Introduction to Quantum GIS (QGIS)

Topics Covered

01 Introduction to GIS
02 Installing QGIS
03 Creating a Basic Map
04 Classifying vector data

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 Intro & Installing QGIS

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 GIS as an umbrella
GIS can be thought of
an umbrella composed
of six parts that, when
working together,
produce a system that
has many capabilities.

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 Data
Two main categories
● Vector data
● Raster data

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 Hardware
Desktop computer to
distributed or cloud
environments

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 Software
Two main
categories of
GIS software

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 Methods
Based on geodata and
geodatabase

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 Examples of a GIS in use...
● Cadastral Information ● Decision Support
● Deliveries ● 3D Analysis
● Military ● Mapping
● Farming ● Redistricting
● Wildlife Mapping ● Health
● Disaster Management ● Data Mining
● Infrastructure ● Natural Resources

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 With a GIS, we can...
● Measure accurately
and quickly
● Overlay and combine
multiple layers of data
● Change scale, zoom
and pan without
respect to map sheet
boundaries
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 Why use Open Source GIS?
● Marketable skills
● Supported by huge development & support community
● Low start-up costs
● Security
● Works on all major platforms (Mac, Linux, Windows)
● No file format lock-in
● There's nothing missing: Desktop GIS, Spatial Database Storage, Server...
● Tons of analysis tools (No licensing worries)
● Community developed add-ons (plugins)
● Free
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 Examples of maps

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 Examples of maps

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 Intro & Installing QGIS

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 Installing QGIS
QGIS runs on:
● Windows
● Mac OS
● Linux

What you need:

● Computer with sufficient free disk space
(approx 10GB) and administrator rights to
install software
● Internet connection or offline installer
● Recommended: computer mouse.

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 Installing QGIS
For Windows
Prior to installation, you need to determine whether
or not your computer runs on a 32-bit or 64-bit
system.
1. Open the Start Menu, right-click on
“Computer”, and select “Properties”.
2. Under “System Type”, the correct system
type will be listed.

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 Downloading QGIS
Online Installation
If you have access to the internet
1. Open an internet browser
2. In the URL bar, type “qgis.org” and hit enter
3. Select “Download Now”
4. Scroll to your operating system
a. most users will select Download for
Windows
5. Find the Long Term Release
6. For windows users, select 64 bit or 32 bit
based on your computer
7. Once downloaded, open the .exe file and
follow the instructions for installation

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 Navigating QGIS

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 Navigating QGIS
There are four main areas to know:
1. Layers panel
2. Toolbars
3. Map Canvas
4. Status Bar

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 Adding Data to QGIS

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 Adding Data
To add a vector layer:
1. Hover your mouse over the tools until you
find the “Add Vector Layer” tool
2. Click on this icon to open the Add Vector
Data dialog
3. Click the ‘...’ button under Source
4. Navigate to the location on your computer
where you have a saved vector layer
5. Select the file and ‘open’

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 Styling Layers

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 Styling Layers
To manually select a style:
1. Right-click on the point layer and select
‘Properties’

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 Styling Layers
To manually select a style:
2. To complete a basic style change, select
‘Simple Fill’ near the top of the window.
3. Now you can change the
a. Fill Color
b. Fill Style
c. Stroke (outline) Color
d. Stroke (outline) Width
e. Stroke (outline) Style
f. and more
4. Select ‘Ok’ to see your changes in the
project.

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 Installing Plugins

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 Installing Plugins
Plugins allow you to extend the functionality of QGIS.
In this exercise we shall install and use two plugins:
QuickMapServices & QuickOSM

What you need:

Internet connection

Estimated time:
<5 minutes, depending on internet connection

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 Installing Plugins
In QGIS
1. Click on the menu item
‘Plugins’
2. Click ‘Manage and Install
Plugins’.

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 Installing Plugins
QuickMapServices makes it easy
to download and use basemaps.

To install QuickMapServices
1. Click on the search bar and
type ‘QuickMapServices’
2. Click ‘Install Plugin’

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 Working with QuickMapServices
To use QuickMapServices
1. Select the top menu ‘Web’
and click on
‘QuickMapServices’
2. Select a basemap from the
variety of available services
a. try OSM Standard

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 Working with QuickMapServices
To use aerial imagery in
QuickMapServices
1. Select the top menu ‘Web’
and click on
‘QuickMapServices’
2. Open ‘Settings’
3. Click the ‘More Services’ tab.
4. Select ‘Get Contributed
Pack’.

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 Working with QuickMapServices
To use aerial imagery in
QuickMapServices
5. Return to the
QuickMapServices
sub-menu
6. There will now be a long list
of options for basemaps
a. try Bing Satellite
b. zoom to an area
where you can see
individual buildings

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 Installing Plugins
QuickOSM downloads OSM data
directly into QGIS with key=value
queries.
To install QuickOSM
1. Return to the Plugin
Manager
2. Click on the search bar and
type ‘QuickOSM’
3. Click ‘Install Plugin’

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 Working with QuickOSM
To use QuickOSM
1. Select the top menu ‘Vector’
and click on ‘QuickOSM’

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 Working with QuickOSM
To use QuickOSM
1. Select the top menu ‘Vector’
and click on ‘QuickOSM’
2. Fill in: key, value, and select
the extent. Try:
a. key = amenity
b. value = school
c. select ‘canvas extent’
3. Click ‘Run Query’

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 Working with Quick OSM
If your query is not working….
Did you use capital letters in your keys and values?
Make sure keys and values are in lowercase.
For example: key=amenity value=school NOT key=Amenity and value=SCHOOL
Did you use the correct spelling in your keys and values?
Make sure keys and values are spelled EXACTLY as they are in OSM guides.
For example: key=amenity NOT key=amenities
Is your area too large?
To large of an area, or too much data to download, can overload the API or will be too much for a slow internet connection.
For example, downloading all buildings in Africa, even some cities, is too large for QuickOSM. Instead try downloading a
smaller area or restricting to all building=school.

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 Resources

Last updated: 11 July 2019

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