QGIS User Guide

Quantum GIS User Guide Version 1.1.0 'Pan' Preamble This document is the original user guide of the described software Quantum GIS. The software and hardware described in this document are in most cases registered trademarks and are therefore subject to the legal requirements. Quantum GIS is subject to the GNU General Public License. Find more information on the Quantum GIS Homepage http://qgis.osgeo.org. The details, data, results etc. in this document have been written and verified to the best of knowledge and responsibility of the authors and editors. Nevertheless, mistakes concerning the content are possible. Therefore, all data are not liable to any duties or guarantees. The authors, editors and publishers do not take any responsibility or liability for failures and their consequences. Your are always welcome to indicate possible mistakes. This document has been typeset with LATEX. It is available as LATEX source code via subversion and online as PDF document via http://qgis.osgeo.org/documentation/manuals.html. Translated versions of this document can be downloaded via the documentation area of the QGIS project as well. For more information about contributing to this document and about translating it, please visit: http://www.qgis.org/wiki/ Links in this Document This document contains internal and external links. Clicking on an internal link moves within the document, while clicking on an external link opens an internet address. In PDF form, internal links are shown in blue, while external links are shown in red and are handled by the system browser. In HTML form, the browser displays and handles both identically. User, Installation and Coding Guide Authors and Editors: Tara Athan Radim Blazek Godofredo Contreras Claudia A. Engel Otto Dassau Martin Dobias Jürgen E. Fischer Anne Ghisla StephanHoll MarcoHugentobler MagnusHomann TimSutton LarsLuthman GavinMacaulay WernerMacho CarsonJ.Q.Farmer Tyler Mitchell Brendan Morely Gary E. Sherman David Willis With thanks to Tisham Dhar for preparing the initial msys (MS Windows) environment documentation, to Tom Elwertowski and William Kyngesburye for help in the MAC OSX Installation Section and to Carlos Dávila, Paolo Cavallini and Christian Gunning for revisions. If we have neglected to mention any contributors, please accept our apologies for this oversight. Copyright c 2004 - 2009 Quantum GIS Development Team Internet: http://qgis.osgeo.org Contents Contents Title i Preamble ii Table of Contents iii List of Figures viii List of Tables x List of QGIS Tips xi 1 Foreword 1 1.1 Features ............................................ 1 1.2 Conventions .......................................... 4 2 Introduction To GIS 6 2.1 Why is all this so new? .................................... 6 2.1.1 Raster Data ...................................... 7 2.1.2 Vector Data ...................................... 7 3 Getting Started 9 3.1 Installation .......................................... 9 3.2 Sample Data ......................................... 9 3.3 Sample Session ....................................... 10 4 Features at a Glance 12 4.1 Starting and Stopping QGIS ................................. 12 4.1.1 Command Line Options ............................... 12 4.2 QGIS GUI ........................................... 13 4.2.1 Menu Bar ....................................... 14 4.2.2 Toolbars ........................................ 17 4.2.3 Map Legend ..................................... 17 4.2.4 Map View ....................................... 19 4.2.5 Map Overview .................................... 19 4.2.6 Status Bar ....................................... 20 4.3 Rendering ........................................... 20 4.3.1 Scale Dependent Rendering ............................ 21 4.3.2 Controlling Map Rendering ............................. 21 4.4 Measuring ........................................... 22 4.4.1 Measure length and areas .............................. 22 4.5 Projects ............................................ 23 QGIS 1.1.0 User Guide iii Contents 4.6 Output ............................................. 24 4.7 GUI Options .......................................... 24 4.8 Spatial Bookmarks ...................................... 27 4.8.1 Creating a Bookmark ................................ 27 4.8.2 Working with Bookmarks .............................. 27 4.8.3 Zooming to a Bookmark ............................... 27 4.8.4 Deleting a Bookmark ................................. 28 5 Working with Vector Data 29 5.1 ESRI Shapefiles ....................................... 29 5.1.1 Loading a Shapefile ................................. 29 5.1.2 Improving Performance ............................... 30 5.1.3 Loading a MapInfo Layer .............................. 31 5.1.4 Loading an ArcInfo Binary Coverage ........................ 31 5.2 PostGIS Layers ........................................ 32 5.2.1 Creating a stored Connection ............................ 33 5.2.2 Loading a PostGIS Layer .............................. 34 5.2.3 Some details about PostgreSQL layers ...................... 34 5.2.4 Importing Data into PostgreSQL .......................... 35 5.2.5 Improving Performance ............................... 37 5.3 SpatiaLite Layers ....................................... 38 5.4 The Vector Properties Dialog ................................ 38 5.4.1 General Tab ...................................... 39 5.4.2 Symbology Tab .................................... 39 5.4.3 Metadata Tab ..................................... 41 5.4.4 Labels Tab ...................................... 41 5.4.5 Actions Tab ...................................... 43 5.4.6 Attributes Tab ..................................... 46 5.4.7 Diagram Tab ..................................... 47 5.5 Editing ............................................. 49 5.5.1 Setting the Snapping Tolerance and Search Radius ............... 50 5.5.2 Topological editing .................................. 51 5.5.3 Editing an Existing Layer .............................. 51 5.5.4 Creating a New Layer ................................ 58 5.5.5 Working with the Attribute Table .......................... 58 5.6 Query Builder ......................................... 60 5.7 Select by query ........................................ 61 6 Working with Raster Data 62 6.1 What is raster data? ..................................... 62 6.2 Loading raster data in QGIS ................................. 62 6.3 Raster Properties Dialog ................................... 63 QGIS 1.1.0 User Guide iv Contents 6.3.1 Symbology Tab .................................... 64 6.3.2 Transparency Tab .................................. 65 6.3.3 Colormap ....................................... 66 6.3.4 General Tab ...................................... 67 6.3.5 Metadata Tab ..................................... 67 6.3.6 Pyramids Tab ..................................... 67 6.3.7 Histogram Tab .................................... 68 7 Working with OGC Data 69 7.1 What is OGC Data ...................................... 69 7.2 WMS Client .......................................... 69 7.2.1 Overview of WMS Support ............................. 69 7.2.2 Selecting WMS Servers ............................... 70 7.2.3 Loading WMS Layers ................................ 71 7.2.4 Server-Search .................................... 73 7.2.5 Using the Identify Tool ................................ 74 7.2.6 Viewing Properties .................................. 74 7.2.7 WMS Client Limitations ............................... 75 7.3 WFS Client .......................................... 76 7.3.1 Loading a WFS Layer ................................ 76 8 Working with Projections 79 8.1 Overview of Projection Support ............................... 79 8.2 Specifying a Projection .................................... 79 8.3 Define On The Fly (OTF) Projection ............................ 80 8.4 Custom Coordinate Reference System ........................... 81 9 GRASS GIS Integration 85 9.1 Starting the GRASS plugin ................................. 85 9.2 Loading GRASS raster and vector layers .......................... 86 9.3 GRASS LOCATION and MAPSET ............................. 87 9.3.1 Creating a new GRASS LOCATION ........................ 87 9.3.2 Adding a new MAPSET ............................... 89 9.4 Importing data into a GRASS LOCATION ......................... 90 9.5 The GRASS vector data model ............................... 91 9.6 Creating a new GRASS vector layer ............................ 91 9.7 Digitizing and editing a GRASS vector layer ........................ 92 9.8 The GRASS region tool ................................... 96 9.9 The GRASS toolbox ..................................... 96 9.9.1 Working with GRASS modules ........................... 96 9.9.2 Working with the GRASS LOCATION browser .................. 98 9.9.3 Customizing the GRASS Toolbox .......................... 99 QGIS 1.1.0 User Guide v Contents 10 Print Composer 101 10.1 Using Print Composer .................................... 102 10.1.1 Adding a current QGIS map canvas to the Print Composer ........... 103 10.1.2 Navigation tools ................................... 104 10.1.3 Adding other elements to the Print Composer ................... 105 10.1.4 Raise, lower and align elements .......................... 106 10.1.5 Creating Output ................................... 107 10.1.6 Saving and loading a print composer layout .................... 108 11 QGIS Plugins 109 11.1 Managing Plugins .....................................

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