[Qgis-user] Newbie to GIS and QGIS

[bernhard.stroebl at jena.de]

Hi Jel,

one common misunderstanding is that GIS is about maps. IMHO it is not. 
GIS is about (spatial) data and _one_ thing you can do with them is 
output them as a map. When you load data into QGIS they are, well, data. 
You have to color them, label them etc. to make a map. I recommend the 
QGIS user guide, especially chapters 2 (Introduction to GIS) and 4 
(Working with vector data).

All the best

Bernhard

Am 24.08.2011 07:11, schrieb Jel Coward:
> Hi all
>
> Briefly - I am new to GIS and to QGIS. Running on ubuntu 10.04 LTS.
>
> Motivation - to be able to generate and manipulate maps (I work with
> Search and Rescue in BC (by work, I mean, I do it for free :) - and a
> desire to understand mapping better.
>
>
> I thought I would start with trying to get QGIS to open/display a map of
> our local area.
>
> I went here
>
> http://geogratis.cgdi.gc.ca/geogratis/en/option/select.do?id=5460AA9D-54CD-8349-C95E-1A4D03172FDF&datasets=092j07
> <http://geogratis.cgdi.gc.ca/geogratis/en/option/select.do?id=5460AA9D-54CD-8349-C95E-1A4D03172FDF&datasets=092j07>
>
>
> and downloaded the ESRI shape file - which turns out to be a zip file of
> a bunch of files.
>
> I opened QGIS to a blank project and tried opening all the files via
> 'add vector layer'
>
> I got a list of layers, all checked, on the left and something that
> might be a map on the right :-) Indeed I think I recognise some
> shapes/patterns, but there are no labels for places, and nothing really
> resembling a usable map.
>
>
> ........now I know that this is my lack of understanding and not a qgis
> failing. Can anyone help get me kick-started a little here please? (or
> just get me kicked if that fees better :)
>
>
> Many thanks all - and many thanks to the devels and community for
> producing this great open-source product.
>
> Cheers
>
> Jel Coward
>
>
>
>
>
>



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