Mod3lab1

Module 3.1 Lab

QGIS project set up

In this lab, you will be doing some doing some preliminary work for your project. Plan for the a trip to your project area in the second part of the lab.

1. You will need a basemap to orient community members and offer a space for them to place their knowledge, memories, thoughts, fears, and visions. QGIS as methods for you to import a wide range of different layers to your map. Do you need streets, satellite image, or perhaps park boundaries.

a. This short video illustrates how you can add base layers to your project.

b. Don’t worry about the Google Maps url he uses in the video. At the end, you will copy and paste python script, which will automate the import of a number of layers into your XYZ tiles. The python script comes from Klas Karlsson who created the intro QGIS video from Module 2.1.

c. This is a place to start. Follow the video, select and add base layer appropriate for your project and navigate to your project location.

2. You are about to start setting up the QGIS mapping projects that will be the foundation for your entire mapping project. Before you go any further we need to cover map Projections and Coordinate Reference Systems. You will need to select an appropriate projection system for your project location to use as a default for all of map data.

a. Map Projections Explained - A Beginners Guide This gives an overview of projection CRS are and why you would want to use one for your project. Primarily, projected systems can be accurate in local areas and will allow you to use standard units of measurement rather than degrees.

b. Working with Coordinate Reference Systems in QGIS Further explanation of the CRS and the differences between geographic and projected systems.

c. QGIS Quick Tip - Projections The video covers coordinate systems and projections for the QGIS project and layer. A short video that you may want to watch 2-3 times before using it as a guide for the next step.

3. Select a projection. With your work being large scale, selecting a state or UTM zone projection will be best.

a. As you download or create new map files, you will need to be mindful of projections and making sure that layers are projected to align with your QGIS project.

4. This is good place to save your mapping document as your base map but also to consider a folder structure for your project. Mapping can also be memory intensive, so you may want to consider using an external hard drive.

Figure 1 GIS project folder structure example

a. Wherever you ultimately save your course project files, consider a directory structure similar to the one shown in Figure 1, with your project name of course. You won’t necessarily need each of these and you might use names that make more sense to you. Regardless, you should consider a system and a process of naming files and organization for yourself, before you have too much data and too many outputs.

b. Save the QGIS project to a name like “ProjectName_Basemap” inside of Mapping.

c. This is QGIS project where you will make any base layer to be saved in the Working Data. Any other QGIS projects will use that layer, saved in Working Data.

That may all be a little confusing, so we will get it started during this lab. For the rest of the lab, we are going to add some features to the project_basemap QGIS and save them as a basemap layers in the Working Data folder. In subsequent, labs we will create new QGIS documents that use the same basemap layers as a starting point.

Right now, you are going to practice using Google Maps with your desktop. Lab 3.2 will follow a similar procedure using a smart phone the in your project community.

5. Open an excel spreadsheet and add each of these fields as headers.

a. id

b. Name

c. Type

d. Descr

e. Not

f. Lat

g. Long

6. Save the file as Lab3_1_points.csv in Working Data.

7. Open Google Maps and navigate to your project community.

8. Place a pin on a location that you think might be important to orient participants.

9. Right click or select the point options.

10. You will see an option for ‘What’s here’. You will also see the Longitude and Latitude coordinates.

11. Click the coordinates link

12. Copy the first number and paste it into the Lat for row 2 of the spreadsheet. Include the direction as well.

13. Copy the second coordinate into the Long for row 2.

14. Complete the rest of the information. Don’t forget to set the ID as 1.

15. Repeat the pin and coordinate steps with 2 other locations, 2 and 3.

16. Return to your project_basemap document. Select ‘Add Layer’ and ‘Add Delimited Text Layer’.

a. Select the .csv

b. Preview data

c. Point coordinates

d. X is Long; Y is Lat

e. Using DMS coordinates (decimal, minutes and seconds)

f. Geometry CRS

17. Lab3_1_Points will appear in the Layers pane

18. Check the map to be sure the points locations are correct.

19. ‘Export’ the Layer and ‘Save Feature as’

20. Save the feature as a ‘ESRI Shapefile’ with the same name as the .csv.

21. You will now have the .csv and the shape file under Working Data in the Browser pane.

For your actual basemap layers you may not need points. You may need polygons as boundaries for areas of interest or concern. Look to add whatever features are necessary to orient and prompt your participants.