In this chapter, we have learned how to download and install R and QGIS. We started with the installation of R, following which we also saw the various data types in R and how to work with these in R. Later in this chapter, we studied the programming aspects of R and also learned to use and apply loops and functions. Additionally, we saw how to visualize data in R using the ggplot2 package. Finally, we also learned about installing QGIS and also plugins, and we briefly studied the QGIS desktop.
We have only just scratched the surface of the many functionalities of R and QGIS. We have yet to touch upon working with spatial data, creating a spatial database, conducting spatial data analysis, and so on, which we will be introducing in Chapter 2, Fundamentals of GIS Using R and QGIS. Working with spatial data in R and QGIS requires us to know about the basics of GIS and how spatial data is being handled by R and QGIS, which we will be discussing in detail in Chapter 2. So, let's jump in!