10th International Space Syntax Symposium!

Workshop 2!
!

'Space Syntax Toolkit' for QGIS!

Open source GIS and network analysis for space syntax research and practice!
!
!
!
Jorge Gil!
!
Space Syntax Laboratory!
The Bartlett, UCL!
!
!
!
!
!
13/07/2015 – 09:00 to 16:00!
Levinsky Room, Institute of Child Health, UCL!
Introduction!

• Instructor!
• Participants!
• Objectives!
• Outline!

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Instructor!

• Author ‘Space Syntax Toolkit’ for QGIS (2013 - )!

• Author ‘Confeego’ for MapInfo (2004 - 09)!
• MSc Virtual Environments, The Bartlett, UCL!
• PhD Researcher, Urbanism, TU Delft (2009 - 15)!
• Work on assessing the sustainability of
neighbourhoods in city-regions: focus on multi-
modal mobility and accessibility!
• Research on City Information Modelling!
• Use and development of open source GIS and
statistical analysis packages!

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Participants!

Yes / Some! No!

space syntax! 14! 2!

depthmapX! 12! 4!

GIS! 12! 4!

QGIS! 5! 11!
Note:&based&on&16&par0cipant’s&responses.&

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Objectives!

1. Demonstrate and learn how to use the 'Space

Syntax Toolkit' (SST) for QGIS;!

2. Explore ways in which QGIS (and GIS) can be

used in space syntax research and practice;!

3. Discuss how the SST can grow and evolve.!

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Outside Objectives!

• Learn about space syntax theory and methods:!

– http://www.spacesyntax.net/online-training-platform/!

• Learn about space syntax applications in

research:!
– http://www.spacesyntax.net/symposia/!

• Learn about depthmapX:!

– https://varoudis.github.io/depthmapX/!
– https://github.com/SpaceGroupUCL/Depthmap/tree/master/docs!

• Learn about QGIS:!

– http://docs.qgis.org/2.8/en/docs/index.html!

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Outline of the session!

'Space Syntax Toolkit' for QGIS!

!
09:15 – Part 1 – Overview!
10:30 – Break!
10:45 – Part 2 – Demonstration and Exercise!
12:30 – Lunch Break!
13:30 – Part 3 – Exploration and Discussion!
16:00 – Close!

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Part 1 – Overview!

1. The SST project!

2. Comprehensive description and explanation of
the SST’s features!
3. Installation of the plugin!
4. SST project repository!

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Part 2 – Demonstration and Exercise!

1. Before we begin: data formats!

2. Exercise: complete SST workflow!

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Part 3 – Exploration and Discussion!

1. GIS stages and operations for space syntax!

2. Useful QGIS plugins and tools!
3. Examples of work!
4. Exploration of space syntax QGIS workflows!
5. Discussion on new workflows for the SST!

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 PART 1 – Overview!

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Part 1 – Overview!

1. The SST project!

2. Comprehensive description and explanation of
the SST’s features!
3. Installation of the plugin!
4. SST project repository!

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Space Syntax Toolkit for QGIS!

• An open source project for space syntax

education, research and practice;!

• Led by the Space Syntax Laboratory, UCL;!

• Developed in connection with the depthmapX

software project;!

• For the space syntax community.!

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Project aims!

• Integrate space syntax spatial analysis (depthmapX)

with QGIS for teaching and research!

• Expand exploratory spatial and quantitative analysis

features of QGIS!

• User friendly tool for students: clear and linear

workflows!

• Flexible tool for researchers: analytic options and

exploratory depth!

• Operational tool for practice: robust, fast and optimised

workflows!

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Traditional workflow!

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Desired workflow!

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Why choose QGIS?!

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Why choose QGIS?!

• Free and open source!

• Cross-platform (Windows, Linux, Mac OSX)!
• User friendly interface!
• Well documented (in English and other languages)!
• Growing user and developer community!
• Extensive input/output data formats, tools and plugins!
• Managed installation and maintenance of plug-ins!
• Based on open standards and packages!
• Automation tools and customisation with Python!
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Space Syntax Toolkit (SST)!

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Graph Analysis!

• Integrated workflows for:!

– Axial model verification and analysis!
– Results post-processing and import!
• Input data format agnostic!
• Output to all QGIS native formats!
• Alternative algorithms optimised for
geodatabases!
• Standard defaults, advanced settings hidden!
• Multi-threaded!

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Model set-up!

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Model verification: Map!

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 Map error types!

• Polyline&
• Duplicate&
• Short&
• Orphan&
• Unlinked&
orphan&
• Island&
• Small&
• Coinciding&
points&

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Map verification results and settings!

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Filter map errors!

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Zoom to map errors!

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Zoom to map errors!

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Edit and fix map errors!

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Edit and fix map errors!

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Model verification: Unlinks!

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Update line id attributes!

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 Unlinks error types!

• Mul0ple&
lines&
• Single&line&
• No&lines&
• No&line&id&
• Same&line&id&&
• Unmatched&
line&id&

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Unlinks verification results!

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Zoom to and edit unlinks!

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Unlinks verification settings!

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Zoom to and edit unlinks!

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Zoom to and edit unlinks!

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Zoom to and edit unlinks!

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Model verification !

• The model verification process is iterative:!

– Verify and fix axial lines!
– Update unlinks ids!
– Verify and fix unlinks!
– Verify and fix axial lines!
– Verify and fix unlinks!
– Update unlink ids!
– Verify and fix axial lines!
– …!

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Model verification concluded!

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Model analysis: Axial !

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Axial analysis report!

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Axial analysis report!

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Axial advanced settings!

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Axial analysis report - advanced!

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Axial analysis: Post-processing!

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Model analysis: segment!

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Segment analysis report!

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Segment advanced settings!

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Segment analysis: Post-processing!

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Analysis results!

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Attributes explorer!

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Attributes Explorer!

• Intuitive and interactive exploration of attributes!

• Simple symbology settings!
• Symbology settings for typical academic output!
• Stores attributes’ symbol settings with project!
• Descriptive statistics and charts!
• Synchronises with main window selection!

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Attributes explorer docked left!

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Layer selection: attribute defaults!

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Attribute symbology: colour range!

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Attribute symbology: colour range!

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Attribute symbology: colour range!

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Attribute symbology: colour ranges!

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Attribute symbology: colour ranges!

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Attribute symbology: Line width!

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Attribute symbology: display order!

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Attribute symbology: display order!

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Attribute symbology: invert range!

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Attribute symbology: invert range!

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Attribute symbology: intervals!

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Attribute symbology: quantiles interval!

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Attribute symbology: natural breaks interval!

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Attribute symbology: equal intervals (Choice)!

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Attribute symbology: custom interval!

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Attribute symbology: points!

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Attribute symbology: polygons!

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Attribute stats!

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Attribute stats!

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Attribute charts: histogram!

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Attribute charts: histogram selection!

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Attribute charts: histogram selection!

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Attribute charts: histogram!

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Attribute charts: scatterplot!

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Attribute charts: scatterplot selection!

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SST Installation!

• QGIS:
http://www.qgis.org/en/site/forusers/download.html !

• DepthmapXnet:!
http://archtech.gr/varoudis/depthmapX/?dir=depthmapXnet !

• SST:!
Download from QGIS plugins repository!
(Also to manage updates when available)!

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SST installation!

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SST installation!

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Other useful QGIS plug-ins!

• Openlayers!
• Dbmanager!
• Processing!
(not a comprehensive list, and there are
alternatives to some of the above)!

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SST project repository!

• Official Releases!
• Latest source code!
• Documentation!
• Sample data!
• Issue tracking – problems and suggestions!
https://github.com/SpaceGroupUCL/qgisSpaceSyntaxToolkit/issues !

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SST Github repository!

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Milestones!

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Issue tracking!

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Issue tracking!

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Issue tracking!

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Issue tracking!

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 PART 2 – Demonstration and
Exercise!

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Part 2 – Demonstration and Exercise!

1. Before we begin: data formats!

2. Exercise: complete SST workflow!
1. Creating the axial model!
2. Verifying the axial model!
3. Axial and segment analysis!
4. Creating analysis results maps!

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Before we begin: data formats!

• Using sample data:!

– open a project file!
– layers are automatically added to QGIS!

• Using own data source:!

– adding layers to a project!
– select file / database!

• Different data formats, different features!

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Data store set-up!

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Data store set-up: Shape Files!

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Shape file format!

+!
• “standard” GIS format used for distributing/sharing;!
• most software reads these files;!
• uses the standard file and folder approach for storage
that every user is familiar with. !
–!
• easy to lose components when moving things around;!
• limited to 10 characters in attribute names;!
• limited to 2GB in the dbf (attributes) file;!
• leads to huge folders with many files;!
• depends solely on the QGIS API for querying and
analysis.!
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Data store set-up: Spatialite!

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Data store set-up: Spatialite!

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Spatialite format!
+!
• data is stored in a single file, easy to backup and share;!
• embedded SQL allows data query and analysis;!
• embedded functions are many times faster than QGIS
equivalents;!
• no restrictions on table and attribute names;!
• QGIS offers user-friendly data manager interfaces.!
–!
• requires familiarity with database principles to manage;!
• database can quickly grow to have many tables;!
• can be temperamental;!
• the SQLite SQL standard has some limitations;!
• only supports vector data.!
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Data store set-up: PostGIS!

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PostGIS format!

+!
• no data size limit;!
• full and enhanced SQL support;!
• rich set of analysis functions;!
• extremely fast operations;!
• supports vector and raster data;!
• has “schemes” that help keep the database organised;!
• possible to have multiple users collaborating.!

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PostGIS format!

–!
• requires installation of server and/or client platform;!
• for personal use it requires knowledge of database
systems and management;!
• data sharing using shape files, when others don’t have
access to the server.!

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Exercise: complete SST workflow!

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Starting the exercise!

• Using sample data:!

– open a project file!
– layers are automatically added to QGIS!

• Using own data source:!

– adding layers to a project!
– select file / database!

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Changing project properties!

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Load background imagery!

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Create axial lines and unlinks!

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Model verification !

• The model verification process is iterative:!

– Verify and fix axial lines!
– Update unlinks ids!
– Verify and fix unlinks!
– Verify and fix axial lines!
– Verify and fix unlinks!
– …!
• Caution!!
Verify and fix unlinks before updating ids a second
time, some unlinks might be on incorrect lines!!
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Verifying the axial map!

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Verifying the axial map (geodatabase)!

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Updating unlink ids!

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Fixing the axial map!

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Fixing the axial map!

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Fixing the axial map!

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Fixing the axial map!

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Fixing the axial map!

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Fixing the axial map!

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Fixing the axial map!

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Fixing the axial map!

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Fixing the axial map!

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Fixing the axial map!

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Fixing the axial map!

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Fixing the axial map!

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Fixing the axial map!

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Fixing the axial map!

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Verifying unlinks!

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Fixing unlinks!

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Fixing unlinks!

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Fixing unlinks!

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Fixing unlinks!

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Verification completed!

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Running axial analysis!

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Running segment analysis!

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Displaying syntax measures!

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Showing the choice structure!

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Showing the choice structure!

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Showing the choice structure!

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Showing the choice structure!

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 PART 3 – Exploration and
Discussion!

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Part 3 – Exploration and Discussion!

1. GIS stages and operations for space syntax!

2. Useful QGIS plugins and tools!
3. Examples of work!
4. Exploration of QGIS workflows for space syntax!
1. Continue exercise with own data, or!
2. Experiment new workflows!

5. Discussion on new workflows for the SST!

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GIS stages and operations for space syntax (1)!

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GIS stages and operations for space syntax (2)!

Source: Based on work by Stephen Law and colleagues at Space Syntax Ltd !

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Useful QGIS plug-ins and tools!

• Openlayers! • Qscatter!
• Dbmanager! • Spatialjoin!
• Dissolve with stats! • Spatial Query plugin!
• CADDigitize! • SPIT!
• Contour Plugin! • Table manager!
• Concave Hull! • Affine transformations!
• Ftools! • Composer!
• Generalizer! • Processing!
• Heatmap! • …!
• MMQGIS! !
• NNJoin!

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Exploration of QGIS workflows for space syntax!

• Producing a map for publication!

• Movement predictive model!
• Impact maps!
• Aggregation of network with census!
• Creating density maps!

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Producing a map for publication!

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Movement predictive model!

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Aggregation of network with census!

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Aggregation of network with census!

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Discussion on new workflows for the SST!

• Road centre line analysis!

• Linking model levels!
• Catchment / Service areas!
• ??? !!

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 !
!
Thank you!!
!
!
[email protected]!
!
!
!
!
Project part of Platform Grant Extension:!
Space, Time and Interaction!
EPSRC GR/S645561/01!

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