So, you’ve decided to dive into GIS. Welcome to the realm of spatial joins, polygons that don’t behave, and shapefiles that somehow still exist in 2025. It’s exciting, overwhelming, and occasionally soul-crushing. But don’t worry—there’s a beacon in the geospatial fog, and his name is Matt Forrest.
This guy? He’s the real deal. GIS pro, Field CTO at CARTO, and possibly a spatial wizard in disguise. Matt doesn’t just do GIS—he teaches it like he actually wants you to get it. Revolutionary, I know.
Who Is This Spatial Sorcerer?
Matt Forrest is the GIS mentor we all wish we had when we accidentally opened QGIS for the first time and panicked. He breaks down modern GIS concepts in a way that makes you go, “Wait, that’s it?!” His Modern GIS Substack has become a must-read for anyone navigating spatial SQL, cloud-native tools, and the occasional existential dread of learning PostGIS.
Plus, he’s not trying to sell you some snake oil data platform. He just gets it. Whether you’re a GIS beginner, a burnt-out analyst, or someone who still thinks MapInfo is a thing (it’s okay, we forgive you), Matt’s content is tailored to actually help.
What Makes Matt a Great Resource (aka, Not Just Another Tech Bro)
- Clarity over complexity – He makes spatial SQL look easy, Python less scary, and cloud GIS feel like a natural next step instead of a midlife crisis.
- Tool-agnostic & cloud-native – Matt’s tutorials don’t chain you to a single vendor. He explores BigQuery, PostGIS, GeoParquet, and more—so you’re ready for whatever your job throws at you.
- Weekly newsletter – Like a geospatial pep talk in your inbox, minus the corporate fluff.
- Modern GIS Accelerator – A crash course that actually teaches useful things. No filler. No fluff. Just spatial knowledge injected straight into your brain.
Want to See Him in Action?
Check out this video:
It’s 100% less boring than your average GIS webinar and 1000% more useful.
But Wait—Is He Too Good to Be True?
Look, no one’s perfect. If you’re the type who panics at the sight of a terminal window, a few of his tutorials might feel like jumping into the deep end. Some folks have griped about setting up tools like GDAL or Docker. But let’s be honest—that’s just the price of admission into modern GIS. Matt doesn’t sugarcoat the hard stuff; he teaches you how to actually deal with it.
Final Verdict: Add Matt to Your GIS Survival Kit
Let’s sum it up:
- Teaches real-world, job-ready GIS skills
- Doesn’t waste your time
- Makes you feel smart instead of dumb
- Uses cloud tools you’ll actually encounter in real jobs
- Actually likes teaching (and it shows)
So go ahead—subscribe to his Modern GIS newsletter, binge his YouTube channel, and explore his blog at forrest.nyc. Your future GIS-self will thank you.