Applications Opening Soon!
Looking to incorporate GIS (Geographic Information Systems) into your research or project without committing to a semester-long course?
The Yale GIS Accelerator is a free, intensive five-day hybrid training program designed for Yale affiliates who want to develop practical GIS skills and apply them to their work. Participants who successfully complete the program will receive a certificate.
Who Should Apply?
The program welcomes Yale faculty, staff, and students across disciplines.
No prior GIS experience is required. However, applicants should have a project and dataset that could benefit from spatial analysis or mapping.
Selection priority will be given to applicants whose projects demonstrate a clear need for geospatial analysis and who are prepared to work with their own data during the program.
What Will You Learn?
Through guided, hands-on training with ArcGIS Pro, participants will learn to:
- Manage spatial data: Identify, organize, and prepare spatial and non-spatial data for mapping.
- Create effective maps: Visualize geographic data using appropriate symbology, coordinate systems, and cartographic principles.
- Perform spatial analysis: Apply techniques such as spatial joins, buffering, overlays, and distance calculations.
- Explore spatial statistics: Understand spatial patterns and relationships in geographic data.
- Share maps responsibly: Communicate findings through online maps while considering GIS ethics and location privacy.
Lead Instructor
Jill Kelly is a GIS instructor at the Yale School of the Environment, with extensive experience teaching GIS across disciplines. Her research and teaching focus on spatial analysis, GIS applications, and geospatial ethics.
Program Logistics
- Dates: January 11–15, 2027
- Time: 9:30 AM–5:00 PM ET
- Format: Hybrid — In person at Yale University or online via Zoom
- Cost: Free for eligible Yale affiliates
Software & Equipment
The program uses ArcGIS Pro. Participants attending in person must bring their own laptops.
Please ensure that you have access to ArcGIS Pro before the program begins.
- Windows users: Install ArcGIS Pro on your computer.
- Mac users: Access ArcGIS Pro through Yale MyApps or a compatible Windows environment.
Additional setup instructions will be provided to selected participants.
Application & Selection Timeline
- Application Deadline: Friday, November 20, 2026
- Selection Notification: Week of November 30, 2026
- Data Readiness Interviews: December 8–11, 2026 (scheduled after selection)
Selected applicants will be asked to confirm their participation by submitting an acceptance form within 48 hours of receiving their offer. If confirmation is not received within this period, the spot may be offered to an applicant on the waitlist.
Accepted participants will also be scheduled for a brief Data Readiness Interview to discuss their project, dataset, and preparation needs before the program.