By Jaimi Dowdell, IRE training director

A couple of weeks ago, I was teaching at a computer-assisted reporting boot camp in San Diego. The class had been through spreadsheets and databases, and I was finally demonstrating how to deal with pdf's. After showing some online options, I walked the class through my old stand-by: XPDF.

If you've used it before, you know that once you get the hang of it, it's quite simple. But learning it for the first time can be a bit daunting, as it uses the command line. That's right, I said: The ...

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Mapping Boot Camp August 13-15, 2010 (University of Missouri, Columbia, MO) Take your CAR skills to the next level by learning how to uncover the “where” in your data.  Instructors Jennifer LaFleur of ProPublica and David Herzog of NICAR will show how to use ArcView geographic information system (GIS) software in this intensive three-day session.  You’ll learn how to create simple data maps and perform more sophisticated geographic analysis. You’ll also learn how to geocode data and deal with projections. IRE and NICAR are offering substantial discounts on ArcView mapping software.  ESRI is offering ArcView single-use licenses at ... Read more ...

Tired of feeling frustrated by spreadsheets or intimidated by databases? Or maybe you’ve mastered basic computer-assisted reporting skills and are ready to dive into mapping. Intensive IRE boot camps can help you hone new skills to produce more compelling stories and make yourself invaluable in your newsroom, all in a few days of practical training. Seats are still available for upcoming IRE boot camps to help you master spreadsheets, databases or mapping software. Mapping boot campers receive a valuable software discount as well. Check out IRE’s On The Road blog to see how other journalists have put their ... Read more ...

In this free-read article from Uplink, Gregg Hennigan of The Gazette in Cedar Rapids explains how he used FEMA data and Microsoft Excel spreadsheet tricks to examine the flood aid flowing into eastern Iowa last year. Hennigan, a local government reporter, completed the story after attending and IRE and NICAR computer-assisted reporting boot camp. - David Herzog

Editor's note: Keegan Kyle attended an IRE Regional Boot Camp at the University of Minnesota Oct. 6-10, 2008. Here's his story of how the training bolstered his job prospects. (IRE and CUNY will be hosting a Regional Boot Camp in New York June 22-26. For more information and to register go here.)

The first time I ever stayed in an international hostel, I was visiting Minneapolis to attend a week-long IRE Boot Camp. I was a recent college graduate without a job, so my personal finances were tight. I booked a bed in the hostel’s community room ...

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Editor's note: Rich Exner of The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer attended IRE's Advanced Statistics Boot Camp at Arizona State University Feb. 6-8. Here's his take on the practical application of the training:

I learned after attending IRE's Mapping Boot Camp a couple of years ago that the best way to retain the new techniques crammed into a few days of classes is to use them right away. So on the plane back from the Statistics Boot Camp in Arizona, I started to look a different way at data I already had collected covering baseball payrolls back to ...

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IRE and NICAR are once again offering substantial discounts on ArcView mapping software. And your first opportunity to take advantage of the almost $2,000 in savings comes next month. ESRI is offering ArcView single-use licenses at no charge to IRE members who agree to attend a GIS training event conducted by IRE and NICAR or ESRI. Purchasers must sign a three-year maintenance agreement with ESRI at a cost of $400 a year — with the first year’s fee waived. ArcView, the GIS program most widely used by journalists, lists for $1,500. During the maintenance agreement period purchasers will ... Read more ...

Little more than a week after enduring days of spreadsheet and database training, recent graduates of IRE’s Boot Camp in Minneapolis have produced quick-hit stories with their new computer-assisted reporting skills.

• An analysis by Jason Hoppin of The Pioneer Press found new voter registrations in Minnesota have pushed that state’s registrations to an all-time high. “Half of the new registrations come from three counties that voted heavily for John Kerry in 2004, potentially giving Democratic hopeful Barack Obama a boost in a critical battleground state as the 2008 presidential election enters the homestretch.”
• New building permits are easier ...

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