* Missing Fetch Python Plugins

Fetch Python Plugins hilang

Saya telah pos isu ini di Forum rasmi QGIS tapi sehinggi kini masih belum dapat maklumbalas. Banyaknya implikasi: tiada siapa yang berminat, tiada siapa yang ambil kisah, tiada siapa tahu bagaimana nak atasinya atau ada yang tahu tapi tidak berminat berkongsi ilmu. Perkara ni terjadi pada kedua-dua versi Master dan Stable apabila dikemaskini, iaitu menu Fetch Python Plugins menu terhilang. Akhirnya saya jumpa cara mengatasinya: Pilih kesemua plugin dibawah Manage Plugin dan "Fetch Python plugin" akan muncul kembali. Senang saja!

Missing Fetch Python Plugins

I posted this issue at the official QGIS Forum but so have not got any reply. This could imply many possibilities: nobody is interested, no one could care less, no one knows how to deal with it or some one knows but not willing to share that knowledge. I noticed it happens in both the Master and Stable version when a version upgrade happens, that is, the Fetch Python Plugins menu disappears. Eventually I found the answer: Select all plugins under Manage Plugin and "Fetch Python Plugins" re-appears. Simple as that!

* Training: QGIS promoted to state town planning departments

QGIS dipromosi ke jabatan perancang bandar negeri

Semalam merupakan hari yang penting bagi QGIS kerana saya dapat menghadiri Mesyuarat Pengurusan dan Pemantauan Data yang dihadir oleh semua wakil perancang negeri dan pejabat projek. Saya memaklumkan bahawa bahagian kami tahun ini telah memberi latihan QGIS kepada beberapa orang dan prioriti tahun depan adalah untuk melatih QGIS bagi kesemua pejabat projek seperti dimohon oleh pengarah masing-masing. Oleh krana jabatan perancangan bandar dan desa negeri terletak luar pentadbiran persekutan tambah pula, bajet adalah terhad, wakil-wakil perancang negeri diberitahu kami masih sudi melanjutkan latihan QGIS dengan syarat mereka sanggup menganjurkan kursus latihan QGIS lalu meminta mereka merujuk blog ini untuk mendapatkan maklumat tambahan. OK, tindakan seterusnya terletak luar kawalan kami.

QGIS promoted to state town planning departments

Yesterday was a crucial day in favour of QGIS because I attended a Data Mgt and Monitoring Meeting attended by all state planning and project office representatives. I made known that our division this year had trained a number of people in QGIS and that priority will be given next year to train QGIS to all project offices as requested by the respective directors. Since state planning department do not come under federal administration coupled with limited budget, state planning representatives were informed we are still willing to train them in QGIS if they can sponsor the QGIS training course and told them to refer to this blog site for further information. OK, I've already kicked the ball to the other side.

Raster classification with DTclassifier

Printscreen from GIS Lab

Klasifikasi raster menggunapakai DTclassifier

Sebelum sesi pertanyaan antara pelajar-pelajar di UTM Skudai, terdapat pelajar yang berminat dengan klasifikasi raster bagi gunatanah. Mereka bertanya sekiranya QGIS boleh membantu maka saya terus membuat sedikit kerja rumah dan jawapannya terdapat di GIS Labs Rusia. Ya, saya tabik si bijaksana di GIS Labs. Seperti saya kata dulu, kalau tak tanya, tak akan dapat jawapan (atau membuat carian Internet). Bagaimana pun, pengguna perlu memasangkan QGIS 1.8 atau lebih tinggi bermakna versi Master dan saya kira tak sukar untuk dilaksanakan. Panduan Pengguna disini adalah jelas dan mudah faham tetapi saya mengakui masih belum saya mencubanya. Ada yang berminat?

Raster classification with DTclassifier

Before my Q&A session with students at UTM Skudai, some student showed interest in raster classification of landuse. They asked me if QGIS could help so I did some homework and found the answer at the Russian GIS Labs. Yes, I take my hats off to the whiz kids at GIS Labs. Like I said, you won't know until you ask (or make some Interent search). However, users need to install the QGIS 1.8 or higher which is the Master version and that should not be difficult. I found the User Manual here clear and understandable although I admit I have not tried it yet. Anyone interested?

Talk: UTM Skudai gets exposed to Quantum GIS

Taklimat: UTM Skudai didedahkan kepada Quantum GIS

Hari ini, saya telah dijemput oleh Fakulti Alam Bina, UTM Skudai, Johor untuk memberi taklimat memperkenalkan GIS melalui Quantum GIS. Ianya dihadiri oleh pelajar asing dan tempatan, oleh itu, dibentang dalam bahasa Inggeris. Pada sesi pertanyaan, saya rasa terdapat minat mengenai open source GIS pada peringkat server dan menerangkan bahawa dalam keadaan Open Source terdapat sedikit perbezaan dengan proprietari GIS lalu menjelaskan fungsi PostgreSQL-PostGIS sebagai pangkalan data geospatial di  peringkat server dan pengguna mencapai data dari server di peringkat desktop menggunakan Quantum GIS dimana output adalah sama. Sekiranya pengguna mahir memasang dan konfigur server, kos adalah percuma, sudah pasti, dengan andaian semua peralatan telah diperolehi. Saya tidak heran maklumbalas seperti tersebut disuarakan sebab terdapat orang yang melihat setup gis server dari sudut pemahafahaman yang mereka sudah biasa. Saya berpuashati telah mempromosi QGIS dikalangan pelajar termasuk pensyarah yang ada belum pernah dengar QGIS, semoga QGIS akan cepat bersebaran di wilayah selatan Semenanjung  Malaysia.

Talk: UTM Skudai gets exposed to Quantum GIS

Today, I was invited by the Faculty of Built Environment, UTM Skudai, Johor to give a talk on An Introduction of GIS - The Quantum GIS way. It was attended by both foreign and local students, thus, the talk was given in English language. After the talk under Q&A, I got the feeling that there was further interest in an open source GIS at the server level so I explained that in Open Source the situation is slightly different from proprietary GIS and illustrated the case of PostgreSQL-PostGIS fuctioning as the geospatial database at the server level and the user retrieves data from the server to the desktop level using Quantum GIS where the output is still the same and if the user was familiar with the installation and configuration of the server, cost would be nill assuming of course the hardware was already available. I am not surprised because some people still see the gis server setup from a proprietary point-of-view which they have been familiar with. Well, I've done my part to promote QGIS among the students as well as the lecturers whom too never heard of QGIS, hopefully the word of QGIS will spread in the southern region of Peninsular Malaysia.

Training: Ministry of Education get trained in QGIS, Round 2

Latihan: Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia dapat latihan QGIS, Kali Kedua

Setelah memberi latihan QGIS kepada Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia (KPM), mereka berpendapat QGIS memenuhi keperluan mereka lalu menghubungi kami untuk mendorongkan mereka dalam penyediaan pangkalan data GIS KPM.  Saya amat mengagumi kumpulan ini kerana mereka amat postif dan sedia menerima maklumbalas  tajam semasa pendekatan KPM dalam perancangan kemudahan pelajaran dikupas dan dibidas kiri kanan agar lebih baik disedari kesilapan masing-masing disesi latihan supaya mereka tidak membuat kesilapan serius pada masa depan yang boleh memalukan Menteri mereka semasa berhadapan dengan ahli Parliamen. Kami telah terangkan bahawa setiap keputusan bagi kriteria dan parameter merupakan pisau bermata dua. Dalam ini terpaksa kami menggorek justifikasi bagi keputusan sehingga ke akar umbi barru saja mereka lebih jelas mengapa kami amat kritikal dan tidak suka pada alasan yang kabur  kerana ianya juga hanya menghasilkan output yang kabur. Saya pasti pendedahan kami tidak akan dapat sampai ke tahap ini andainya mereka telah menentang maklumbalas 'pedih' dan yang mana kami telah jelaskan terlebih dahulu "You may not like to hear what we have to say". Kesimpulannya, sesi latihan tersebut berakhir dengan jayanya bagi kedua-dua pihak.

Training: Ministry of Education get trained in QGIS, Round 2

Having given the initial QGIS training to Ministry of Education (MOE), they found that it fulfilled their needs and have now called us again over the past 2 days and night but this time to guide them in the preparation of their geodatabase. I admire them because this bunch are very positive and acknowledged our findings as we pried open their approach towards education planning of educational facilities and shot them down left and right in an attempt to make them see their mistakes now in this training session so that they won't make blunders in the future and give their Minister an embarrassing moment when he has to face the Parliament MPs. We explained how every decision in GIS they put forth in deciding their criteria and parameter has a two-edge sword effect and we made them clearly justify down to the very core. It made them understand why we were so critical because we did not want vagueness because that will only lead to vague and questionable outputs. I am sure we would not have got this far with MOE had they put up resistant to our "painful" feedbacks which I told them at the start "You may not like to hear what we have to say" and the training concluded I would say extremely well for both of us.

Talk: MyGOSSCON 2011 : Update 2

Talk: MyGOSSCON 2011 : Update 2

My talk was entitled "Sustaining innovations for the public sector". The argument of my case was that Open Source Software (OSS) can win hands down against proprietary software where it concerns cost-saving but it takes more than that ensure its sustainability in the public sector. Elements such as prejudice which has nothing to do with technicalities and government policies need to be addressed in a better perspective. The hidden potentiality of OSS needs to be highlighted because too long the popular use of properiety software has mindset users not to look beyond. Fears and apprehension must be answered with convincing justifications that sceptics can relate to. Without a doubt, the development of an OSS community specific to a particular OSS needs to be quickly established, preferably acceptable to the local lingo and generate a homely atmosphere. This should eventually nurture local interest and an Internet reference point is needed where cyber help and advice can be easily obtained day and night . Training a diversified group of people helps widen the community base and strengthen the multi-functional use of the OSS. Adovcates do not last forever, thus, the importance of finding a successor to maintain continuity in the adoption of an OSS. Others strategies include the need to expose and encourage potential users to use OSS early so that they arel not be misled into believing that softwares only centre around proprietary software but that there are many OSS out there that can give propreitary software a run for their money. Got myself a book to read and t-shirt as souvenirs for giving that talk :-D .The PDF version of my slideshow can be  downloaded here.

MyGOSCCON 2011: Update 1

MyGOSCCON 2011: Terkini 1

Alamak! Saya telah dijemput memberi taklimat pada Sesi Plenary 2. Memandangkan saya melihat diri  sebagai Mr. Nobody antara pakar Open Source Creme de la Creme, pasti ianya satu penghargaan kerana diberi peluang tersebut, tak tahu lah saya yang mereka nampak pada diri ku. Ini adalah satu cabaran besar  bagi saya tetapi akan saya cuba.

MyGOSCCON 2011: Update 1

Omigosh! I am invited to give a talk at the 2nd. Plenary Session. Since I really consider myself Mr. Nobody among the Creme de la Creme of Open Source experts, it is of course a big honour to be given that chance, I do not know what they see in me. This of course makes it a bigger challenge for me but I'm going to try.

Training: Quantum GIS Course Bil.3/2011

Latihan: Kursus Quantum GIS Bil.3/2011

Satu kursus Quantum GIS diadakan sekali lagi di Jabatan kami. Kali ini, kami ingin mencuba mengadakannya di bawah pada Makmal IT tetapi ruang tersebut sedang diguna buat sementara oleh pelayan-pelayan sehingga hujung tahun. Kali ini, seramai 6 peserta menghadiri kursus tetapi 4 yang telah mendaftar tidak dapat hadir atas sebab masing-masing :

En. Khairul Azlan Ramli - Bhg. Perundangan & Kawal Selia Perancangan

Pn. Norhayati Abu Bakar -  Bhg. Penyelidekan & Pembangunan

Pn. Che Zaulina Hj. Che Lan -  Bhg. Penyelidekan & Pembangunan

En. Nor Hadzmi Mohd. Nor - Unit Penyelaras Projek

En. Mohd. Yusof Ruslan - Bhg. Perancangan Wilayah

Pn. Natasha Shafiee - Pejabat Projek Zon Utara

Pandangan setelah menghadiri kursus:

Norhayati:

QGIS memudahkan kerja-kerja dalam penyediaan Ran. Pemajuan. Ia sangat mesra pengguna dan menjimatkan masa dan kos dalam pencapaian data raster.


Natasha:

1. Percuma
2. Memudahkan ketika peringkat analisis
3. Mesra pengguna - pengguna akon yang senang/mudah
4. Jimat masa bekerja
5. Sumber data seperti  atau dalam Google Earth mudah/senang dicapai

Nor Hadzmi

Mesra pengguna

Yusuf:

Sesiapa sahaja boleh menggunakan QGIS - lebih mudah dari MapInfo dan ArcGIS, mesra pengguna dan percuma

Khairul Azlan:

1. Mudah berbanding penggunaan Mapinfo walaupun hasil yang sama
2. Banyak modul Open Source yang memudahkan untuk mendapatkan maklumat

Zauliha:

1. Senang/Mudah
2. Interesting - banyak maklumat boleh dapat
3. Banyak menjimatkan masa
4. Paling penting percuma, tidak terikat pada lesen

Training: Quantum GIS Course Bil.3/2011

Another course on Quantum GIS was held again at our department. We wanted to give it a try downstairs at the IT lab but it was taken up by the temporary relocation of servers until the end of the year. This time, 6 people attended but 4 whom registered could not make it :

En. Khairul Azlan Ramli - Legal and Planning Monitoring Division

Pn. Norhayati Abu Bakar -  Research & Development Division

Pn. Che Zaulina Hj. Che Lan -  Research & Development Division

En. Nor Hadzmi Mohd. Nor - Project Coordination Unit

En. Mohd. Yusof Ruslan - Regional Planning Division

Pn. Natasha Shafiee - Northern Project Office

Opinion after attending course:

Norhayati:

QGIS make the preparation of Local Plans easy. It is very user-friendly, saves time and cost in the preparation of raster data.


Natasha:

1. Free
2. Easy at the analysis stage
3. User-friendly - icons are use to use
4. Saves time
5. Data source such as from Google Earth is easy to retrieve

Nor Hadzmi

User-friendly

Yusuf:

Anyone can use QGIS - much easier than MapInfo dan ArcGIS, user-friendly and free

Khairul Azlan:

1. Easier compared to Mapinfo eventhough both outputs are the same
2. Many Open Source modules make it easy to retrieve information

Zauliha:

1. Easy to use
2. Interesting - much information can be obtained
3. Save much time
4. Most importantly free, not tied to licence

QGIS Mobile

Mobil QGIS

Pengurusan Tertinggi di jabatan saya, terharu bahawa Google Maps boleh dicapai dalam telefon bimbit telah meminta bahagian saya memastikan supaya portal gunatanah kami boleh dicapai melalui telefon bimbit. Sebenarnya perkara ini sudah boleh dicapai cuma saya berpendapat ianya masih perlu dimantapkan lagi supaya lebih berkesan. Satu hari saya percaya akan ada permintaan supaya GIS berfungsi dalam telefon bimbit. Sekali lagi, ini kerap berlaku apabila orang kurang fahman mengenai tekonologi terkini, mereka anggap semuanya mudah seperti ABC. Saya masih belum memaklumkan mereka bahawa pelbagai isu terkait dan pokoknya apakah sistem operasi yang digunakan oleh telefon bimbit mereka...BlackBerry, Android, Symbian? I telah buat carian QGIS Mobile pada Internet dan projek tersebut baru dimulakan oleh Marco Bernasocchi, salah seorang pakar dibelakang QGIS. QGIS Android telah dimaklumkan pada Forum QGIS disini. Projek tersebut boleh dirujuk disini.

Terkini

QGIS Mobile

The top management at my department, impressed that Google Maps can function in a mobile phone has asked my division to expedite so that our landuse portal is viewable in a mobile phone. Actually it can already be viewed but I feel there is still much more to be done to make it effective. One day, I forsee a demand that GIS works in the mobile phone. Again, this is what happens when people are ignorant of current technology, they assume it can be done as easy as ABC. I have yet to inform them that there are many issues to this but it mainly boils down what operating system their mobile phone uses...BlackBerry, Android, Symbian? I searched for QGIS Mobile (but of course) on the Internet and the project appears to have just started by Marco Bernasocchi, one of the brains behind QGIS. QGIS Android was mentioned at the QGIS Forum here. The project can be viewed here.

Update

Potential uses of QGIS-GRASS in town and country planning

Kegunaan berpotensi QGIS-GRASS dalam perancangan bandar dan desa

Fadzlan ingatkan saya mengenai kertas yang telah lama saya sediakan dan beliau berpendapat adalah baik yang mana dah terlupa dan disimpan baik-baik dalam folder PDF dalam komputer saya. Berminat? Fail PDF boleh dimyat turun disini.

Potential uses of QGIS-GRASS in town and country planning

Fadzlan reminded me of this paper I long wrote and he considers a good write-up which I forgot about and was kept quietly in the PDF folder of my computer. Interested? The PDF file can be downloaded here.

MALAYSIA CIO CONFERENCE & MYGOSSCON 2011

MALAYSIA CIO CONFERENCE & MYGOSSCON 2011

MyGOSSCON, dimana saya, 2 tahun lalu telah memperkenalkan QGIS kepada komuniti IT Malaysia hampir tiba kat tempat yang sama: Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC). Kali ini, the Malaysian CIO Conference juga di adakan bersama. Ia akan diadakan pada hujung bulan ini. Saya akan ke sana. Anda?

MALAYSIA CIO CONFERENCE & MYGOSSCON 2011

MyGOSSCON, where it all started 2 years ago when I first introduced QGIS to the Malaysian IT community is back again at the same good old place: Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC). This time they've added the Malaysian CIO Conference together with it. It's round the corner at the end of the month. I will be there. Will you?

Introduction to Quantum GIS talk at UTM, Johor...soon

Taklimat memperkenalkan Quantum GIS di UTM, Johor...tidak lama lagi

Bulan lepas, saya cuba try emelkan Dr Ahmad Nazri Muhamad Ludin, Dean/Assoc. Prof. Fakulti Alam Bina, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia yang tak pernah saya jumpa terus bertanya sama ada beliau berminat mendengar taklimat saya memperkenalkan Quantum GIS. Selepas terjumpa emel saya dalam junk mail (nasib le!) awal bulan ni, beliau menjawab berminat dan tarikh tentatif ditetapkan pada Jumaat Disember 9th 2011 bulan depan. Jika semua berjalan lancar, saya akan ke Johor selama sehari mempopet-popet mengenai sesuatu yang percuma...QGIS! Apa terjadi selepas tu adalah disini.

Introduction to Quantum GIS talk at UTM, Johor...soon

Last month, I tried and emailed Dr Ahmad Nazri Muhamad Ludin, Dean/Assoc. Prof. Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia whom we have never met and enquired whether he was interested in hearing me give a talk introducing Quantum GIS. He replied early this month after he found my email in the junk mail (what luck!) that he was and set a tentative date for Friday December 9th 2011 next month! If everything goes as planned, I should be there for a day's visit to blabber about something free...QGIS. What happened next came here.

Lesson 5 : Create a GRASS mapset

Pewujudan GRASS mapset

Saya sangka modul GRASS dapat terus digunakan untuk analysis GIS tetapi salah. Pertama, GRASS perlu  impor fail sedia ada untuk mewujudkan fail GRASS baru. Dalam masa itu, ianya membangunkan topologi baru dan membetulkan fitur-fitur sedia ada (tetapi tak jamin) serta katalognya dengan mewujudkan field baru bernama "cat". Perbandingan antara bilangan fitur-fitur sedia ada dan baru akan menjelaskan betapa sempurnanya fail sedia ada. Fail baru ini adalah lebih efisen dan cepat untuk memproses pertanyaan analysis. Fail PDF boleh dimuat turun disini. Artikel ini telah dikemaskini disini.

Create a GRASS mapset

I thought I could immediately use GRASS modules for GIS analysis but I was wrong. Firstly, GRASS must import an existing file to become a new GRASS file. During that time, it builds a new topology and cleans all original features (though not guaranteed) and catalogues them by creating a new field called "cat". Comparison between the number of features in the original and new file will show how perfect the original file was. This new file now makes it more efficient and faster to process analytical queries. The PDF file can be downloaded here. This article has been updated here.

Lesson 4 : Create a polygon layer

Pewujudan lapisan polygon

Prosedur untuk mewujudkan point atau line adalah sama seperti polygon dimana polygon berbanding dengan lain, adalah paling sukar untuk disediakan. Maka, saya telah menyediakan slideshow step-by-step mengambarkan langkah-langkah untuk mewujudkan lapisan polygon termasuk menetapkan map projection dan mengemaskini attribute table. Fail PDF boleh dimuat turun disini.

Create a polygon layer

The procedure to create a point or line is the same as a polygon in which the polygon is comparatively the most difficult of the three. So I have taken the task of preparing a step-by-step slideshow illustrating how to create a polygon layer inclusive of setting the map projection and updating its attribute table. The PDF file can be downloaded here.

Lesson 4 : GIS basics

Electric cables> line; District> polygon; Police and electric power stations> points

Lesson 4 : GIS basics

Having given tips how to install QGIS in my earlier blogs, I now get feedbacks probably from students asking how to use QGIS. In any course, there are 3 levels: basic, intermediate and advance. I think it is inappropriate to train intermediate and advance levels over the blog because it is difficult to put some explanation into words so I will limit it to GIS basic. My way of teaching may be a bit strange compared to a formal structured way at universities ( I was never good at that). I explain how to avoid getting lost in GIS as I did in the first place. In GIS basics, firstly know there are two GIS format ie. vector, raster then there is map projection. If you are into vector GIS features just know there are 3 i.e. point, line & polygon. We begin ironically by forgetting about GIS for a while to get a better understanding of what's it all about:

Firstly, we must realize the real world is 3 dimensional (3D). This means there are elements of length x breadth x height to consider when wanting to digitize a spatial form. Current GIS technology is way behind real 3D digital technology (to me, like a 3D movie) and can at best only translate the real world into 2D. I think if current GIS could really translate the real world situation which is 3D, the moment you want to create a GIS layer that GIS software it will force you into a cube-like dimension imposing on you to add x & y & z factor and even if the z factor was not available the view should be in a cube-like dimension if zoomed out. For now, the height factor in some "3D" applications is captured to produce an image that somewhat try to portray the real world but this is not really 3D in the true sense of the word. Don't let people fool you otherwise. Every point on this earth is translated by a coordinate reference point.

I explained how things get mapped in GIS well under the FAQs so I don't want to repeat them here. Look for this illustration below in the FAQs.

I have to do another drawing here because that flat plane is really a big vertical cylinder

the same circumference of the world and I am thinking how to best draw this without

giving the wrong impression... Mmm, still thinking here.

Simply put, if something physical has a geographical context then a minimum of 2 coordinate reference points are needed to illustrate that line. If height factor comes into play, current GIS technology not does not recognize it as a feature but as an attribute of that feature. Just remember the 3 GIS vector elements: point, line and polygon. To illustrate, a point can represent a lamp post or tree, a line can represent a road or rail line and a polygon can represent a plot of land. The physical entity will be a spatial drawing saved in the representative feature layer and they point, line and polygon maps do not mix so to see them all at once, the technique of sieving or overlaying is required. The attributes for that physical entity are kept in a corresponding attribute table kept hidden unless activated or vice versa.

Secondly, once a physical feature has been properly mapped onto a layer or what I would term as a digital paper, it is vital to set the proper map projection for that layer and if not precisely overlaid for the same locality, you can forget about doing GIS analysis. A layer without a map projection is a map floating somewhere in mid-air (don't ask me how high) yet precisely over a certain locality, it is not firmly set on the ground. They call this on-the-fly projection. To get the height element into proper perspective, that layer must come to the ground making height measurement taken from the ground. A map layer not properly projected then set to off-the-fly projection will immediately fly way off course from its original position almost half away round the world.

It is also important to realize in GIS, the round (more or else) world has been cleverly  flatten out by Mr. Mercator so unlike the real world where the North point is a point on top of the world, on a flat drawing, the North pole is a line somewhere "up North" so whether in America or in Malaysia yet on a flat drawing it is always perpendicularly up.

Thirdly, without getting too technical, GIS format can take the form of vector or raster format. Just know that a vector map is based on the creation of lines as illustrated in a cadastral map or landuse map. A raster map is made up of pixels like in a TV. Raster images are all solid/opaque just like a photography, aerial photo or satellite image.

Lastly before I forget, in computer aided designed (CAD) drawings, the space in a polygon drawing means nothing just like a rubber-band but in GIS that space has a spatial context and can be translated to mean a spatial feature e.g. landuse and because it has an area, it is possible to calculate the size of that space.

The translation of real world by raster format transforms images into a grid of cells or grid of pixels like we see in a TV, the more pixels in an image, the sharper the image becomes. To not get the image distorted, pixels are in square shape. Satellite images are translated onto a grid of pixels in different bands of light and because light reflects differently on objects and plants, different shade of light are achieved. Remote sensing agencies have graded and catalogue the different shades and can intrepret well the type of geographical features. Different types of crop cover show up well but different type of landuse activities do not though can be grouped as built environment.

Different specialization require different approach to meet their needs and in the field of town planning and land administration, vector gis is more preferred. Traditionally, people were use to the ESRI Simple feature vector model that separates the 3 basic vector feature point, line and polygon on separate layers.  When polygons shared the same boundary, it actually meant 2 separate boundaries. This meant the spatial area in the polygon could be recognized as the area. However, as GIS ideology and GIS programming developed, the GRASS vector model took a different approach. It is arguably closer to the real world situation where the 3 vector features of point, line and polygon are placed on a single layer (Don't ask me how they do it) just like every geographical object can be found on a flat piece or rolling land. Secondly, when polygons share the same boundary,the polygons do not need to close because the separate boundaries merge as one. This means that the area cannot be a close polygon because in certain situation, it does not occur. Thus to overcome this, the centroid of each polygon is created and there lies the data on the area of the polygon. GRASS vector  model thus stores attribute data in a slighty different way than the ESRI simple vector model. I don't want to go further at this point of time because I'm afraid, I will confuse you more so I'm leaving it up to here.

Well, that's so much about GIS basic. Did I get you all confused? :-D

Lesson 2 : Ubuntu QGIS installation slideshow

Slideshow pemasangan Ubuntu QGIS

Peminat Open Source, saya tidak abaikan kamu. Hari ini, saya telah pun siapkan slideshow pemasangan Ubuntu QGIS Ver 1.8. Fail PDF boleh dimuat turun disini. Bagi peminat sudo su yang diambil dari sini:

apt-get install python-software-properties 

add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntugis/ubuntugis-unstable 

apt-get update 

apt-get install qgis python-qgis

Ubuntu QGIS installation slideshow

Open Source fans, I have not deserted you. Today, I have completed the Ubuntu QGIS Ver 1.8 installation slideshow. The PDF file can be downloaded here. For the sudo su fans taken from here:

apt-get install python-software-properties 

add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntugis/ubuntugis-unstable 

apt-get update 

apt-get install qgis python-qgis

Lesson 1: Windows QGIS installation slideshow

Slideshow pemasangan Windows QGIS

Saya tahu antara newbies termasuk saya seperti dahulu, pemasangan apa jua perisian amat sukar dan memandangkan terdapat sesi latihan tak lama lagi, saya telah wujudkan slideshow ini. Oleh kerana ianya   step-by-step show, saya tidak akan cakap banyak dan biarkan slideshow do the talking, kenyataan adalah hanya pengenalan, isu dan kesimpulan. Fail PDF boleh dimuat turun disini.

Windows QGIS installation slideshow

I know among newbies as I was before, installing any software can be mind-blogging and since I have a training session round the corner, I created this slideshow. Since it's a step-by-step show, I'm let the slideshow do the talking, hardly any words except for introduction, issue and conclusion. The PDF file can be downloaded here

Ubuntu QGIS vs. Windows QGIS

Ubuntu QGIS vs. Windows QGIS

Saya mengakui adalah lebih mudah untuk memasang QGIS versi Microsoft kerana tidak perlu bergantung kepada Internet kecuali jika perlu muat turun plugin atau menggunapakai plugin Google layers. Pemasangan adalah mainan kanak-kanak, cuma klik next-next-next-next-next. Kedua-dua boleh dikatakan lebih kurang cepat tetapi saya masih belum menguji yang mana lebih elok kerana keutamaan saya adalah Ubuntu kerana kini dapat saya elak melakukan skan harian bagi anti-virus and malware, defrag dan scandisk. Juga, semua di keluarga saya bersetuju melayari Internet melalui Ubuntu-Chromium browser mau pun menghidup atau memadamkan komputer lebih cepat dengan Ubuntu. Saya perhatikan blog mengenai pengemaskinian ketahap QGIS 1.8 amat popular, oleh itu, telah mengemaskininya dan menghuraikan langkah-langkah bagi memasang QGIS versi Ubuntu. Barukini, semasa mengkaji integrasi antara spreadsheet dan fail .shp, saya perhatikan modul Join Attribute tidak berfungsi secara seamless antara LibreOffice's spreadsheet yang datang bersama Ubuntu 10.04 dan Ubuntu QGIS 1.7 bagaimana berfungsi antara Microsoft Office spreadsheet dan Windows QGIS 1.7. Perkara ni amat merunsingkan akan tetapi diatasi dalam versi terkini LibreOffice yang terdapat pada Ubuntu 11.10 bersama Ubuntu QGIS 1.8. Pasti, ada orang buat kerja tambahan!

Ubuntu QGIS vs. Windows QGIS

I admit it is easier to install the Microsoft version of QGIS because once the file has been downloaded, there is no need to be dependent on the Internet unless there is a need to upload the latest plugins or use the Google layers plugin. Installation is kid's stuff, just click next-next-next-next-next. Both seem to be reasonably fast but I have not bothered to test which is better since I have a preference for Ubuntu because I can now totally relieve myself of daily anti-virus and malware scanning, frequent defrags and scandisk. Also, everyone in the family acknowledges surfing the Internet with Ubuntu-Chromium browser and even switching the computer with Ubuntu on or off is faster.  I noticed that my blog on the update to QGIS 1.8 is very popular so I have updated it to elaborate the steps how I installed the Ubuntu version of QGIS. Recently, when I was researching on integrating a spreadsheet to a .shp file, I noticed that the Join Attribute module did not work seamlessly between the LibreOffice's spreadsheet that came along with Ubuntu 10.04 and Ubuntu QGIS 1.7. but it did work between Microsoft Office's spreadsheet and Windows QGIS 1.7. That was most annoying however this issue was resolved in the updated version of LibreOffice in Ubuntu 11.10 and Ubuntu QGIS 1.8. Obviously, somebody must have been doing their homework!

Remove haze with GRASS GIS through QGIS

Memadamkan kabus menggunapakai GRASS GIS melalui QGIS

Semalam, saya menerima permintaan emel untuk menasihat bagaimana untuk import imej remote sensing (Landsat) kedalam GRASS GIS bagi membantu dalam memadamkan kabus dengan source code. Saya menjawab saya tidak mahir dengan GRASS GIS tetapi menasihat untuk menggunapakai  GeoReferencer dalam QGIS yang mudah dan pasti dapat import imej raster kedalam GIS. Bagaimana pun, saya heran mengapa walaupun kabus dapat dipadamkan, adakah ini bermakna bumi di bawah dapat dilihat? Perkara ini diluar bidang pengkhususan saya tetapi saya berpendapat tidak salah kalau dapat saya membantu. Seterusnya dibuat Google search dan tiba-tiba saya sampai disini. Nampaknya, laman ini adalah sebahagian daripada AWF-Wiki, landasan untuk berkongsi maklumat, ilmu dan kepakaran dalam konteks inventori perhutanan dan remote sensing yang dimulakan oleh Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany. Dua perkara menarik perhatian: Pertama, saya dalam mendalami pasal automated cloud detection iaitu bidang raster dan kedua, terdapat syarahan memperkenalkan QGIS. Boleh tahan! Mendalami automated cloud detection, saya menyedari dapat saya melaksanakannya dengan pakej QGIS-GRASS tanpa penggunaan source code dan bergantung pada modul GRASS seperti r.composite, r.univari, r.mapcalc, r.buffer dan r.grow yang diterangkan  oleh AWF-Wiki. Ah...kalau macam ni, boleh saya lanjutkan pelajaran ke tahap PhD. ;-D  Memandangkan saya berpendapat laman AWF-Wiki amat berguna, saya telah meninggal pautan pada blog ini bagi mereka yang berminat.

Remove haze with GRASS GIS through QGIS

Yesterday, I received an email asking for help how to insert the remote sensing image (Landsat) in GRASS GIS to eventually help remove haze with a source code of haze removal. I replied I was not familiar with GRASS GIS but advised to use GeoReferencer in QGIS which is easy and will definitely solve the task of importing raster images in a GIS. However, I could not understand why even if haze could be removed , does that make it possible to see the land form underneath? Although this is beyond my area of expertise, I thought there was nothing wrong if I could help. I immediately made a Google search and eventually landed here. This appears to the part of a site belonging to AWF-Wiki, a platform for sharing information, knowledge and expertise in the context of forest inventory and remote sensing which was initiated  at the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany. Two things attracted me: Firstly, I got to know more about automated cloud detection which is a raster domain and secondly, there were lectures on the introduction of QGIS. Not bad! Reading more about automated cloud detection, I realized I could easily do it with the QGIS-GRASS package and instead of using source code, I could still rely on GRASS modules like r.composite, r.univari, r.mapcalc, r.buffer and r.grow as explained clearly by AWF-Wiki. Ah...like this, I can pursue a PhD. ;-D  Since I found the AWF-Wiki site such a great wealth of resource, I have left it's link at this blog for those interested.

* GIS FAQ

A very difficult thing to do is to explain GIS to people whom are not technically inclined simply because GIS is a very technical subject. (In this respect, I did not expect and found it most interesting that "GIS FAQ" is one of my most popular articles) To make matters worse, digital subjects can be very fuzzy. To make matters really bad is if that person(s) whom needs explanation is your boss or top management who know nothing or little about GIS yet have too much ego to admit it (Funny thing, seems to be a norm everywhere). To explain a digital subject in an analogue way that people can quickly and clearly comprehend has always been my greatest challenge and I admit is not easy in fact in general I would say difficult. For example mention the word "Vector" and it will mean different things as well as seen from different visual angles by different people, even for me before I got to know about GIS in detail, Vector is the name of a super sportscar :-D. Thus, I thought it interesting to come up with a GIS FAQ that even a layman could understand with QGIS as the tool so that when we talk about GIS, we are on the same frequency and meaningful to both of us in some way or the other or else it will be nodding all the way but nothing absorbed. I admit my explanation may not be so good nor accurate as compared to academicians or better-off experienced GIS users but for the time being I just wanted to do something and list the questions and answers cramping my mind especially the ones I could not answer well. New queries and answers will be added and old ones amended over time (meaning this page is rather dynamic and the most dynamic in this blog) when I find a better crispier example I am happier to live with. Still, I want like to start somewhere on this never-ending draft and as I babble away but if I do leave you happy then I have succeeded in this technological transfer because that is what Open Source  which I grew to believe is all about ...sharing. By the way, before I say here goes, unlike GIS FAQ, QGIS FAQ deals specifically with QGIS issues which you may like to venture later on:

What is GIS?
A digital age technological system about information on geographical features covering spatial and non-spatial data:

• "Geographical" because it primarily deals with geographical features;
• "Information" because it can churn out information from data;
• "System" because it consist of many inter-related components (that do many things: retrieve, visualize, edit, store, query and analyse GIS data).

Although it fundamentally deals with mapping (in the first stage) and analysis (in the second stage), GIS is more prized for its analytical ability to extract information from geographical data. This is where the fun is. Things get interesting when your data (be it topology and attribute) is "clean" which is not easy to do because they usually involve a voluminous amount of data.

What is web-GIS?
Yes I know but this has nothing to do with GIS for spiders. Firstly, some people think or believe web mapping is web-GIS. Then there are those who feel that web-GIS is being able to do GIS over the Internet but with the help of a compatible desktop GIS application to link to, which is the general acceptance of the term 'web-GIS'. But for me,  I am of the opinion that it is a GIS that can do all the above yet over the Internet and on condition, with only an internet browser. Seriously, if a person says otherwise, I say someone is bluffing you into making you believe whatever he or she says really means web-GIS. To me, you do not need a GIS application in your desktop computer for web-GIS after all if you have an internet email account you do not need a email application installed in your computer, do you? If you play internet games you don't need anything installed in the desktop computer, do you? (short of the multimedia drivers). When you use online banking facilities, you don't need to install a specific on-line banking application, do you? You have be clear between web-mapping and web-GIS. There are a lot of con people out there eager to take you for a ride. Take my advise. Do not immediately accept any interpretation immediately including mine. Use your simple logic and common sense. Has GIS come to this level of web-GIS as I see it? You tell me.

Is there any future in Web-GIS?
Before GIS Mobile came into the scene, I would say there was a rush for the bandwagon on anything that even smells of Web-GIS. It appeared to be the glamorous side of GIS and many a superduper senior manager felt their agency must have one let alone whether they really knew what they were taking about when they mention the word "Web-GIS". Now that GIS Mobile is here to stay and looking optimistically the stable version of QGIS Mobile should not be too far away, it should not be long before the functions of a desktop-GIS can be replicated by a GIS Mobile far easier than it is for a web-GIS to deliver, couple to that, there is the advantage of mobility which web-GIS just cannot meet. With the current price of a tablet being corporately reasonable, I could be wrong but I forsee the rise of GIS Mobile and the fall of the Web-GIS empire as people see it and that is where I would put my money on.

What is 3D GIS?
This is another fancy terminology where people have their own interpretation. People were initially brainwashed into thinking that 2 1/2D is 3D and subsequently in the GIS industry associated 3D GIS would take up that perspective. However, have you seen any 3D movies lately where currently you need need 3D spectacles because the movie industry has not yet come up with a 3D screen (The movie industry is currently trying  hard to come up with 3D movies that do not rely on 3D spectacles)? Well, that is my interpretation of "3D" in that there is the element of solid form and depth of field, anything less than that, I do not accept. So if it is a GIS that can do all the above as I defined earlier in "What is GIS?" and on condition in 3D as I see it then I say that GIS software can do 3D GIS. This is my stand.

What is 'spatial data'?

• Data that has a spatial context. 

This means the locational factor of a geographical feature is taken into account recognised as the meeting point of the latitude and longitude for that feature usually in terms of degrees. Examples of a spatial data is a fire hydrant (point), road (line) and lot parcel(polygon). If altitude (z) data is available, a computed 3D image and subsequent 3D information can be acquired with the help of a 3D module.

What is 'non-spatial data'?

• Data that has no spatial context.

Since GIS deals with geographical features, the non-spatial contexts refer to attributes of a geographical feature. It can be kept in a spreadsheet or database and can linked to the spatial data in the form of an attribute table or dynamically linked to the spatial data by a hyperlink. Examples of a non-spatial data e.g. lot parcel could include landowner, land ownership status, a photograph or even a video clip of that lot parcel.


What is the difference between data, metadata and information?

• "Data" is the plural for datum which is basic information about an item. An example of landuse data is  specific information on various types of activities on the land e.g. residential, commerical and industrial.
• "Metadata" is data about that data or how a particular data shall be structured so that the computer understands what you are talking about e.g. when you say 'name', the computer will wants to know (it has not learnt how to 'ask' yet) the number of characters to capture names say '20' anything more, it will not recognize as well as the form names shall take that either alphanumeric (string) or just numeric (integer).
• "Information" is specific issues analysed from that data e.g. 20% of the existing bungalows in a study area are located on leasehold land.

The sad thing is that many people, top management included, are confused what type of data they should collect. They will say we want all type of data but I bet you, ask them why and how it will be of use to them and what is the GIS analytical relationship between data K and data Q or what data is required to acquire a specific information and how do you go about analytically getting it, I am quite sure they do not know how to. Data collection is the most expensive part of a study so it is wiser to understand in the first place, which information is only required to obtain a certain  information. No use and a waste of time and money to collect non-relevant data. On the issue of metadata, I was once asked and replied I did not know how to input the parameter for a ridge for a certain slope analysis then got ridiculed because to a researcher, a 'ridge' was so obvious as if I was trying to make things difficult. Then I replied "I can give you a ridge with a 60 degree slope and a 10,000 metre height but I can also give you a ridge with a 60 degree slope and a 10 metre height so which are you are talking about because when you do not explain clearly, I cannot teach the computer what is a 'ridge'."


Why do some GIS users find GIS difficult to understand?
It has observed during training that many GIS users, both first timers and regular users alike, merely learn how to apply GIS but seriously they do not question the logic behind why each step is required to do a specific task i.e they just take things for granted. This is especially so where a country's education system indoctrinates students not to question their teachers but to accept whatever is taught. How sad. Thus, when such GIS users make a mistake, they find it hard to comprehend why a mistake occurred (must be the GIS software, can't be them) subsequently, it becomes difficult for them to resolve that problem. For example, when corrections in the attribute table need to be made, some users do not see why they need firstly to click the editing icon in the first place because what they intend to do is an editing job. Another issue is that many do not like to explore a GIS software to find out if a specific task can be done with that GIS software at that moment of time (a GIS software is a dynamic tool that keeps on improving as time goes so what maybe not possible now maybe possible in the near future because someone contributed a module in the case of OSS GIS). To jog their mind is a difficult mental task for some because maybe they like to be spoon-fed when they were a toddler, who know?


What is the difference between the GIS and the modules?

• A GIS is the basic software and can handle basic queries and analysis. It cannot do everything especially the more demanding queries.

• A module is a supporting tool to that GIS sometimes pre-installed, other times, must be acquired and installed 'on top' of that GIS software. For examples, for 3D vizualization, get a 3D spatial analyst module, for origin-destination analysis, get a network analyst module and non-3D spatial analysis, get a spatial analyst module. Proprietary modules are not come cheap and can cost about half to the equivalent of a basic GIS software. They are also not shareable between proprietary GIS software but the opposite with Open Source GIS i.e. not only are they free but shareable between Open Source GIS e.g. QGIS and Grass GIS modules.

Can QGIS be installed at a server?

No. Well...not the desktop GIS most people are familiar with but yes, a team out there developed a QGIS server. It is still in its youth so I think it will have a hard time competing with the likes of an established enterprise geospatial database such as the PostgreSQL-PostGIS. If GIS is needed at the server level using Open Source, the strategy would be to install PostgreSQL-PostGIS. PostgreSQL is in the league with the proprietary software Oracle, just that it is free. PostgreSQL (mother) is the main database software and handles the non-spatial database while the module PostGIS (son) handles the spatial database. People NOT interested with geospatial database but merely require a non-spatial database would be adequate with PostgreSQL. The GUI-friendly PgAdmin helps administrate the server from a client computer in things like create a new database, create new users and upload files. The GIS user then works from the client computer using QGIS to access the geodatabase in the server. QGIS and PostGIS follow open geospatial standards so work seamlessly, in fact, QGIS even has a default PostGIS icon in its menu bar. Cool! If there is a need to get all that geodatabase "internetable", then invest in a Open Source web server software such as GeoServer and  MapServer to export that data to the Internet. Kevthekelt said that "When you use QGIS in conjunction with Geoserver/Postgis/openlayers/python/Geowebcache you have a setup that not only matches the ESRI desktop and SDE but actually OUT PERFORMS it!" How's that for you?


Why is GIS getting popular?
This is a material world craving for power and wealth thus information is so powerful, it can replace goods and services to deliver that. Traditional information were non-spatial kept in spreadsheet like balance sheet and relational database. People now realize beyond non-spatial information, spatial information can give more power and wealth. The IT tool for that is GIS so many public and private agencies now develop their respective geospatial information. Even McDonald uses GIS to locate the fastest route to deliver their products to their clients in America. That is why GIS is getting popular.

There are quite a few for the iPhone but QGIS already has one for the Android. I'm keeping tab on this subject here. We need to give it some time to mature but hey...that's QGIS for you. Very up-to-date mind you! I would expect some exciting news from Ubuntu land since Ubuntu over Android operating system will become operative late 2012 and this could have a dramatic impact on supporting application such as QGIS. We have to consult QGIS developers for that so join the QGIS Users Mailing List if you are that interested because from my experience, feedbacks are less than 24 hours which is often faster than a formal contractual support from consultants (my experience again).Is there GIS Mobile?

How can GIS benefit me?
Money, money, money. What is money to you? If GIS analysis of your business is properly executed, it will help guide among others, how to save money by optimally distribute branches base on their catchment area, reduce maintenance cost, expedite transport of goods within the shortest time possible and identify potential areas of opportunity. GIS exploits the spatial element not present in non-spatial database thus widening the scope of information to the agency. If cost is a serious factor in your agency, the use of open source GIS outguns proprietary GIS hands down.


What is a GIS software?
A software that can transform geographical features into a digital world. There are 2 versions of GIS: Close Source and Open Source. Both are built on different philosophy which in the end, mould users to certain personalities, for example, Open Source users tend to share knowledge because they depend on it for their survival thus tend to be friendlier and always willing to share, even among strangers where the most probably reason they do not is only because they do not know the answer. This is most obvious when customized modules are built on Open Source and sharing it does not impose any cost to the new user whereas the same cannot be said of Close Source modules.

The most popular Close Source GIS is arguably ESRI's ArcGIS as they have a 20 year start. The file extension of this proprietary software known as ".shp" or shape file has become the unofficial industrial standard. MapInfo, another  proprietary GIS, over 7 years old, is popular for its mapping capabilities and a cheaper alternative to ArcGIS. It uses the ".tab" file extension and tends to venture into niche areas left out by ESRI products and arguably, is a better desktop mapping tool as it promotes itself as one. Open Source GIS has been around sometime e.g. GRASS GIS was developed by the US Military in the 60s and recently others have mushroomed (QGIS's first stable release only came in 2009). Open Source alternatives is getting popular. Firstly, Open Source GIS is freed. Secondly, developers have full access of the source code. Quantum GIS (QGIS) is probably the most popular because it is multi-platform, multi-language, user-friendly and can borrow many modules from GRASS GIS. However, not all vector models are the same: the GRASS GIS vector model is a slightly different approach as against the older ESRI Simple Feature Vector model. To illustrate, all types of vector features can be placed on a single layer under the GRASS GIS vector model but have to be placed in separate layers under the ESRI vector model. Secondly, a boundary between 2 polygons in a GRASS vector model is shared between them thus the area for the polygons gets located at the polygon's centroid whereas but a boundary between 2 polygons in the ESRI vector model is really an overlap of 2 boundaries thus the area of the polygon is located in the actual space of the polygon. The GRASS GIS vector model arguably has a better grasp of the real world situation though the ESRI vector model is more popular because of the legacy it entrenches in many agencies that use it. Thus, if data-sharing between agencies is desired yet among them use different vector models, then data-sharing may prove to be difficult.

Which should I choose: Open Source or Close Source GIS?
It is not a question of which is better but more importantly which of the two can meet your specific  objectives, remember different people have different requirements so you are not obliged to follow anyone and neither is anyone obliged to follow your choice. But if you ask me, it is wiser at first to give OSS GIS a try, in fact, I dare you to try it! There's no harm done and if you have tried it and don't like it, just uninstall it and "throw it in the dustbin". It can't be that bad can it? After all it's free! Don't let prejudice muddle your thinking. Now if OSS GIS still cannot fulfil your objective then obviously you have no alternative but to choose proprietary GIS, like it or not, you have to folk out money. At least you have made a comparative judgement and that makes you an expert on this specific matter but of course if you analyse objectively and do not let prejudice cloud your mind which can be easier said than done.

Is GIS cheap?
What is "cheap"? This is a relative question and there are licence (proprietary) and free versions. GIS, like computer-aided-designed (CAD) software, is  a specialized software so proprietary GIS is not cheap as a software, in fact, they are really expensive because it can cost more than the price of 2 off-the-shelf computers in Malaysia. Gulp! OK, the standard GIS software is adequate for viewing and Standard Query language (SQL) query and when the user furthers into GIS analysis, some pre-installed modules or plugins maybe adequate but when the user advances to heavy-duty GIS analysis, the appropriate module or plugin may not be available in proprietary GIS and has to be acquired as a supporting software. Proprietary modules are not cheap either where the popular type such as spatial analysis can cost the same price as the standard GIS software. In open source GIS, modules are free and shareable where in the case of 400+ GRASS GIS modules to QGIS.

Can GIS software accurately represent the real world? 

I don't think current GIS technology can. You'll have to wait till until technology reaches the stage of Avatar. (Just kidding). One translates the real world situation into GIS either using a raster or vector format and in this respect different users may require different needs to answer their questions and sometimes raster format answers their queries better while in other cases vector format is the better alternative. I believe many people relate the real world situation better with the vector model. Having said that which vector model does one use? The popular ESRI vector model uses a simple approach separating point, line and polygon features which represent specific geographical features in different layers. On the other hand, the GRASS version allows those different vector features to be on the same layer. This sounds closer to the real world situation don't you think so? The problem is that many agencies using GIS have a legacy of using the Simple Feature Vector Model so migrating to the GRASS vector model may be hassle. Furthermore if data-sharing between different agencies that uses different GIS format is taken into consideration and may one day be a reality, it is better to choice the alternative entwined with the older legacy just like it best to keep UNIX rules when establishing GIS metadata.

Current GIS software can show 1:1 relation well such as 1 polygon represents 1 landuse activity e.g. residential. The problem appears in 1:many situation where 1 polygon represents 2 or more activities e.g. a polygon containing an apartment with with commercial activities on the first 3 floors and residential dwellings from the forth floor upwards. Times like these, that polygon needs to be hyperlinked to a relational database.

Another problem is from plan view the GIS shows a underground utility pipe to be 1km long but in actual fact that pipe in side elevation could be sloping and be 1.3km long. So if that 0.3km difference was not taken into account who is going to pay for the additional cost of implementing that 0.3km or was it ever taken into account in the first place? The same can also be exemplified when a road down a hill slope from plan view is 10km long but from side elevation is actually 9.5km. The GIS software will die stating that the actual distance of the road is 10km but who is going to tell the GIS software it made a serious mistake especially when it concerns the annual maintenance cost of that road.

What is GIS used for?
Other than the obvious (view GIS data), it is used for mapping and GIS analysis purposes. How GIS is actually used for varies among the users but the common denominator is the spatial element.

Can QGIS be Web GIS-ed?
Firstly, get a clear understanding of the definition of webGIS as mentioned above under "What is web-GIS?" or else we could be on the same topic but on different frequency. Secondly, to answer that question...No. Here again... not directly. Many people think that Web-GIS is a direct mirror of GIS capabilities of a desktop GIS. Actually, GIS data created by the help of a GIS software gets stored in a geodatabase server then the selected data desirous to be uploaded to a GIS web server. Applications specially designed to extract certain information from that data is usually kept in a web application server and used together with the web server. Most GIS consultants I know would not recommend online GIS editing because such work tend to be 'heavy' on the seerver since GIS data tend to be large files. The problem is that some people refuse to accept this and when things go sour they will say they were ill advised.

What is the connection between data collection, mapping and the GIS analysis part?
To spatially analyse geographical issues, a map is needed. However, the type of data to be digitized in the map depends specifically on what one wants to know. Many people know what features make a map but are bewildered when asked specifically what type of data is needed to answer what they want to know, i.e. they don't really know what they want and and they expect the GIS officer to do their thinking for them which is impossible to do since values are personal (i.e. the value of my $1 can be different from yours) but in reality this is usually the case.

How did data get stored in GIS?
GIS deals with spatial data and can be stored in a non-relational or relational database. Gulp! In the first place, what is a non-relational database? Well, a non-relational database, often called a "flat file" is where records that do not have any relationship between one another are kept. I do not know why a flat file is so called 'flat' but I guess this was meant to differentiate from records stored in inter-related tiers like an organisation chart hence the 'taller file' :-D. An example of a simple database is a flat file and has data stored in a table where records are kept in rows with the common features (fields) stacked by columns where a datum is a single record. In GIS, this represents the non-spatial attributes of spatial features leaving the spatial data to be kept in the form of plans. Things are fine for a flat file when it concerns 1:1scenarios but in life, we are sometimes faced with 1: many scenarios like a plot of land with 2 landuse activities e.g. an apartment with commercial activities below and residential dwelling above. A flat file cannot handle such situations and this requires a more complex database namely a relational database. Since current GIS are based on  the 1:1 concept, in situations which involve 1:many scenarios, the user tends to compromise and decides which is the major element. If we refer to that apartment example and more floor space was taken up by residential dwellings, then that plot of land is recognized as 'residential land'. Of course, it does not paint a true picture of the real situation. To accommodate that commercial element, the spatial layer actually needs to be dynamically link to a relational database. Now whether the GIS user does that is another question and I will not be surprised if it is not either because people do not know how to or just want to keep it simple but the point I want to stress here is that there are still limitations in current GIS software in relation to real life situation. Relational database are usually kept in management system software so we get the term 'RDBMS' which is short for relational database management system and to further make things more complex, there is the usual RDBMS and the spatial RDBMS of which the latter also caters to syncronize between non-spatial and spatial database. An example of an enterprise RDBMS is Oracle while its spatial RDBMS is Oracle Spatial whereas the Open Source equivalent is PostgrSQL and PostGIS. Mmm...this is getting to be heavy stuff!

What plugins are available in QGIS?
This is a difficult question to answer because the issue is dynamic and changes over time when plugins get contributed by some kind soul out there. Today, one figure, tomorrow another so the user has to updates the plugins under Plugins/Fetch Python Plugin.../repositories/3rd party repositories. When I first started with QGIS, it was 129. It is now more than 180 plugins, tomorrow who knows?

What is GIS basics?
In the ESRI Simple Feature Vector Model, just know there are only 3 features that can make up a map: point, line and polygon and they translate a real world feature. Each feature requires a separate digital paper (commonly called layer) and when overlaid, they can offer a better composition of the real world. Secondly, each layer must have the correct map projection or else layers cannot be properly aligned when overlaid for viewing and analysis purpose. This model differs from the GRASS GIS vector model explained earlier above under "Can GIS software accurately represent the real world?" 


Why should I migrate over to a geospatial database?

• Concurrent use of the same layer possible by many users;
• No layer gets locked when someone runs off to a meeting or goes missing in action;
• Database gets automatically catalogued or indexed;
• Panning and zooming in or out is faster;
• Query and analysis is faster;
• Processing does not hang;
• Security is better as data is centralized;
• Data-sharing is possible due to centralized inventory;
• It is easier to manage, control and coordinate a database of voluminous size and diversity;
• Simplify data management for conversion and uploading to webGIS;
• Less headache for the GIS technical personnel.

What is 'map projections'?
It is the scale of a map being projected onto the GIS map in relation to what it is really on the ground.  The closer to the ground you come, the smaller the scale becomes.  Take 2 similar torchlight and mark an X with a marker on the face of its glass. Now shine the light on a wall where one torchlight is close to the wall than the other. Note that both Xs on the wall are of different size. This is because they were projected at different distance to the wall. Similarly map projections implies the scale was projected for you to see where the more you zoom in for a closer look means 1 inch on the map gets closer to the real 1 inch on the ground. Mind you, if you want to get more confuse or be more clear read on to the next...


How are things mapped out in GIS?

A geographical feature is mapped out from their  longitude (long.) and latitude (lat.) values in a Geographic Coordinate System but when it is place in a Projected Coordinate system, that feature is projected in a GIS layer or in layman's term: onto a digital paper.  So you will know by now there are 2 types of coordinate system. The long. reference becomes the x value and the lat. reference becomes the y value like on a graph chart we learnt at school and is expressed in degree where the coordinate can either be positive or negative. Long. values are positive in the eastern hemisphere but negative in the western. Similarly, lat. values are positive north of the equator but negative in the south. The fundamental difference between the two coordinate system is that the Projected Coordinate System has constant length, angles and areas between 2 dimension whereas this is not the case in a Geographic Coordinate System as you should know earth is really not a sphere and is a bit fat around the belly where land forms can be high or low here and there. A datum or point of reference for measuring geographic coordinates can at times use a Geographic Coordinate System or a Projected Coordinate System. For example, Kertau is a datum used for RSO topographic work in W.Malaysia but different states use different datum in their Cassini maps i.e. there is one in Perak and another in Johor. With the projection issue cleared, their non-spatial data are linked to an attribute table. GIS layers can be in vector or raster format. The problem as I mentioned earlier is how do you map out things in a 1:many scenario ? It is easy for a 1:1 scenario because a point, line or polygon is associated to their attributes. If you try to cheat by taking the major landuse or land activity for that feature especially where it concerns  a polygon, you have left out vital information in your data collection and hence your analysis will not represent the actual situation so who are you trying to fool but yourself?

How to work under 3 map projections in GIS?
Let's get this straight: this is not an issue concerning a GIS software be it open or close source. This is fundamentally the problem of uniformity and integration so don't go barking up the wrong tree (or wrong agency). Alternative 1, you decide which of the 3 map projections will be the main projection then re-project the other 2 projections to follow that main. If there are errors (I wouldn't be surprise if there isn't some but the degree of which I do not know) there is nothing much you can do. Alternative 2 is choose a projection different from all 3 but this only increases the probability of error so I'd choice the former though which of the 3 should be the main projection I would seek advice from the map custodian and here I'd expect it to be a state casssini map. You can't ask for everything when you depend on others for data but beggers can't be choosers so don't complain but make the best of what there is.


What is 'vector' format?
A fancy word to impress upon people  so that you sound like a neutron scientist while at the same time, represents a format for presenting data base on lines such as cadastral maps. Point, line and polygon are the 3 basic vector features that represent real world geographical features each getting more complex or powerful than the other

What is 'raster' format?
Another fancy term to impress upon people so that you sound like a space scientist while at the same time represents a format for presenting data base on a grid of cell or pixels such as a photograph, tv or satellite image. The shape of  the pixel is usually square so as not to distort the image it represents. Images taken by satellite use the multi-band of light which are translated to represent a geographical feature. Natural features like different types of crops show up well using raster whereas the different types of landuse activities in built-up areas do not show up well using raster.

What is 'topology'?
Ah..another fancy word people is in the GIS world use but dare not explain what it actually means. Simply put the way to understand how real world features are transformed into a digital world so that they can be representative of the real thing. This calls you to do some creative thinking I mean a line logically cannot be a road but in GIS it can be meant to REPRESENT a road, river or a railway line if need be. To exemplify, for a line to represent a road often means many segments of lines that are joined together correctly meaning their ends must meet correctly because when they do not meet or overshoot, that road gets broken up into 2 roads. Also, when 2 lines that represents roads cross each other but no node was created where they intersect, that would imply there is a flyover there but which line flyovers  which, current GIS cannot tell. If the data of the roads were input then selecting a line will help tell data of that particular road. When a node was created at that crossing, it implies a cross-junction but whether there is a flyover there, who knows? The thing is that, it becomes now possible to measure the distance of a route as it criss-cross lines. So in short, the topology of a vector feature becomes more complex when more is required to make a specific vector feature where the simplest feature is a point and becomes more complex when it becomes a line and most complex when it becomes a polygon meaning the probability of topology error increases when that feature becomes more complex...tough luck!

What is 'topology error'?
Error in the creation of a digital feature. Since a point is merely a dot, I don't see how you can make topology error but  as the digital error becomes more complex the degree of error increases i.e. all things being equal, a line feature like a railway line comprising of many segments of line can have less segments than a many sided polygon which is the most complex of the three to create.  When drawing line features like a railway line, a crossing of lines with with without node means something different so get that wrong and our analysis that depended on that line will be flawed. Line in terms of road can be made one way or two way direction and if this was not corrected input, walla! you get another mistake. The meeting of polygons and lines are common areas of human error. Anyway I guess it refers to errors resulting from inaccurate geometry due to someone not paying close attention, plain lazy or in need of  better spectacles. If a line did not meet at a supposed-to-be junction of another line, it is called an under-shoot and where it exceed, it is called an over-shoot. Obviously, the former needs to be extended whereas the latter needs to be snipped off or shorten. Where two sides of a polygon were supposed to meet but did not, there will be a gap or what some term as silvers because they look like that 'silvery' insect found in old books. Auto- cleaning nice as it sounds cannot solve this problem accurately because the rules applied by the GIS software may not meet your requirement as what is happening on the ground. Splitting the gap 50:50 sounds fair but 'fair' does not meant it is accurate. Even if you go to the ground you will not see the error unless it is a physical boundary, you need a theodolite to solve this! Then are situations of overlap when polygons overlap each other when they are not supposed to but the question of which polygon is right or wrong  is going to be a big headache to rectify.

What is the most common mistakes GIS learners do?
They have a habit of not using GIS software following procedures that need to be done sequentially step-by-step but tend to jump steps. For example,when configuring a vector layer, the learner after selecting which feature is desired then skips configuring the coordinate reference system (CRS) or after naming a new attribute then skip configuring its type and goes straight to configuring the width. Another common mistake especially among proprietary GIS users is when wanting to activate a certain vector layer, say, a .tab file, starts to complain QGIS does not show the layer they wanted only because they did not pull down the file extension type to swap between .shp and .tab. Thirdly, learners complain QGIS is no good simply because they did not switch over to edite mode when what they want to do is an edite task meaning they do not know what they are doing.

How to get quality data?
There are 3 types of data error: topology error, data structure and attribute error and they are all human error. Reduce human error and data quality improves, in other words concentrate and don't fall asleep on the job. What do you expect me to say?


What is data structure error?
Errors resulting from inaccurate data structure when compared against a reference manual. Of course, if you do not have a reference standard to lean on, technically, you won't have any data structure error. ;-D


What is attribute error?
Errors resulting from inaccurate data entry by human error or against a configuration requirement e.g. maximum number of characters allowed

How to reduce data error? 

Wake up! Drink more coffee! Follow closely a reference manual which GIS users follow to reduce data structure and attribute error. Simply don't be lazy.

How to do GIS analysis?
Be clear of what you actually want. Sadly, simple as it may appear, many people do not know this. Remember a problem requires the right set of data to help solve it only then collect it. Many people collect data but are not sure if they collect the right set of data for the problem. Sort out how all the right set of data inter-relate meaning a GIS technique must be ascertained and as usual different type of problem require different approach. Some problem merely require spatial data, others a mix of spatial and non-spatial data. Your human values must input into a matrix especially when it concerns 2 sets of spatial elements to be considered. These inputs teach the GIS how to translate that graphically....Oh my, this is going to be a difficult question to answer.


Which is the worst area in to tread in GIS?
Analysis. Why? Because of 3 factors:

• The probability of inaccurate results is directly proportional to the amount of error in the data. The issue is how certain are you that your data is in tip-top condition?
• The probability of inconclusive results is directly proportional to the amount of crucial data not collected in the first place. Many people want GIS information but the issue is that they did not do the appropriate data collection in the first place probably because they do not know what prerequisite data are needed  to analyse a particular GIS issue.
• Many people do not know how to come up and justify parameters and more so, how to justify value judgement for the various parameters. For example, people may come up with 5 grades for exam results but the issue is that they do not know how to justify why a passing mark can be 36 and not 41 or 51. This weakens the analysis.

Last but not least


How to explain to a GIS illiterate yet get the message across to this Dopey?
When you look through the eyes of that person, do not think he or she understands eventhough that person can be your top management. Think now of that person as your typical sweeper. Yes! I mean it...downgrade that fellow even if he or she is No.1 because it will also give you the spirit to energize you to tell that person a thing or two where you excel and he or she doesn't. The moment you see or better still, believe, that person as a sweeper, your mental approach automatically changes and you become more analogic when trying to find examples you found hard to find before. This makes you more creative in finding ideas to express yourself. The other point I wanted to say is that if you can make a person who literally does not have the tiniest grasp of GIS which is definitely not in his field yet later he says he now has a clear understanding of GIS eventhough it maybe basic GIS, then you must give yourself a tap on the shoulder! And, of course ... never reveal this secret or else you are asking for it :-D