Quantum GIS Basics - Desktop GIS: Mapping the Planet with Open Source Tools - page 319

Appendix D

Quantum GIS Basics

Quantum GIS has a lot of functionality and many areas to explore. Here
you will find an introduction to the basics of using QGIS, including map
navigation and other essential features.

At first glance, QGIS has a feature set similar to other GIS viewers/edi-
tors. QGIS can view vector and raster data, including data stored in a
PostGIS-enabled PostgreSQL database. QGIS also supports WMS layers
and has preliminary support for WFS layers.

We used QGIS to view and render data in Chapter 3 , Working with
Vector Data, on page 37 , so we won't repeat that here. Instead, we'll
take a look at some of the features you may not have seen yet.

D.1 Vector Properties and Symbology Options

Each layer you add in QGIS has properties associated with it. You
can access the vector properties dialog box by double-clicking the layer
name in the legend or by right-clicking its name and choosing Properties
from the pop-up menu.

Symbology
First let's look at the options on the Symbology tab:

Legend Type
QGIS supports a number of legend types. These are actually ways
to symbolize your data. Currently you can choose from Single
Symbol, Graduated Symbol, Continuous Color, and Unique Value
renderers. For examples of using these to render your data, refer
to Section 3.4 , Advanced Viewing and Rendering, on page 45 .