:Author: OSGeo-Live :Author: Pirmin Kalberer :Version: osgeo-live4.5 :License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) .. image:: ../../images/project_logos/logo-QGIS.png :scale: 100 % :alt: project logo :align: right :target: http://www.qgis.org ******************************************************************************** QGIS Quickstart ******************************************************************************** Quantum GIS (QGIS) is a user friendly Desktop GIS client which lets you visualize, manage, edit, analyse data and compose printable maps. This Quick Start describes how to: * update an existing QGIS project * create a new QGIS project with a simple vector layer Edit QGIS project ================================================================================ #. Click :menuselection:`Desktop --> Desktop GIS --> Quantum GIS`. #. Choose :menuselection:`File --> Open Project...` from the menu bar. #. Select :file:`QGIS-NaturalEarth-Example.qgs` and press :guilabel:`Open`. * You should see a world map. #. Check **10m_populated_places_simple** in the Layers tree * Populated places are now displayed: .. image:: ../../images/screenshots/1024x768/qgis.png :scale: 50 % #. Double click **10m_rivers_lake_centerlines** in the Layers tree. #. Change the color in Outline Options to a different blue tone. #. Press :guilabel:`OK`. * Rivers are now rendered in a new color. Create a new QGIS project ================================================================================ #. Choose :menuselection:`File --> New Project`. #. Click :menuselection:`Layer --> Add Vector Layer...`. #. Browse to dataset :file:`/home/user/data/natural_earth/10m_admin_0_countries.shp`. #. Press :guilabel:`Open`. * You should see all world countries. Connect to a PostGIS spatial database ================================================================================ #. Choose :menuselection:`File --> New Project`. #. Choose :menuselection:`Layer --> Add PostGIS Layers...`. * Both Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap databases will be available. #. With the OpenStreetMap connection selected, press :guilabel:`Connect`. * A list of database tables will appear. #. Select ``planet_osm_roads`` and click :guilabel:`Add`. * See the :doc:`PostGIS Quickstart ` for a more detailed exercise. Using the GRASS Toolbox ================================================================================ #. Choose :menuselection:`File --> New Project`. #. Choose :menuselection:`Plugins --> Manage Plugins`. #. Type ``grass`` into the Filter box and select the `GRASS` plugin. Then click :guilabel:`Ok`. * A new `GRASS` menu with in the `Plugin` menu and a new toolbar will appear. #. Choose :menuselection:`Plugins --> GRASS --> Open mapset`. * The GRASS GIS data base will be automatically set to `~/grassdata` on the disc. #. Choose the `nc_basic_smp` Location and `user1` working mapset, then click :guilabel:`Ok`. #. Choose :menuselection:`Plugins --> GRASS --> Add GRASS raster layer`. * From the PERMANENT mapset select the `elevation_shade` map and click :guilabel:`Ok`. #. Choose :menuselection:`Plugins --> GRASS --> Add GRASS raster layer`. * From the PERMANENT mapset select the `elevation` map and click :guilabel:`Ok`. * Double click on the `elevation` map in the QGIS layer list and set its transparency to 65%. #. Choose :menuselection:`Plugins --> GRASS --> Add GRASS vector layer`. * From the PERMANENT mapset select the `roadsmajor` map and click :guilabel:`Ok`. You also have access to many of the powerful GRASS analysis modules. .. maybe describe a raster processing task instead of a NVIZ one? #. Choose :menuselection:`Plugins --> GRASS --> Open GRASS tools`. * A long list of analysis tools will appear. #. Type ``nviz`` into the Modules List's Filter box then select `NVIZ`. You may need to drag the corner of the toolbox window to make it a bit larger. #. In the new module tab that pops open, select the `elevation` map as the map for elevation. Then depress the rectangle with red corners button on the right of the map name to use the region bounds and resolution of that map. The computational region is a core theme in GRASS raster processing. #. Select `roadsmajor` for the vector overlay, then click :guilabel:`Run`. #. Once the NVIZ 3D view opens, maximize the window and drag the positioning puck in the compass box on the left to a nice view. #. Choose :menuselection:`Visualize --> Raster surfaces` and set the `fine` resolution to 1, then click the green :guilabel:`DRAW` button in the top left and wait while it renders. Using the Sextante Toolbox ================================================================================ #. Choose :menuselection:`Plugins --> Manage Plugins`. #. Type ``sextante`` into the Filter box and select the `SEXTANTE` plugin. Then click :guilabel:`Ok`. * A new `Analysis` menu and toolbar will appear. #. Choose :menuselection:`Analysis --> Sextante Toolbox`. * A new toolbar will open on the right side of the screen with many processing tools to choose from. Using the OpenStreetMap plugin ================================================================================ #. Open the Terminal Emulator from the Xubutu :menuselection:`Applications --> Accessories` menu. * Make a working copy of the OSM data in the home directory: :: cp data/osm/feature_city_CBD.osm.bz2 . bzip2 -d feature_city_CBD.osm.bz2 #. In QGIS, choose :menuselection:`File --> New Project`. #. Choose :menuselection:`Plugins --> Manage Plugins`. #. Type ``open`` into the Filter box and select the `OpenStreetMap` plugin. Then click :guilabel:`Ok`. * A new `Web` menu and toolbar will appear. #. Choose :menuselection:`Web --> OpenStreetMap --> Load OSM from file`. #. Select the `feature_city_CBD.osm` file you just copied into the home directory. #. Tick the `name`, `highway`, and `amenity` check boxes. #. Choose :guilabel:`Medium scale` rendering, then click :guilabel:`Ok`. What Next? ================================================================================ Tutorials for more advanced features of QGIS are collected as `OSGeo-Live QGIS tutorials`_. To learn more about QGIS, a starting point is the `Documentation page`_ on the QGIS homepage. OSGeo-Live contains a `A Gentle Introduction to GIS`_ and the `QGIS User Guide`_. .. _`OSGeo-Live QGIS tutorials`: ../../qgis/tutorials/ .. _`Documentation page`: http://www.qgis.org/en/documentation.html .. _`A Gentle Introduction to GIS`: ../../qgis/qgis-1.0.0_a-gentle-gis-introduction_en.pdf .. _`QGIS User Guide`: ../../qgis/qgis-1.7.0_user_guide_en.pdf