DEPARTMENT OF GEODETIC ENGINEERING

GE 137 FUNDAMENTALS OF REMOTE SENSING AND GEOGRAPHIC

INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR ENGINEERS
Laboratory Report

Name/s: Jel Andree K. Tutor Section: __CRS1 __

Laboratory Exercise 4

A map is a graphic—either static or dynamic—that conveys a geographical story. In other words, a

map is a visual thing that communicates spatial things. All three aspects— visual, spatial, and
communication—are vital to the success of your map. One of the GIS software that is commonly used
nowadays is the Quantum GIS (QGIS). QGIS is a free and open source desktop GIS application that is
designed for viewing, editing, and analyzing geographical data. This user-friendly software is licensed
under the GNU General Public License. It is a certified project of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation
(OSGeo). It runs on Windows, Linux, Unix, Mac OSX, and Android and supports numerous vector, raster,
and database formats and functionalities. Like other GIS software, QGIS permits users to generate maps
with several layers by means of different map projections.

QGIS encompasses vector layers which are in the form of a point, line, or polygon feature. This
software can also perform digitizing and georeferencing of images. QGIS provides integration with other
open-source GIS packages, which are GRASS, MapServer and PostGIS to give users a wide-ranging
functionality. Plugins, written in Python or C++, extend the capabilities of QGIS.

Often one needs to create a map that can be printed or published. QGIS has a powerful tool called
Print Layout that allows you to take your GIS layers and package them to create maps.

A. Objectives
 To know how to install QGIS
 To explore the interface of QGIS and its functionalities
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B. Results and Discussions

QGIS Installation

First, find the QGIS installer in the downloaded folder from the LMS. Once done with the set-up
& installing, click ‘Finish’ to complete the installation process. The QGIS Interface will then open.

Figure 1.1 Installation Process

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Figure 2. Completed the installation process

Figure 1.2 Image shown the parts and functionality of QGIS interface.
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QGIS Interface

There are different parts of the QGIS Interface namely:

A. Map Legend/Layers - situated in the interface's lower left corner, where layers are inserted and
users can interact, group, and set symbology, among other things.
B. Map View/Compass – the central region where layers appear to aid in visualization.
C. Toolbar – Icons with associated functionalities are contained in these tools and buttons on the top
portion of the interface.
D. Menu Bar – located at the interface's uppermost section, up there with the Toolbar's other
features.
E. Status Bar – The status, location, and scale of the Map View are located in the interface's lower
section. This section also contains options for rendering and displaying the data.
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Figure 1.3 Viewing and Editing Data

Go to the Menu Bar > Layer > Add Layer while seeing the data. A dialogue box will open when
you click the '...' in the vector datasets box; click 'Caraga Municipalities.shp' and 'Add'.
The data with the activated layer in the Layers panel is then displayed in the Map View.

Viewing Data Properties and Attribute Table

The 'Information Tab' on the Browser panel is where you can find all the data name, directory,
storage type, and other information when you click the Layer 'Caraga Municipalities'. Right-clicking on
the layer while looking at the attribute table will bring up a dialogue box with a list of all the
municipalities.

Figure 1.4
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Figure 1.3 Viewing and Editing Data

If you "Properties" by right-clicking on the data layer's filename, a "Layer Properties" dialogue
box will appear. To change the style to one that is more suitable for you depending on your traits, go to the
Symbology Tab. There are various options for how to display your data, but the default is "Single Symbol."

Set the Layer Symbology to "Categorized" this time. Choose the "Mun name" value and customize
the Color Ramp to suit your tastes. Select "Classify," "Apply," and "OK." The preference you choose for the
data will subsequently be shown in the Map View.
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Under the Symbology Tab, the ‘Labels’ Tab can be seen, this shows the names of the features.
Select ‘Single Labels’ from the dropdown arrow, set the ‘Value’ with ‘Mun_Name. You can then choose
how you want the font to look and adjust its size, after doing that, click ‘Apply’  ‘OK’.
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Figure . The image above is the final output for Laboratory 4

C. Conclusions

Therefore QGIS is necessary for all the basic functions of geospatial analysis, mapping,
and data conversion are well supported. I learn its basic functions and how to view a spatial
image and to utilize the data it has, all its attributes were being use for analysis and viewing
and image data. As AB Engineer it is important to know its basic functionality for mapping
areas and studying land areas for research purposes.