This semester I am investing some time in refreshing my Matlab skills. Since many readers are either new to spatial analysis entirely or learning some new software themselves, I thought it might be useful for me to highlight some of the learning tools I’m using.
In 2015 or thereabouts I took a full semester course on Matlab as part of my math requirements at OSU. It was an excellent class and I learned many solid programming basics, but we didn’t use the point and click aspects of Matlab very much. Additionally, it’s been a while and the software has been updated since I last used it in 2017.
To start my relearning-adventures, I downloaded Matlab using the directions found at the UW campus software library. From there, I saw that UW has student access to LinkedIn Learning. If your school doesn’t have LIL, you can try it free for a month and join for $20 a month after that.
There were hundreds of courses to choose from, and while most didn’t pertain to my interests, there were two on Matlab. So far I’ve completed MATLAB 2018 Essential Training by Curt Frye.
Within the course you can move between topics at your own pace, and even speed up or slow down videos. I liked that each video was short and stuck to a single topic. Additionally, some classes have exercises you can try on your own.
If I were completely new to programming, or even MATLAB itself, I don’t think this class would be detailed enough for me to feel confident. But, it was definitely enough for me to remember how vector operations work in this program and reorient me to the point-and-click aspects of MATLAB.
LinkedIn Learning is a great option if you’re looking to get an overview of different softwares or otherwise refresh your skills. If your employer or school has a membership, check it out!
Spatially Challenged 