, customizing and automating processes for multiple data formats.

Joan Bauzà, Geographer, Spain

Great course with very practical examples, Ujaval teaches it in an approachable way and is very thorough and kind in responding to even simple questions. It was extremely useful to be in the class, follow along step by step and hear about the reasoning behind each decision.

Pushkar Kopparla, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Bern