Quantum GIS User and Installation Guide Version 0.9.0 ’Ganymede’ Preamble This document is the original user and installation guide of the described software Quantum GIS. The software and hardware descriptions named 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://www.qgis.org. The details, data, results etc. that are given in this document have been written and verified to the best of knowledge and responsibility of the editors. Nevertheless, mistakes concerning the content are possible. Therefore, all data are not liable to any duties or guarantees. The editors and publishers do not take any responsibility or liability for failures and their consequences. Your are always welcome for indicating possible mistakes. This document has been set with LATEX . It is available as LATEX source code and online as HTML and PDF document via http://www.qgis.org. Translated versions of this document can be downloaded via the documentation area of the QGIS project as well. More information about this document and about translating it is available via: http://wiki.qgis.org/qgiswiki/DocumentationWritersCorner. Editors User and Installation Guide: Gary E. Sherman Tim Sutton Radim Blazek Stephan Holl Otto Dassau Tyler Mitchell Brendan Morely Lars Luthman Godofredo Contreras Magnus Homann Martin Dobias With thanks to Tisham Dhar for preparing the initial msys environment, to Tom Elwertowski and William Kyngesburye for help in the MAC OSX Section and to Tara Athan for revisions. Copyright c 2004 - 2007 Quantum GIS Project Internet: http://www.qgis.org Contents Contents Title i Preamble ii Table of Contents iii List of figures x List of tables xii 1. Forward 1 1.1. Features......................................... ... 1 1.2. WhatsNewin0.9.0 .................................... 3 2. Introduction To GIS 4 2.1. Whyisallthissonew?............................... ..... 5 2.1.1. RasterData...................................... 5 2.1.2. VectorData...................................... 6 3. Getting Started 7 3.1. Installation ....................................... ... 7 3.2. SampleData ....................................... .. 7 3.3. Starting QGIS . 8 3.3.1. CommandLineOptions ............................... 8 3.4.QGISGUI........................................... 9 3.4.1. MenuBar....................................... 11 3.4.2. Toolbars....................................... 12 3.4.3. MapLegend ..................................... 12 3.4.4. MapView....................................... 14 3.4.5. MapOverview .................................... 14 3.4.6. StatusBar....................................... 15 3.5. Rendering....................................... .... 15 3.5.1. ScaleDependentRendering . .... 15 3.5.2. ControllingMapRendering . .... 16 3.6. Measuring....................................... .... 16 3.6.1. Measurelength................................... 17 3.6.2. Measureareas ................................... 17 3.7. Projects......................................... ... 17 3.8. GUIOptions......................................... 18 3.9. SpatialBookmarks ................................. ..... 19 3.9.1. CreatingaBookmark ............................... 19 3.9.2. WorkingwithBookmarks . .. 19 QGIS 0.9.0 User and Installation Guide iii Contents 3.9.3. ZoomingtoaBookmark .............................. 19 3.9.4. DeletingaBookmark............................... .. 19 4. Working with Vector Data 20 4.1. ESRIShapefiles ................................... .... 20 4.1.1. LoadingaShapefile ............................... .. 20 4.1.2. ImprovingPerformance . ... 21 4.1.3. LoadingaMapInfoLayer . .. 22 4.1.4. LoadinganArcInfoCoverage . .... 23 4.2. PostGISLayers...................................... .. 23 4.2.1. Creating a stored Connection . ... 23 4.2.2. Loading a PostGIS Layer . 24 4.2.3. Some details about PostgreSQL layers . .... 25 4.2.4. Importing Data into PostgreSQL . 25 4.2.5. ImprovingPerformance . ... 26 4.3. TheVectorPropertiesDialog . ....... 27 4.3.1. SymbologyTab................................... 27 4.3.2. GeneralTab...................................... 29 4.3.3. MetadataTab..................................... 29 4.3.4. LabelsTab ...................................... 29 4.3.5. ActionsTab...................................... 31 4.4. Editing.......................................... ... 34 4.4.1. Setting the Snap Tolerance . .. 34 4.4.2. EditinganExistingLayer . ... 34 4.4.3. CreatingaNewLayer ............................... 40 4.5. QueryBuilder..................................... .... 40 4.5.1. Query PostGIS layers . 42 4.5.2. Query OGR formats and GRASS files . 42 5. Working with Raster Data 43 5.1. Whatisrasterdata? ................................. .... 43 5.2. Raster formats supported in QGIS . ... 43 5.3. Loading raster data in QGIS . ... 44 5.4. RasterPropertiesDialog. ....... 44 5.4.1. SymbologyTab................................... 46 5.4.2. GeneralTab...................................... 47 5.4.3. MetadataTab..................................... 47 5.4.4. PyramidsTab.................................... 47 5.4.5. HistogramTab .................................... 48 QGIS 0.9.0 User and Installation Guide iv Contents 6. Working with OGC Data 49 6.1. WhatisOGCData ...................................... 49 6.2. WMSClient....................................... ... 49 6.2.1. OverviewofWMSSupport . 49 6.2.2. SelectingWMSServers . .. 50 6.2.3. LoadingWMSLayers ............................... 51 6.2.4. Using the Identify Tool . 53 6.2.5. ViewingProperties............................... ... 53 6.2.6. WMSClientLimitations . .. 55 6.3. WFSClient ....................................... ... 55 6.3.1. LoadingaWFSLayer ............................... 55 7. Working with Projections 58 7.1. OverviewofProjectionSupport . ........ 58 7.2. Getting Started . 58 7.2.1. SpecifyingaProjection . ... 60 7.3. CustomProjections ................................. .... 60 8. GRASS Integration 62 8.1. Starting QGIS with GRASS . 62 8.2. LoadingGRASSData .................................. .. 63 8.3. CreatingaLocation ................................. .... 63 8.4. VectorDataModel ................................... ... 65 8.5. DigitizingandEditingTools . ........ 66 8.5.1. Toolbar ........................................ 67 8.5.2. CategoryTab..................................... 67 8.5.3. SettingsTab ..................................... 68 8.5.4. SymbologyTab................................... 68 8.5.5. TableTab ....................................... 68 8.6. RegionTool...................................... .... 68 8.7. GRASSToolbox ..................................... .. 69 8.7.1. Modulesinsidethetoolbox . ... 69 8.7.2. GRASSBrowser ................................... 70 8.7.3. Customizing the modules section . .... 71 8.8. CreatinganewGRASSlayer . .... 72 9. Making MapServer Map Files 74 9.1. CreatingtheProjectFile . ....... 74 9.2. CreatingtheMapFile ................................ .... 74 9.3. TestingtheMapFile ................................. .... 77 QGIS 0.9.0 User and Installation Guide v Contents 10.Map Composer 78 10.1.UsingMapComposer ............................... ..... 78 10.1.1.AddingaMaptotheComposer. .. 78 10.1.2. Adding other Elements to the Composer . .... 80 10.1.3. Other Features . 80 10.1.4. Creating Output . 80 11.Using Plugins 82 11.1.An Introduction to Using Plugins . ....... 82 11.1.1.FindingandInstallingaPlugin . ...... 82 11.1.2.ManagingPlugins ............................... ... 82 11.1.3.DataProviders .................................. .. 83 11.1.4.CorePlugins ................................... .. 83 11.1.5.ExternalPlugins ................................ ... 84 11.1.6.Plugintemplates ................................. .. 85 11.2.UsingtheDecorationsPlugins . ........ 86 11.2.1.CopyrightLabelPlugin. ...... 86 11.2.2.NorthArrowPlugin............................... ... 87 11.2.3.ScaleBarPlugin ................................ ... 87 11.3.UsingtheGPSPlugin ................................ .... 89 11.3.1.WhatisGPS? .................................... 89 11.3.2. Loading GPS data from a file . 89 11.3.3.GPSBabel....................................... 90 11.3.4. Importing GPS data . 90 11.3.5. Downloading GPS data from a device . ... 90 11.3.6. Uploading GPS data to a device . .. 91 11.3.7.Definingnewdevicetypes. .... 91 11.4.UsingtheDelimitedTextPlugin . ......... 93 11.4.1.Requirements................................... .. 93 11.4.2.UsingthePlugin ................................. .. 94 11.5.Using the Graticule Creator Plugin . ........ 96 11.6.UsingtheGeoreferencerPlugin. ......... 97 11.7.UsingthePythonPlugin . ...... 101 11.7.1. Setting up the Structure . 101 11.7.2.MakingthePluginRecognizable . ...... 102 11.7.3.Resources ..................................... 102 11.7.4. Creating the GUI . 103 11.7.5.CreatingthePlugin. 103 11.7.6.IssuesandProblems. 107 11.7.7.AddingFeedback................................ 108 11.7.8.Summary ....................................... 108 QGIS 0.9.0 User and Installation Guide vi Contents 12.Creating Applications 109 12.1.DesigningtheGUI .................................. .... 109 12.2.CreatingtheMainWindow . ...... 110 12.3.FinishingUp .................................... ..... 115 12.4.RunningtheApplication . ....... 115 13.Help and Support 118 13.1.Mailinglists .................................... ...... 118 13.2.IRC ............................................