Writing Your First GIS/Geospatial ReadMe

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Leonard Fidelis
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2 min read

Writing Your First GIS/Geospatial ReadMe

Photo by Marjan Blan on Unsplash

A ReadMe file has one job, to provide an explanation for your uploaded code. It helps the user understand how to install, navigate and, when necessary, recreate the project. Writing a ReadMe for a GIS project is no different.

This guide outlines the relevant parts of a Geospatial ReadMe and basic markdown commands to help you write your first ReadMe file.

Project Name

Of course, the name of the project. It can also include the status of the project: {In-progress or Completed}

Overview

Here you give a concise description of the project. State the aim, what you hope to achieve, and any positive impacts. What questions will be explored?

Data Source

This section requires a clear description of the datasets used in the project. If relevant, you can keep it simple by itemizing each data source link, mode of collection and accuracy. A more detailed description can include identification of the attributes of the datasets, each table and column.

Stack

Go on to list tools, languages, plugins, etc. used in the project

Result and Visualization

This section is twofold.

1. Briefly discuss the method of analysis used. For example, if certain tools were used in your analysis, briefly point out key features to note when setting it up.

2. discuss the final map produced, navigation, features on the map, choice of colours, etc. Feel free to state the obvious.

Partner

Ignore this section if it is a solo project. Otherwise, outline the partner details including the:

  • Name of partner or organisation/government department

  • Website

  • Contact details

Include tutorial links, references and help links for potential bug fixes.

Basic Markdown codes

# The hashtag with space in between gives the largest heading size
###### gives the lowest heading

Line breaks can be added by adding single line spacing between successive lines of code.

+ Plus can be used for an unordered listing

- hyphen gives the same result

`text` can be used to embed a text like a code in a markdown
[the text in square brackets gets displayed as a hyperlink to the text in parenthesis](https://mybacklink site.com)

Click here for detailed markdown commands.

If you are just getting started with Git and GitHub, this article gives you more than an introduction.

GitHubGitREADMEGISGeospatial