Learn
Two things, both written out in full and both free. Neither one assumes you have opened a mapping program before.
- What is GIS? What a map made of layers actually is, with a diagram you can pull apart, and the sort of question it answers. Start here if the word GIS means nothing to you.
- Workshops Install QGIS, load two DC datasets, style them and export a finished map, in about 75 minutes. Plus a printable QGIS reference for afterwards.