← Introduction to GIS Software: QGIS

In-class Excercises

Part 1: Clipping and Buffering

  1. In QGIS, open TRI_2013_NY.csv in today's data. You can learn more about it at the EPA's download page for the data.
  2. Also open the nybb (borough boundaries) shapefile.
  3. Convert TRI_2013_NY to 2263 so it will overlap with the borough boundaries.
  4. Under Vector > Geoprocessing Tools > Clip, clip the TRI data to the borough boundaries. The result should be a new shapefile with only TRIs in the five boroughs.
  5. Now buffer the data from the previous step by 1000 feet (Vector > Geoprocessing Tools > Buffer). Do not check Dissolve Buffer Results.
  6. Now add the Public_School_Locations layer to QGIS.
  7. Select by location (Vector > Research > Select by Location) to find public schools within 1000 feet of a TRI feature.

Part 2: Overlay Operations

  1. Use the Seasnakes data included in the zipfile you downloaded. The data is a small extract of the sea snakes data available at IUCN.
  2. Use Vector > Geoprocessing Tools > Intersect to find only the places where the habitats of snake1 and snake2 overlap.
  3. Use Vector > Geoprocessing Tools > Union to find places where the habitats of snake1 and snake3 overlap and the places where each exists on its own. Style each feature differently using rule-based styles.

Part 3: Geocoding

  1. Open FDNY_Firehouse_Listing.csv in Excel.
  2. Add a state column and fill each cell in it with NY.
  3. Install the MMQGIS QGIS plugin if you have not.
  4. Geocode the spreadsheet in QGIS by going to MMQGIS > Geocode > Geocode CSV with Google / OpenStreetMap.