QGIS Tips

Introduction

This page contains a brief introduction to the Quantum GIS software (QGIS). QGIS is a Free Open Source Software which for more information please see the QGIS website www.qgis.org/. The basics of QGIS, particularly with respect to TUFLOW modelling are described below, each of these has a separate page. If you have any suggestions to be included in these pages, please add them to the discussion page. Please add QGIS Suggestions Here!.

QGIS uses ArcGIS file formats for vector data, with data stored in shapefiles (.shp). QGIS, however, is able to read in MapInfo files directly. In the shapefiles, points, lines and regions are stored in separate files.

Basics

In this section are some basic GIS functions that are regularly used in creating TUFLOW models in QGIS.

1. Navigation
2. Setting Project Projection
3. Editing a Shapes Layer
4. Editing attributes with Table Manager Plugin
5. Importing a Grid
6. Create a grid from points

Tips and Tricks

1. Relief Shading
2. Adding Google / Bing Aerials
3. Convert Lines to Points
4. Assigning Elevation to Points from a DEM Dataset
5. Rotate Label to Line
6. Export Raster to .asc for TUFLOW input
7. Plot grid elevations using profile tool
8. Update a column
9. Extract cross sections from DEM into TUFLOW .csv format
10. Thematic mapping (Symbology)
    
11. Creating a Google Earth KMZ file
12. Change Attribute Data Type

Useful QGIS plugins

1. TUFLOW QGIS plugin The TUFLOW QGIS plugin has been created to help automate model development tasks, e.g.
   
   • TuPlot time series and long profile visualisation
   • Create TUFLOW directory structure and create empty (template) GIS files
   • Import empty file
   • Start a TUFLOW simulation from QGIS
2. Crayfish 2D Result Viewer: The Crayfish QGIS Plugin developed by Lutra Consulting provides a powerful 2D result viewing platform for TUFLOW.
3. Other Useful QGIS plugins for TUFLOW modelling