GIS Guides
Practical, no-install ways to work with spatial data — without ArcGIS or QGIS. Each guide connects to a real tool in GISDirect, so you can read and immediately try it yourself.
Open the free tools →Understanding GIS Coordinate Systems (EPSG), Fully
What's the actual difference between EPSG:4326 and a local projected CRS, why Shapefile points land in the wrong place, and how auto-detection fixes it.
PracticalCalculating Area in the Browser (No QGIS Needed)
How to get accurate polygon area in m², hectares, or acres from a Shapefile or GeoJSON — and why your coordinate system silently changes the answer.
Satellite analysisWildfire Burn Severity Mapping with Landsat (dNBR)
The NBR/dNBR method explained, and how to run it in your browser with just a fire date — no API key required.
Tool comparisonDoing GIS Without QGIS
An honest, task-by-task look at what works in the browser and when you still need QGIS (or ArcGIS).
Why browser-based GIS
Traditional GIS software is powerful but heavy. Installation, licensing, coordinate system setup, plugins — and answering "what's the area of this polygon?" ends up taking half an hour. GISDirect goes the other way. Drop a file into the browser window and the coordinate system is detected automatically; nothing you upload is sent to a server, it's processed entirely inside your browser. These guides show how the underlying concepts map onto real, everyday GIS work.