QGIS

TRAINING
MANUAL
NAMRIA Geomatics Training Center Basic GIS using QGIS

INSTALLING QGIS

Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10

1. Download QGIS Windows Standalone Installer for your Windows Operating System
(32bit or 64bit) from http://www.qgis.org
2. Double click on the downloaded setup .exe file to install or Right click and Run as
Administrator.
(ex: QGIS-OSGeo4W-2.14.1-1-Setup-x86_64.exe)
3. Click Next

Made by: Alvin F. Laurio

4. In License Agreement,
Click I Agree button.

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NAMRIA Geomatics Training Center Basic GIS using QGIS

4. Select the destination folder or leave as is and click the Next button.

5. An option to include the sample data sets. Leave as is, click Install.

6. When installation is done, click the Finish button.

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 NAMRIA Geomatics Training Center Basic GIS using QGIS

QGIS INTERFACE

Menu Bar
Tool Bar
Add data:
Vector,
Raster,
etc.
Layers List
Browser Panel
Manage
Layers
Toolbar

Map Canvas

Status Bar

1. Menu Bar provides access to all the main functions and plugins. For example, the File
toolbar allows you to save, load, print, and start a new project.
2. Toolbar provides one-click common functions, and task-specific functions.
3. Add Data /Manage Layers Toolbar tools for adding different datasets (vector, raster,
delimited text, geodatabases and web map services).
4. Layers List / Browser Panel shows all available data layers currently added to the
project.
5. Map Canvas provides a dynamic visualization of the active data layers.
6. Status Bar provides information about the current map and current project settings.
Also allows you to adjust the map scale and see the mouse cursor’s coordinates on
the map.

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Toolbars

1. Toolbars can be activated/deactivated by right clicking on the blank space of the

toolbar or in the Menu bar – View- Toolbars
2. Uncheck / Check the toolbars you want to activate / deactivate

Menu bar-
View-
Toolbars
Right Click
on the
blank space
of the
toolbar

Adding Vector or Raster layers

1. Click Add Vector/Raster layer icon on the Manage layers toolbar or

2. In the File Menu, click Layer – Add Layer – Add Vector Layer / Raster Layer
3. Using the shortcut key Ctrl-Shift-V (Vector) Ctrl-Shift-R (Raster)

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Assigning/Defining the Coordinate Reference System (CRS) of data with unknown

CRS:
1. Loading a data without CRS (.prj, .qpj), Coordinate Reference Selector dialog box will
open automatically.
2. Using the Filter box, search the desired CRS or Authority ID (ex: 4326).
3. Select the correct CRS of the file being loaded.

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4c

4d

4e
4b

4. CRS of currently loaded data can also be assigned using the following steps:
4a. Settings-Options
4b. CRS menu bar.
4c. Click the icon
Currently used CRS can also be selected through drop down menu.
4d. Search in the Filter box the desired CRS or Authority ID.
4e. Select the correct CRS and click OK

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NAMRIA Geomatics Training Center Basic GIS using QGIS

Customizing Projection

Customized Projection by; Alvin F. Laurio

1. Click Settings-Custom CRS.

2. Click + Add New CRS.
3. Input the CRS name in the Name box and the Proj4 format parameters.
4. Test the output of the customized projection using the Test Menu. Compare the result
of the destination CRS using other GIS software or Geographic Calculator.
Click + (Add New CRS) to save the Custom CRS.
5. Click OK.

Example: Luzon 1911 / UTM Zone 51N

+proj=utm +zone=51 +ellps=clrk66 +towgs84=-133,-77,-51,0,0,0,0 +units=m +no_defs

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Adding Vector or Raster layers

4. Click Add Vector/Raster layer icon on the Manage layers toolbar or

5. In the File Menu, click Layer – Add Layer – Add Vector Layer / Raster Layer
6. Using the shortcut key Ctrl-Shift-V (Vector) Ctrl-Shift-R (Raster)

Assigning/Defining the Coordinate Reference System (CRS) of data with unknown

CRS:
5. Loading a data without CRS (.prj, .qpj), Coordinate Reference Selector dialog box will
open automatically.
6. Using the Filter box, search the desired CRS or Authority ID (ex: 4326).
7. Select the correct CRS of the file being loaded.

4a

4c

4d

4e
4b

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8. CRS of currently loaded data can also be assigned using the following steps:
4a. Settings-Options
4b. CRS menu bar.
4c. Click the icon
Currently used CRS can also be selected through drop down menu.
4d. Search in the Filter box the desired CRS or Authority ID.
4e. Select the correct CRS and click OK

Saving a new vector file

(changing projection)

1. Right Click on the layer, from the

context menu and select Save
as…

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2. Select the desired Format (default:ESRI:shapefile for vector data).

Save as: Click Browse to select the location or drive where you want to save the data.
CRS: Click the select CRS icon to change the current projection to a new projection.
Leave as is to retain the current projection.
3. Click OK

Applying Color Visual Variable

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1. Right click or double click the layer to open the layer properties.
2. Click the style menu.
3. Select Categorized from the drop down menu.
4. Select the column name to be used in applying the color
5. Select the desired color ramp (default: random colors)
6. Click Classify button.
7. Click apply and OK.
8. To save the applied or current Style, click the Style button and save style either in
QGIS layer style file or SLD format.

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Selection using Select by expression

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Example: Select Quezon City from the NCR layer

2. Select and Click the layer to make it active.

3. Click the “Select features using an expression” icon
4. Expand the “Fields and Values” and double click the Field that contains the city
names for it to appear in the expression box. Click the = button.
Click “all unique” and double click the desired city name.
5. Click Select button and Close.
6. Selected objects will be displayed in the map canvas.
7. Right click the active layer with selected objects and click save as…
8. Check the “Save selected features” and “Add saved file to map”
9. Browse for the filename, change the projection if desired.
10. Click OK

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Georeferencing scanned topographic map

1. Click Raster-Georeferencer-
Georeferencer
1 A new window will open called
Georeferencer.

2. In the Georeferencer
window,
Click Open Raster icon to
open an image

3. Assign the projection of the

image based from the
projection of the map to be
georeferenced.

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4. Use the Map Navigation

tools to zoom in and zoom
out the image.

5. Configure the
6 Georeferencer from the
Settings-Configure
Georeferencer.
6. Check Show IDs

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7. Zoom in to the upper left
corner of the map.
8. Click the Add Point icon 8
and add control point by
clicking the intersection of
longitude and latitude
lines.
9. Input the values of X/East
and Y/North coordinates
from the map.
(ex: 120 45 and 14 45) 9
Deg. min. sec is separated
by space.
Repeat the process in
the three remaining
corners:
Upper right, lower left and
lower right corners.

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10. Click the Transformation Settings.

11. Select Polynomial 1 in the Transformation Type drop down menu.
Resampling Method : Nearest Neighbor
Target SRS : select the correct projection of the map based from the map projection and
the coordinates used in adding control points.
12. Check Load in QGIS when done. Click OK.
13. Control Points can be adjusted using the Move GCP point icon to reduce the residual error
in pixels. Zoom to the specific control point and move it using the Move GCP point tool,
observe the values of the Residual (pixels). Control Points can also be deleted using
Delete point tool.

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14. Click the Start Georeferencing icon. After georeferencing, Close the Georeferencer
window. You have the option to save the values of control points-GCP’s.
15. The georeferenced image will be displayed on the Map Canvas.

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Importing Delimited Text Layer

(.csv file)

Converting geocoded table into a point layer

1. Click “Add Delimited Text Layer” icon or from Menu bar – Layer-Add Layer-Add
Delimited Text Layer.
2. Browse for the delimited text file (.csv format).
3. Click CSV (comma separated values) radio button.
4. Check if the first record in the table has the field names.
5. Assign the x and y fields from the csv file columns of (x-longitude-easting and
y-latitude-northing).
6. Click OK

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7. Assign the correct

Projection based from
the values of x and y
coordinates in the table.

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Note: Point data from the delimited text layer cannot be edited. Save it as a separate shape
file to enable edit the data.

1. In this example, HF_LOC is the “delimited text layer” output.

HF_LOC2 is a shapefile layer the output of saving the HF_LOC as a new shapefile.

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NAMRIA Geomatics Training Center Basic GIS using QGIS

Joining Tables
Sometimes other attribute information are stored in a separate table and not available in the
attribute table associated with the spatial data. It is the result of the normalization process
applied in the database design.
To attach or join the separate table to the attribute table, we need to join the tables using the
common field available in both tables.

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1. Click Add Vector Layer icon.

2. Select “Comma Separated Value” in the files of type drop down menu..
3. Select the .csv file to be joined with the attribute. Click Open.

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4. Open the layer properties. Right click or double click the layer that needs to borrow
fields from the separate table.
5. Select the “Joins” menu.
6. Select the join layer (separate table), select the join and target field common to both
tables.
7. Choose fields to be joined.
8. Click Apply and OK.
9. Open the Attribute table of the layer that borrowed the fields from another table.
10. Check the columns if already present in the attribute table.

The columns are not permanent, save the layer as a new shape file to make it permanent.
To remove the joined fields, remove the joined fields in the Join menu of the layer properties.

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Labelling

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1. Open the layer properties.

2. Select Labels menu.
3. Select “Show labels for this layer in the drop down menu.
4. Select the field to be used in labelling from the attribute table.
5. Format the label : Font, shadow, buffer, placement, rendering, etc.
6. Click Apply and OK.

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Layout / Map Composer

Prepare and organize your maps in the Map Canvas before creating a map layout.
Save the Project before creating a map layout.

1. Click Project – New Print Composer (Ctrl+P).

2. Input the Composer title and click OK.
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Print Composer window

1. In the Composition tab, configure the page size of the map layout.

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The Toolbox toolbar:

1. Pan composer
2. Zoom
3. Select/Move Item
4. Move Item content
5. Add new map
6. Add image
7. Add new label
8. Add new legend
9. Add new scale bar
10. Add shape
11. Add arrow
12. Add attribute table
13. Add HTML frame

2. Click Add new map icon and drag a box on the blank space of the map layout.
3. Move the map item content using the Move item content tool by dragging the item
inside the map. The map can be resized using the Select/Move item tool.
4. In the Item properties tab, change the scale of the map to a desired value that fits in
the map item box.
5. Click on Lock layers for map item.

6. Click + to Add Grids on the map.

7. Set the Grid type to Cross.
Set CRS to Geographic WGS84 or your desired coordinate system.

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Set Interval units in Map unit.

Set the X and Y interval. Caution: if your CRS is in projected coordinate system or the
interval unit is in meters, be sure NOT to input smaller values (ex, 0.075m) because
your computer will process a very large number of grids on your map.

Adding Grids

8. Change the Cross width to 2.00mm

Change the Line style color to gray.
9. Frame Style : Zebra
10. Check Draw Coordinates
Format : Degree, Minute, Second
Left : Vertical ascending
Right : Vertical ascending
Change the Font if desired.

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Adding Labels

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11. Using the Add new label tool, drag a box on the desired position of the label.
12. Input the label
13. Change the Font, Horizontal and Vertical Alignment

Adding North Arrow

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14. Add North Arrow using Add image tool by dragging a box on the desired position.
15. Select north arrow symbol from the Search directories window.
North Arrow can be resized and moved using the Select/Move item tool.

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NAMRIA Geomatics Training Center Basic GIS using QGIS

Adding Scale Bar

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16. Add scale bar using Add new scale bar tool by clicking on the desired position.

17. Change the scale bar properties:

Style: Double box
Units: meters
Segments: Left =0, Right=3
Other properties can be change depending on the result of the scale bar appearance.

Adding scale

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18. Add scale bar using Add new scale bar tool by clicking on the desired position.
19. Change the scale bar properties:
Style: Numeric
Alignment: Middle
Scale can be resized and moved using the Select/Move item tool.

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Adding Legend

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20. Add Legend using Add new legend tool by dragging a box on the desired position.
21. Change the legend properties:
Title : Legend
Title Alignment ; Center
22. Edit the legend items:
Uncheck Auto update
22a. Edit the Name of the Legend item properties if desired.
23. Font of different groups can be changed by clicking on the specific group.
24. Change the Columns count to 2, check Equal column width and Split layers.
Spacing of legend items can also be adjusted.

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25. Add logo or image using Add image tool

Add new label for the Name of Author, Data Sources and notes about the map.
26. Add Rectangle using Add Shape tool.
27. Change the properties of the rectangle.
28. Remove the fill of the rectangle by changing the Symbol layer type to Outline:Simple
line.
29. The Layout can be exported as image, SVG and pdf file.
30. Save the image

This manual was made by Alvin F. Laurio

4/102016

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1. Group items
2. Ungroup items
3. Lock selected item
4. Unlock All items
5. Raise selected item
6. Align selected item

Note: When you add a rectangle over the map item, rectangle will cover the whole map. The
rectangle can be Send to Back using the Raised selected item tool.

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