How to create a new mapset?

Make sure the GRASS plugin has first been activated

First create a new location or new folder

Next create a sub-folder or new mapset

Finally the new mapset is completed

Bagaimana hendak mewujudkan mapset bau?

GRASS GIS menggunakan topologi vektor yang berbeza daripada QGIS, maka, jika pengguna berhasrat untuk mengeksplotasikan modul-modul GRASS GIS yang terdapat 400+ modul disana (membazir jika tidak dioptimakan apabila pengguna maju ke peringkat analisis), pewujudan mapset baru adalah wajib dan apabila dah ada, pengguna boleh masukkan lapisan tertentu ke dalam alam GRASS, menganalis input dan apabila siap, membawa output balik ke alam QGIS dimana suka saya analogkan seperti keluar dari alam nyata ke alam ghaib dan kembali semula seperti ditonton tayangan gambar BACK TO THE FUTURE.

How to create a new mapset?

GRASS GIS uses a different vector topology from QGIS so if the user wants to exploit GRASS GIS modules and the 400+ modules there  (which is a waste if you don't optimize them when you advance to the analysis stage), the creation of a new mapset is a compulsory and once created, the user brings the required layer into the GRASS world, analyzes the input and when completed, can then bring back the output back into the QGIS world which I like to analogue to going from a 3rd dimension to 5th dimension and back again something like BACK TO THE FUTURE movie.

When to downgrade "fTools"?

2 fTools features missing

Note the current Ver. 0.62

Downgrade and select YES please

Now note the 6 features

Pop-message will appear until fTools is uninstalled

Bilakah untuk downgrade "fTools"?

Apabila fTools dimantapkan ke Ver. 0.62 saudara mungkin sedar atau tidak bahawa 2 ciri terdahulu kini telah hilang. Mereka adalah "export to new projection" dan "join attributes". Jika mereka tidak penting bagi anda, lupakan tetapi kalau sebaliknya, maka anda perlu downgradenya ke Ver. 0.61. Bagaimana pun, jika QGIS diaktifkan semula, satu pop-up message akan mengumumkan bahawa terdapatnya fTools usang dan ianya akan tetap begitu. Sekiranya anda tak tahan melihatnya, Ver. 0.61 perlu di uninstall dan apabila QGIS diaktifkan semula, Versi terkini fTools akan wujud tetapi masalahnya 2 ciri-ciri fTools tadi dah hilang pulak. Mengapa developer fTools sanggup mengabaikan 2 ciri-ciri yang baik, entahlah.

When to downgrade "fTools"?

When fTools upgraded to Ver. 0.62 you may or may have not noticed that 2 earlier features are now missing. They are "export to new projection" and "join attributes". If they are not important to you then it does not matter but if it does, then the only way you are going to get them back is to downgrade that version to Ver. 0.61. However, when you activate QGIS, an annoying pop-up message tells you have an obsolete fTools and it will stay that way. Now if you cannot stand that then uninstall Ver. 0.61 and when you activate QGIS, you will get the latest version but that will take you back to the drawing board if you still require those 2 fTools features. Now having taken the trouble to create two good features, why fTools developers made things difficult, I do not know.

Training: Division & Project Office key personnel get trained in QGIS

 

 

Latihan: Wakil Bahagian & Pejabat Projek mendapat latihan QGIS

Lanjutan keputusan Jawatakuasa Perancangan dan Pengurusan JPBD awal bulan ini, setiap Bahagian dan Pejabat Projek diarah menghantarkan wakil untuk dilatih sebagai QGIS Desk Officer bagi pejabat masing-masing. Latihan yang diberi berasaskan kaedah Train-the-Trainer dan sedang dijalankan di Ibu Pejabat  JPBD pada 24-26.7.2012 serta melibatkan seramai 13 peserta yang amnya sudah pun mahir dengan MapInfo. Bagaimana pun, kemahiran dengan sesuatu perisian memerlukan penggunaan yang kerap bagi perisian tersebut (seeloknya setiap hari).  Terdapat pertanyaan sama adanya kenyataan bertulis mendefactokan QGIS dan saya menjawab "Tiada" kerana pihak pengurusan terlebih dahulu ingin mendapatkan maklumbalas dari MAMPU mengenai perkara ini akan tetapi terdapat juga pandangan bahawa penggunaan perisian GIS seharusnya ditetapkan kepada QGIS untuk memudahkan latihan bagi mereka selain dari menyeragamkan perisian GIS.

Training: Division & Project Office key personnel get trained in QGIS, 24-26.7.2012

Following the decision of the JPBD Planning and Management Committee early this month, each Division and Project Office was directed to send a key personnel to be trained as a QGIS Desk Officer to represent their respective office. This QGIS training base on a Train-the-Trainer concept is currently being held at JPBD Headquarters on 24-26.7.2012 and consist of 13 participants whom basically are well verse with MapInfo. However, anyone familiar with any software requires regular use (preferably daily) of that particluar software. Will it be a success? Well, mine is only to teach and educate them how to use QGIS for daily GIS in town planning matters. There were as usual queries as to whether there is a written department policy to de facto QGIS and I replied for the time being "No" since the top management are first interested in getting a feedback from MAMPU on this but there were preferred views that the use of GIS should be standardize to QGIS so that to make training and use of GIS more uniform and convenient for the would be trainers

Peserta

Zamri Said, BRFN
Kena buat kursus berdasarkan kerja-kerja harian office yang sebelum ini menggunakan MapInfo/ArcGIS. Buat masa ini, perlu guna co-exit dengan perisian MapInfo.


Asmahan Abdullah, BPP

Terima kasih.

Khairul Azlan, BPKSP
QGIS satu perisian yang baik boleh dikembangkan untuk semua staf di Jabatan. Cuma perlu lah lebih lagi latihan praktikal . User friendly.

Abdul Razak Abd. Rahman, BPW

QGIS boleh diperluaskan penggunaanya diperingkat Jabatan keran ianya mudah untuk digunakan.

Wodilah Baharudin, BPW
Perlu kursus lagi untuk lebih fahami

Mohd. Shahrin Mhd. Safran, BMGN

Pengguna yang dah biasa menggunakan perisian GIS (MapInfo/ArcGIS) perlu mengosongkan pengetahuan mereka tentang perisian GIS terlebih dahulu kerana pengetahuan mereka dengan perisian GIS terdahulu akan membuat mereka berasa kekok dengan Quantum GIS. Secara keseluruhannanya Quantum mampu bersaing dengan MapInfo/ArcGIS dalam uruusan "GIS JPBD" apabila pengguna telah biasa dengan "command Quantum GIS" nanti.

Mohd. Rashid Abdul Talib, BMGN

Terima kasih.

Arnida Arshad, BMGN
Sebelum nie saya memang tidak banyak memahami dan menggunakan GIS. Kebanyakkan kerja difirma dulu menggunakan AUTOCA. QGIS memang mengagumkan saya. Masih banyak yang perlu dipelajari.

Norhadzmi Mohd. Nor, UPP
Pada peringkat latihan nampak mudah tapi perlu live project untukperbandingan dengan program GIS lain.

Uthayan a/l Iyana, STM

Terima kasih.

Abdul Mutalib Ismail, PPZT

QGIS boleh diketengahkan tetapi perlu latihan yang khusus dalam penggunaannya terutama pada pengguna serta ia mudah digunakan/difahamai .Perlu banyak latihan.

Shahrizaila Mahmud, PPZS

QGIS terbaik, perlu latihan tambahan untuk mahir tentang perisian ini. Latihan praktikal diatas tapak juga perlu cara menggunakan alat media lain seperti GPS.

Mohd. Muklif Md. Yusof, PPZR

Sebuah perisian Open Source yang mesra pengguna dan sesuai untuk perancangan bandar. Perlu diperkenalkan kepada semua staf JPBD Sem. Malaysia supaya dapat digunakan untuk kerja-kerja GIS.

* Did you use the right "WGS84" ?

Did you use the right "WGS84" ?

The deeper I go into coordinate reference system (CRS) the more I start to question whether I am using the right one because accuracy is the name of the game when it concerns GIS data. Goggling here and there, I realized Malaysia itself uses 4 UTM Zone reference. If a map was prepared using the familiar WGS84 with the Authority ID:4326, things would be simple but what happened if the required map prepared by a third party set on finer specifications, how now? If the user who receives that map was unaware that the CRS was not really WGS84 but a combination of WGS84 and UTM zone, then, the user will never get the CRS accurately configured. Don't believe me, look up the CRS under the CRS Selector and find:

WGS84                         - Authority ID:4326
WGS84/ UTM zone 47N - Authority ID:32647
WGS84/ UTM zone 48N - Authority ID:32648
WGS84/ UTM zone 49N - Authority ID:32649
WGS84/ UTM zone 50N - Authority ID:32650

From the Internet UTM image I found, (I may be slightly off), that certain states overlap with the CRS that concerns UTM zones so this makes it more complicated:

WGS84/ UTM zone 47N - Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca
WGS84/ UTM zone 48N - Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang,Negeri Sembilan, Malacca, Johore
WGS84/ UTM zone 49N - Sarawak
WGS84/ UTM zone 50N - Sabah, Sarawak

You will start to appreciate this information when if you are required to convert GPS data from long-lat references to GIS references because the right CRS is crucial if you want to get your coordinates right. When I contacted JUPEM, I was told the CRS they use is either RSO or Cassini Soldner, all this makes it more challenging. I'm still muddling through this subject which is not my field but the purview of surveyors.

When to and not to use "Union"?

Road layer

Rail layer

Union layer 1

Bustop layer

Union layer 2

When to and not to use "Union"?

A Union tool under Vector/Geoprocessing tools is used to merge 2 separate layers, yes? Not really...er yes and no. What!? Answers like that people do not like. The novice who started to use a GIS software without reading the QGIS User Guidee will be wondering why. Then again if you did check the QGIS User Guide under fTools Plugin, there isn't any proper explanation how to use it (Room for improvement here!). You can see from the above, using the Union tool, the road and railway layer above could be made to merge as one although the moment they did, earlier customized properties disappeared and they reverted to the default setting. Gulp. This means much needed amendment if  you wanted it to look as before the union (Mmm...another room for improvement here). Secondly, when the road and bustop layers were unionized, the road layer did not appear. Why? Give up? (I want to win....give me a chance) Well, the reason is simple: apples and oranges do not mix. The road and rail layers were built on the same line architecture thus are compatible for unionizing whereas the bustop layer was built on the point architecture so line and point layers are incompatible for unionizing. If you did not know this, you will be cracking your head and cursing QGIS. Having pointed this out, I later did another experiment this time unionizing polygon and polygon layers but got baffled with the result and until now, I have not been to address the following issue:

Layout layer

Study area layer

Overlayed

Union layer

The layout layer consists of 647 features and the study area consists of 27,019 features. After unionizing the layout and study area layer,  I was expecting 27,666 features +/- a few features (who knows) but the union layer consist of 64,144 features (2.3 times more than 27,666 features). How did that come about? I am puzzled. Any advice is most welcomed.

Quantum GIS Plugin Repository

Homepage

qgis2kml plugin

Repositori Plugin Quantum GIS

Adakah masa dimana saudar sedang mengguna sesuatu plugin tetapi kurang senang kerana tidak tahu dinmana untuk mendapat nasihat? Kalau begitu, perluhah ke Quantum GIS plugin Repository. Dibawah Main Menu, therdapat pilihan antara Featured, All, Stable, Experimtal and Popular. Jika sesuatu pautan dipilih, laman web bagi plugin tertentu dinyatakan dan disitulah saudar perlu pergi untuk mendapat bantuan, kin salam kepada Si Maintainer bagi saya dand kin salam saya daripada Malaysia. Pautan Plugin homepage biasanya menjelaskan sedikit sebanyak mengenai plugin tersebut, apatah pula, ianay berasal dari situ. Repositori Plugin Quantum GIS  adalah dynamik dan kian bertambah dari sumbangan demi sumbangan. Kalau tak kerana mereka, QGIS tak akan bersemangat.

Quantum GIS Plugin Repository

Were there times when you were using a plugin but felt lost because you did not know where to get help from? Then the site you need to visit is the Quantum GIS plugin Repository. Under the Main Menu, you  have a choice to select between Featured, All, Stable, Experimtal and Popular. If you jump into a hyperlink, that plugin homepage link is mentioned and it is there you should go for further assistance, say Hi to the Maintainer for me and send him/her my warmest regards from Malaysia. The Plugin homepage link usually tells you about as much as it is about that plugin considering it came from there. The Quantum GIS Plugin repository is dynamic and grows and grows from contribution after contribution. I got to hand it to these guys, if not for them QGIS would not be alive and kicking.

QGIS gets endorsed by JPBD Planning and Management Comittee

Historical Malacca was the venue for the JPP meeting.

Rural kampung found in the heart of an urabn township

QGIS disahkan oleh Jawatankuasa Perancangan dan Pengurusan JPBD

17.6.2012 merupakan tarikh penting bagi QGIS di Malaysia. Ini adalah kerana Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Perancangan dan Pengurusan (JPP) JPBD, jawatankuasa tertinggi yang meluluskan cadangan polisi perancangan telah diadakan di Melaka pada 17.6.2012 dan ini adalah kali pertama QGIS dibentang di JPP yang terdiri dari pengarah negeri, pengarah pejabat projek dan pengarah bahagian. Objek kertas QGIS adalah untuk mendapatkan persetujuan supaya QGIS diberi keutamaan dari perisian GIS berbayar berkaitan dengan penggunaan perisian GIS. Satu perkara yang terlupa saya ambilkira terlebih dahulu adalah supaya memperolehi pandangan agensi releven seperti Open Source Competency Centre, Jabatan Persdana Menteri (OSCC, JPM). Ini adalah kerana isu utama yang dibangkitkan adalah sama ada GNU General Public License yang mana QGIS didaftarkan akan menyulitkan pengguna-pengguna pada satu hari kelak. JPP khuatir mengapa se siapa sudi menyediakan perisian percuma setahap dengan perisian berbayar akan tetapi tidak kisah mencari keuntungan, pasti ada sesuatu. Saya menjelaskan masih ada orang di dunia ni yang percaya kepada perkongsian yang juga falsafah Open Source. Selepas penjelasan diberi dan disokong oleh beberapa pengarah yang telah pun melaksanakan penggunapakaian QGIS, JPP memutuskan:

1. QGIS akan dipasang (106 unit) di semua bahgaian dan pejabat projek yang kekurangan perisian GIS;
2. Latihan QGIS training akan diberi kepada semua perangan negeri;
3. Lebih ramai pelatih QGIS perlu diwujudkan;
4. Kajian mengenalpastikan kelebihan dan kelemahan QGIS berbanding dengan lain-lain perisian GIS perlu dijalankan;
5. Pandangan MAMPU, JPM perlu diperolehi mengenai implikasi penggunapakaian QGIS;
6. Kajian mengenalpasti kos-kos dan risiko dari penggunpakaian QGIS, sekiranya ada, perlu dijalankan.

Selepas mesyuarat, saya bertanya Urusetia dan dimaklumkan kertas tersebut dianggap berjaya kerana:

• Kertas tersebut tidak ditolak dan pada dasarnya diterima;
• Jawatankuasa cuma ingin mendapat penjelasan tambahan mengenai penggunaan GNU General Pubic Licence;
• Latihan QGIS masih diutamakan dan akan dilanjutkan termasuk penggunaan QGIS akan dilanjutkan ke Jabatan Perancangan Bandar dan Desa peringkat negeri sebaik saja latihan telah diberi.

Sebelum saya mengundur, Pengarah Perancang Negeri Terengganu memohon saya memberi taklimat kepada Pihak Berkuasa Negeri akan penggunaan QGIS dan perisian Open Source berkaitan dan terus saya bersetuju. Jika  Pihak Berkuasa Negeri tersebut menerimapakainya dan saya percaya mereka akan, ini bermakna 2 kerajaan negeri akan mengesahkan penggunaan QGIS. Kawan-kawan, nampaknya masa depan QGIS di JPBD amat cerah. Saya telah menjangka tahun 2012 adalah tahun QGIS dan kini, kita masih belum sampai ke hujung tahun lagi. Satu hari nanti apabila orang di kalangan GIS di Malaysia mencerita pasal GIS, akan dikaitkan dengan  jabatan saya... JPBD.

QGIS gets endorsed by JPBD Planning and Management Comittee

17.6.2012 represents an important day for QGIS in Maaysia. This is because the JPBD Planning and Management Committee (JPP) Meeting, a top management committee that approves propose planning poicies sat in Malacca on 17.6.2012 and that was the first time QGIS was given attention to the Committee which consists of state directors, state project office directors and division directors. The object to the QGIS paper was to get a consensus so that QGIS will be given priority over proprietary GIS when it concerns the use of a GIS software. A point I overlooked was to obtain before hand the opinion from relevant parties such as the Open Source Competency Centre, Prime Minister's Department (OSCC, JPM). This was because the main issue raised was whether the GNU General Public License which QGIS was registered under will not put users later in a fix when users get dependent on QGIS. There was a fear why anyone would want to give something free as good as a proprietary software and not make any profit out of it, there must be a catch. I explained that there are people out there that believe in sharing which is a philosophy of Open Source. After clarifications were made and verbal support from a few directors which already implemented the use of QGIS, the Committee made the following decisions:

1. QGIS will be installed (106 units) at all divisions and project office currently lacking in GIS software;
2. QGIS training will be extended to all state planning departments;
3. More QGIS trainers need to be trained;
4. A study identifying the strengths and weakness of QGIS against other GIS software shall be carried out;
5. The advice of MAMPU, JPM will be sought to find out the implications of adopting QGIS;
6. A study identifying any cost or risk in using QGIS, if any, shall be carried out.

After the meeting finished, I asked the Secretariat and the feedback was that the paper was a success because:

• The paper was not rejected and in principle was accepted;
• The Committee merely needed more clarification in the use of the GNU General Pubic Licence;
• QGIS training was still emphasized and will still continue plus QGIS will be used at state planing departments after training has been extended.

Just before I left, the state director for Terengganu asked me if I was willing to brief the use of QGIS and other related Open Source Software to the State Authority and of course I said yes. If that state authority accepts and I believe they will, that will mean 2 states will eventually endorse the use of QGIS statewide. Well folks, it looks like bright days ahead for QGIS at JPBD. I had predicted 2012 will be the year of the QGIS and it is not even the end of the year yet. One day when people in the GIS world in Malaysia talk of QGIS, they will relate it to my department... JPBD.