Wikipedia:Graphics Lab/Resources/QGIS/Get ready: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 23:42, 10 June 2011

Revision as of 23:55, 10 June 2011

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This approach radically changes the process of making maps. Formerly, the mapmaker or graphist had to personally draw each layer of a map, then combine them into an image. The work's reliability and precision were limited by the user's resources and knowledge. Now, the mapmaker can collect precise GIS data from reliable sources and simply load them into QGis. Objects will be automatically placed in their exact coordinates, allowing the user to apply custom styles and output an accurate basemap, which may be the end product, or a background to host additional custom layers (icons, labels, a legend, etc.). For Wikipedia, the advantages of GIS maps are precision, reliability, consistency, and an upgrade in visual elegance of the final images. Using QGis will be mainly helpful in generating '''topographic backgrounds (png, svg), shaded reliefs (png), and administrative regions or borders (png, svg)''', and applying various styles to them.

While [[GRASS GIS]] still seems to be the most common GIS software, it has a primarily [[command-line interface]] and can be difficult to learn and operate. Therefore, beginners will prefer [[QGis]], which is quite powerful and user-friendly. It integrates GRASS GIS and [[GDAL]] data, provides an [[graphical user interface|easier to use interface]] thanfor GRASS GIS, and gives the user an opportunity to improve his or her GIS mapmaking skills.

This tutorial series will teach you '''how to use QGis to generate reliable maps for Wikipedia'''. Accordingly, it is Wikipedia-centered and focuses on outputting general public encyclopedic maps while following the [[Wikipedia:WikiProject_Maps/Conventions|Wikipedia map conventions]].