GIS Workflow Guide

Introduction

This guide has been developed to present tutorials in English on the use of Free & Open Source Geographic Information Systems like gvSIG, QGIS, OpenJUMP and SAGA.

The impetus for this project comes from the lack of detailed tutorials, in English, in the use of gvSIG - the package I use daily to conduct geospatial analysis in my company Botanicus Australia Pty Ltd. Having been developed in Spain for Spaniards, little to no documentation is available in English. This maybe the reason why this package has not been adopted more widely in English-speaking countries.

The primary choice of workflow tutorials presented in this guide is a list of typical tasks conducted by myself for every project that I work on (Cropper 2010a, 2010b). The tasks can be grouped based on whether they relate to viewing, editing, creating, analysing and mapping geospatial data.

VIEWING - e.g. preparation of basic spatial data for reference in the field like aerial photographs, contours, cadastral data and historical vegetation data
EDITING - e.g. conversion of aberrant vector files to a desired Coordinate Reference System (i.e. AGD66 to GDA94, or Latitude-Longitude to MGA55)
CREATING - e.g. defining vegetation boundaries in the field or plotting rare plant locations
ANALYSING - e.g. calculating area of a polygon, aspect or slope of an area based on contour data
MAPPING - e.g. creating maps showing the extent or quality of vegetation to illustrate the outcome of any analysis to clients

All these tasks are done using the normal desktop version of gvSIG with the Sextante plug-in installed, both in the office using a desktop computer and in the field using a Tablet PC (Cropper 2010b).

Although it is possible to complete all the typical things done in the company using gvSIG, on occasion other packages are used to complete certain tasks. This is particularly apparent when viewing and manipulating data supplied in proprietary formats (e.g. CAD files or ECW images) or when conducting some esoteric task (e.g. exploding a vector file into numerous distinct new files based on an attribute). Sometimes it is simply a matter of utilising a package that is easier to use in a particular situation (e.g. warping vector files is easier using the tools in OpenJUMP than the tools in gvSIG). Consequently, on occasion, tutorials on how to use other tools that may or may not be open source will be provided. All will however be free to download, use and will view and manipulate industry standard vector and imagery data. That said, where practical, every endeavour will be made to use free and open source software.

The examples, analysis and presentation presented in this guide will also have a distinctly Australian flavour, with data relevant to the region being used to demonstrate a particular functionality. Although not essential to demonstrate how a package works, it helps familiarise the reader with nuances in local datasets and makes them comfortable in using data in particular projections.

Licensing and Copyright Issues for Users

This guide and the tutorials within are released under the 'Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia' licence. If you are unfamiliar with this licence please at least refer to the human-readable summary available on the Internet.

In essence, permission is given to you to copy, distribute and transmit this guide and/or the individual tutorials, and if you feel so inclined adapt them to your needs. If you do adapt these tutorials to your needs a copy of the derivative will need to be provided so that it can be assimilated as a variation into this guide - if you find your version valuable others may also. Refer to the section on Contributing to this Guide on how to create tutorials in the correct format and familiarise yourself with Licensing and Copyright Issues for Editors & Translators.

All the tutorials provided consist of text, reproductions of a software package's graphical user interface or command-line interface and various representations of data. All these elements are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia licence or more liberal licence. For example, although images of gvSIG are presented in these tutorials they are actually covered by the GNU General Public Licence, version 2. For unambiguous understanding of your rights and the rights of the various copyright owners every tutorial has a human-readable metadata section at the end of the page. This metadata section is reproduced in the HTML and PDF versions and should never be removed or obscured.

Workflow Tutorials

Software Installation

Tutorial	Software	OS	Language	Date
Installing gvSIG 1.10 on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS	gvSIG	Ubuntu 10.04 LTS	en	29 October 2012
Installing gvSIG 1.10 on Windows XP	gvSIG	Microsoft Windows XP	en	29 October 2012
The basic configuration of gvSIG for normal use	gvSIG	independent	en	29 October 2012

GIS Basics

Tutorial	Software	OS	Language	Date
Datums and Coordinate Systems used in South-eastern Australia	N/A	N/A	en	29 October 2012
How gvSIG handles Coordinate Reference Systems	gvSIG	Independent	en	29 October 2012

Data Acquisition and Standardisation

Tutorial	Software	OS	Language	Date
Acquire aerial photography of study area and vector data showing existing features	gvSIG	Independent	en	TBA
Manipulate the various data sets so they all overlap in the appropriate Spatial Reference System (i.e. reproject vector layers)	gvSIG	Independent	en	TBA
Convert CAD data into Shapefiles	gvSIG	Independent	en	TBA

Preparation for Data Entry or Creation

Tutorial	Software	OS	Language	Date
Identify extent of study area based on cadastral data and the objectives of the client	gvSIG	Independent	en	TBA
Extract data from state government managed databases and geospatial libraries of environmental data like flora, fauna, vegetation, geology, wetlands, etc. Incorporate into project. Includes the need to import tables as Event Layers.	gvSIG	Independent	en	TBA
Stratify study area based on aerial photography interpretation, contours, soils and vegetation data (data just represented visually, stratification done manually).	gvSIG	Independent	en	TBA

Data Entry or Creation

Tutorial	Software	OS	Language	Date
Adjust boundaries of strata based on field observations.	gvSIG	Independent	en	TBA
Mark extent of any significant plant population or animal habitat on base map using features visible on aerial photography.	gvSIG	Independent	en	TBA

Basic Analysis

Tutorial	Software	OS	Language	Date
Clean up the vector data created in the field.	gvSIG	Independent	en	TBA
Calculate and store area of each stratum in attribute table.	gvSIG	Independent	en	TBA
Collate landscape, neighbourhood and other miscellaneous attributes for each stratum (i.e. direct data entry into tables and joins)	gvSIG	Independent	en	TBA

Complex Analysis

Tutorial	Software	OS	Language	Date
Using shapefile table data in external packages	gvSIG	Independent	en	TBA
Terrain analysis using contour data	gvSIG	Independent	en	TBA

Map Production

Tutorial	Software	OS	Language	Date
Create basic maps showing the results of the analysis - the map should have grid lines showing the CRS of the View	gvSIG	Independent	en	TBA
Exporting gvSIG data to images for use in reports	gvSIG	Independent	en	TBA
Export map into format that can be directly imported into a Word Processor	gvSIG	Independent	en	TBA

Training Data

This guide focuses on teaching the reader how to complete multiple tasks forming part of a typical workflow for someone involved in the collection, editing, analysis and presentation of geospatial data. Each tutorial aims to work through a task and augments the text with copious images of software dialogue boxes and windows with data being manipulated in some way. In order to allow the reader to reproduce the steps shown in the tutorials, the data used to create them is available from this website.

Typical data made available to people involved with natural resource management in Victoria (e.g. contractors, local government agencies and land managers) has kindly been supplied by the State of Victoria, Australia under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia Licence to assist in creation of this educational resource and future derivatives. This data can be legally downloaded, viewed and used to create derivatives, which in turn can be used to create other educational resources.

Georeferenced aerial photography and vector data for a 5-by-5 km block centred on Riddell Creek have been supplied to provide realistic data for these tutorials. Download the sample data from here (7823_104.zip 19MB). It is recommended this data is unzipped in a directory called FWG_Data in your home directory.

The following vector files can be found in the data bundle. A link to the metadata for the statewide dataset for each vector file is provided in the following list.

Cadastral Parcel from Vicmap Digital [parcel_mp_approved.shp] - property boundaries
Road Network 1:25,000 - Vicmap Transport [vmtrans_tr_road.shp] - "line features delineating state wide road network. Includes; Bridges, Connectors, Footbridge, Foot Tracks, Roads, Roundabouts and Tunnels" VSDD 2010
VicMap Hydro (SII 2010; PDF 1.2MB)
- Watercourse [watercourse.shp] - "A way or course through which water may or does flow" SII 2010
- Water Area [water_area_polygon.shp] - "A inland area of standing water on a permanent basis, a lake bed containing water intermittently or an outdoor swimming pool of competition dimension" SII 2010
Contour 1:25,000 - Vicmap Elevation [el_contour.shp]
Geological polygons (1:250,000) [geol250_polygon.shp] - "geological data, namely outcropping/sub-cropping geological rock units and boundary types separating rock units" VSDD 2010
Native Vegetation - Modelled 1750 Ecological Vegetation Classes [nv1750_evcbcs.shp]
Native Vegetation - Modelled 2005 Ecological Vegetation Classes [nv2005_evcbcs.shp]

In addition, 0.35m/pixel georeferenced aerial photography in ECW format is also provided. This imagery is typically of what is available to natural resource managers throughout the State of Victoria, although in some urban areas imagery with higher resolution is typically available.

The currency of data made available in this bundle varies considerably. Past experience, shows the variation present in the vector data is typical of what would normally be available for any project. Imagery however is usually more current and of higher resolution, particularly in highly populated areas, as there is a competitive industry of aerial surveyors in Australia regularly photographing the landscape. Consequently, you can usually find imagery in urban areas less than 12-months old.

For each data file found in the data bundle, a summary of pertinent metadata, the copyright owner and the licence conditions under which it has been released, has been summarised in an XML file of the same name. The following sample for the geol250_polygon.shp vector file found in the Riddell Creek data bundle shows the contents of it's metadata file geol250_polygon.xml. This file also illustrates how the XML files should be formatted when creating derivatives for public release of any of this data.


<xml version="1.0"?>

   <!-- METADATA FOR DERIVATIVE -->
   <derivative_metadata> 
        <file>geol250_polygon.shp</file>
        <title>Geological polygons (1:250,000)</title>
        <edition>1</edition>
        <changes_made>Reprojected into AGD66 Latitude/Longitude</changes_made>
        <copyright>(c) State of Victoria, Australia; Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia</copyright>
        <creator>Simon Christopher Cropper</creator>
        <year>2011</year>
        <spatial_extent> 
             <upper>-37.41798221812472</upper>
             <lower>-37.46143918428198</lower>
             <left>144.63962935549063</left>
             <right>144.69254181390295</right>
        </spatial_extent>
        <content_type>vector - polygon</content_type>
        <url_to_store_file>http://www.fosssworkflowguides.com/gis/databundles/7823_104.zip</url_to_store_file>
        <datum>Australian Geodetic Datum 1966</datum>
        <crs>Australian Geodetic Datum 1966</crs>
        <epsg>4202</epsg>
        <data_currency>2003</data_currency>
   </derivative_metadata>

   <!-- CORE METADATA FOR PARENT DATA -->
   <metadata> 
        <file>geol250_polygon.shp</file>
        <title>Geological polygons (1:250,000)</title>
        <edition>1</edition>
        <copyright>(c) State of Victoria, Australia; Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia</copyright>
        <publisher>Botanicus Australia Pty Ltd, Melbourne, Australia (under licence, Reference Number 2559d)</publisher>
        <year>2011</year>
        <spatial_extent> 
             <upper>5856315.77271294</upper>
             <lower>5851603.722712941</lower>
             <left>291352.24224842404</left>
             <right>295920.092248424</right>
        </spatial_extent>
        <content_type>vector - polygon</content_type>
        <url_to_metadata>http://www.giconnections.vic.gov.au/content/vicgdd/record/ANZVI0803003378.htm</url_to_metadata>
        <url_to_store_file>http://www.fosssworkflowguides.com/gis/databundles/7823_104.zip</url_to_store_file>
        <datum>Geocentric Datum of Australia 1994</datum>
        <crs>Geocentric Datum of Australia 1994, Map Grid Australia Zone 55</crs>
        <epsg>28355</epsg>
        <data_currency>2003</data_currency>
        <data_accuracy>Generally accurate to 1:250,000</data_accuracy>
   </metadata>

   <!-- SOURCE OF PARENT MATERIAL AND ASSOCIATED TUTORIALS -->
   <series_metadata> 
        <series_title>The fosGIS Workflow Guide</series_title>
        <series_publisher>Simon Christopher Cropper</series_publisher>
        <series_url>http://www.fosssworkflowguides.com/gis/</series_url>
        <release_year>2011</release_year>
   </series_metadata>

</xml>

External links and resources

Catalogue of Workflow Guides
Privacy Policy
Feedback
Link to this tutorial in PDF format.
Cropper, S.C. (2010a) gvSIG is a viable robust alternative to commercially available GIS packages OSGeo Journal 6: 23-25. ( Spanish Translation; German Translation).
Cropper, S.C. (2010b) The use of gvSIG as the primary Geographic Information System for the analysis of spatial data and the production of maps in a small ecological consulting firm OpenPlanet 4: 20-29. (This article is presented in English and Spanish)
Cropper, S.C. (2011) gvSIG Quickstart OSGeo Live 4.5.

Metadata related to this document

Series Metadata

Metadata	Content
Title of Series	The fosGIS Workflow Guide - A guide to the use of FOSS to view, edit, create, analyse and map geospatial data
Series Publisher	©Simon Christopher Cropper
URL to Series	http://www.fossworkflowguides.com/gis
Release date for Series	2011

Document Metadata

Metadata	Content
Title	Introduction, background and preamble
URL to Source	http://www.fossworkflowguides.com/gis
Author	Simon Christopher Cropper
Release Date	29 October 2012
Edition	en_1
Language	English
FWG Document ID	00002
Description	Introduction, background and preamble to the fosGIS Workflow Guide
Keywords	gvSIG Sextante GIS FOSS tutorial how-to
Text - Copyright Owner	©Simon Christopher Cropper
Text - Copyright Licence	Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia
Text - URL to Deed	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/au/
GUI displayed in Images - Copyright_Owner	©Generalitat Valenciana 2009
GUI displayed in Images - Copyright Licence	GNU GPLv2
GUI displayed in Images - URL to Deed	http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.html
Data displayed in Images - Copyright Owner	©State of Victoria, Australia 2010
Data displayed in Images - Copyright Licence	Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia
Data displayed in Images - URL to Deed	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/au/
Flag Icons - Creator	FamFamFam 2011 (Terms and Conditions of Use)

The fosGISWorkflow Guide

Introduction, background and preamble