The first task in every work is to get used to the acquired data. We should investigate what kind of data it holds and what can we work with. We should formulate the most fundamental questions for successful work. Is there enough information for my analysis? Is it of the right type and format? Are there any No-Data values I should handle? If I need additional information, can I calculate them from the existing attributes? Some of these questions can be answered by looking at the attribute table, while some of them (especially when working with large vector data) can be answered by asking QGIS. To ask QGIS about vector layers, we have to use a specific language called SQL or Structured Query Language.
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Book Overview & Buying
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Table Of Contents
Practical GIS
Practical GIS
Overview of this book
The most commonly used GIS tools automate tasks that were historically done manually—compiling new maps by overlaying one on top of the other or physically cutting maps into pieces representing specific study areas, changing their projection, and getting meaningful results from the various layers by applying mathematical functions and operations. This book is an easy-to-follow guide to use the most matured open source GIS tools for these tasks.
We’ll start by setting up the environment for the tools we use in the book. Then you will learn how to work with QGIS in order to generate useful spatial data. You will get to know the basics of queries, data management, and geoprocessing.
After that, you will start to practice your knowledge on real-world examples. We will solve various types of geospatial analyses with various methods. We will start with basic GIS problems by imitating the work of an enthusiastic real estate agent, and continue with more advanced, but typical tasks by solving a decision problem.
Finally, you will find out how to publish your data (and results) on the web. We will publish our data with QGIS Server and GeoServer, and create a basic web map with the API of the lightweight Leaflet web mapping library.
Table of Contents (15 chapters)
Preface
Free Chapter
Setting Up Your Environment
Accessing GIS Data With QGIS
Using Vector Data Effectively
Creating Digital Maps
Exporting Your Data
Feeding a PostGIS Database
A PostGIS Overview
Spatial Analysis in QGIS
Spatial Analysis on Steroids - Using PostGIS
A Typical GIS Problem
Showcasing Your Data
Styling Your Data in GeoServer
Creating a Web Map
Appendix
