Use this guide to find software and applications to use our data to draw Community of Interest and District maps for this redistricting cycle
There are a number of mapping tools available, but researching and comparing them all can take a lot of time. The Redistricting Data Hub surveyed most of the tools out there and compiled this information into the “Choose Your Mapping Tool” feature, which enables you to easily find the right tool based on your needs.
Need a free tool that has compactness scores? Want a tool that works on your Mac and allows for team collaboration on mapping? The “Choose Your Mapping Tool” can help you answer questions like these, in two easy ways:
Use this table to compare and contrast various mapping tools.
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This table was last updated on . If you see any information that is out of date, please email us.
This article explains how to import COI and district maps across mapping tools. It includes a list of types of files that can be imported as well as helpful hints for importing across tools.
Find out what software states’ redistricting bodies are using to draw district maps.
Learn more about each mapping tool and how it can be used to draw or analyze community of interest and district maps
We’ve partnered with the teams at the mapping tools so you can learn directly from them on how to draw or analyze proposed or final redistricting maps.
Redistricting: A Guide for the GIS Community is a book written to inspire and help enable the GIS practitioner to engage in an equitable and fair legislative boundary redistricting process at the state and local levels, whether on the job or as a volunteer.
Our support team is here to help answer questions about mapping tools and Redistricting process. Reach out to us with any questions, feedback or suggestions!
Learn how to draw and analyze maps with these free mapping tools
DistrictBuilder is a free, open-source mapping tool. It puts the power of drawing electoral maps in the hands of the people. Redistricting can be a transparent process that represents communities fairly and prevents gerrymandering.
This training covers how to use DistrictBuilder to draw Community of Interest and District maps.
Learn how to analyze proposed or final redistricting maps with DistictBuilder and understand their analytical tools. These tools include measuring population deviation, contiguity, competitiveness, compactness, county splits, and Voting Rights districts.
Dave’s Redistricting aims to empower civic organizations and citizen activists to advocate for fair congressional and legislative districts, while also advocating for increased transparency in the redistricting process.
This training covers how to use Dave’s Redistricting App to draw District and Community of Interest maps.
Learn how to analyze proposed or final redistricting maps with DRA and understand their analytical tools. We discuss how to use DRA to measure competitiveness, compactness, proportionality, minority representation, and splitting.
This training covers the basics of using the plugin for drawing districts or district plans for the Redistricting cycle.
The QGIS Redistricting Plugin is a free and open source desktop redistricting software developed by John Holden for drawing single districts or statewide district plans through QGIS software. It is available for download through the QGIS plugins app or this this website. Users must supply their own data, but this means that districts can be drawn at any level, including census blocks and precincts.
This training covers how to use Representable to draw a community of interest map.
Representable is a free, open-source mapping tool for creating Communities of Interests (COI). This tool is built in partnership with the Princeton Gerrymandering Project (PGP) and supported by Schmidt Futures.
Special thanks to Blake Esselstyn, a demographer and redistricting consultant with Mapfigure Consulting