Working with Vector Data - Desktop GIS: Mapping the Planet with Open Source Tools - page 35

Figure 3.5: Viewing attributes in uDig

Let's use QGIS to help Harrison classify his data. If you haven't installed
QGIS yet, take a look at Section B.3 , Quantum GIS, on page 292 for
some hints. Then start up QGIS:

• Linux : Change to the QGIS install subdirectory, and run QGIS or
use the desktop icon if installed on your platform.

• Mac OS X : Double-click the QGIS icon in your Applications folder.

• Windows: Click the Start button, find the QGIS program folder in
Program Files, and choose Quantum GIS.

Once QGIS starts up, you are presented with an empty legend and map
canvas. In QGIS, functions are accessible from both the menu and the
toolbar. Before we get to helping Harrison, let's explore the interface a
bit by loading our world_borders and cities layers. Since these are vector
layers, find the tool to load a vector or use Add a Vector Layer from the
Layer menu. QGIS has a lot of tools on its many toolbars, so it's best to
familiarize yourself with them up front. You can do this by hovering the
mouse over each tool to view the tooltip or, better yet, by reading the
User Guide 4 that comes with QGIS. It contains a summary of the tools
and includes pictures of the icons to help you get started.

Once you click the tool or menu option to load a vector layer, the file
dialog box is displayed. Navigate to the directory where you placed the
sample data, or you can use your own shapefile data if you have some
available. Note you can choose more than one layer from the list by
using the Shift or Ctrl key. This allows us to quickly add more than

The User Guide is distributed with QGIS and accessible from the Help menu.

4.