QGIS 2.8 is ready for download

qgis2-8_splash

As per the official website of QGIS , updated version QGIS 2.8 has been released and is ready for download in the QGIS  download page.

The Official Changelog for QGIS page says:

This is a special release since it is designated an ‘LTR’ (Long Term Release). It will be supported with backported bug fixes for one year, and will be in permanent feature freeze (i.e. no new features will be added, only bug fixes and trivial updates).

The purpose of this releases is to provide a stable and less frequently changing platform for enterprises and organisations that do not want to deal with updating user skills, training materials etc. more than once per year.

QGIS 2.8 is also a special release because it includes so many great new features, tweaks and enhancements to make the most popular Free desktop GIS even more feature filled and useful.

qgis_icon1

For more detail about new features, visit this link and to download the QGIS 2.8, this is the official download page.

Google Earth Pro is now Free of Cost

From 30th Jan 2015, Google Earth Pro has been made available for free, earlier it was $400 per year. In order to get a free license key you may click here and download Earth Pro today. As compared to the normal free version, it allows the following additional functions:

  • Advanced Measurements: Measure land with polygon area measure, or determine affected radius with circle measure.
  • High-resolution printing: Print Images up to 4800×3200 px resolution.
  • Exclusive Pro data layers: Demographics, parcels, and traffic count for US only
  • Spreadsheet Import: Import up to 2500 addresses at a time, assigning placemarks and style templates in bulk.
  • GIS import: Visualize ESRI shapefiles (.shp) and MapInfo (.tab) files.
  • Movie-Maker: Export Windows Media and Quicktime HD movies, up to 1920×1080 resolution.

A comparative analysis of Free and Pro functions is given below:

image

Understanding Geographic Information Systems (5th Training Course)

PakistanGIS is offering GIS training courses for beginners interested in learning concepts and applications of GIS in different spheres of life. “Understanding Geographic Information Systems” is an introductory training being organized for students and professionals who stand at primary level in the field of GIS and want to enhance their learning about the subject.

This course is a perfect mix of theoretical and practical sessions particularly designed for people who are looking for their capacity enhancement in evening time in Islamabad.

Contact Details: naeem.malik@pakistangis.org
0334 65 69 580
0313 86 12 758
Venue:
Office 1&2, First Floor, G15 Markaz, Islamabad, Pakistan 
Dates and Timings:
20-24 October 2014
Timings will be updated.
Registration Fee:
Rs. 7000 PKR
See Training Schedule>>  

At the end of training you will be having knowledge about:

  1. Basic concepts and applications of GIS
  2. Components and functions of GIS
  3. Vector and Raster Data sets
  4. What are different softwares commonly used in the field of GIS?
  5. How to install ArcGIS?
  6. Getting started with ArcGIS, ArcCataloge, ArcMap and ArcToolbox
  7. How to prepare map using existing GIS data?
  8. How to create your own GIS data?
  9. Preparing print ready map layouts and maps printing

Census of Schools with GIS Coordinates

  1. Punjab

It is lovely to see the Census of Schools conducted by Schools Education Department, Government of Punjab. The online database contains very comprehensive information for more than 55 thousand educational facilities in all districts of Punjab along with locational information.

image

Below image shows, how it looks like when plotted in GIS all together at once. Only a few schools (less than 3%) have got missing GIS coordinates or wrongly placed coordinates, but overall it’s a very comprehensive and rich piece of information for those interested in education sector in Punjab.

image

2.  Sindh

Reform Support Unit, Education and Literacy Department, Government of Sindh has also done a great job by providing online access to School Census Database and Online GIS coordinates of schools from 17 districts. So far, these districts include Hyderabad, Matiari, Mirpurkhas, Tando Allah Yar, Larkana, Umerkot, Jacobabad, Sanghar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Jamshoro, Dadu, and Shaheed Benazirabad, Khairpur, Sakkur, Kashmore, Shahdadkot and Shikarpur.

sindh_schools_gis_pakistan

Currently the online database contain coordinates of more than 28 Thousand as of July 2014 educational facilities spreaded over 17 districts. This is how it looks like all together.

image

Overall picture look like the image below:

image

Experiments with Google Map V3

Two months back, I was novice with absolutely zero experience of Google Maps API or JavaScript. Luckily or unluckily, I was put in the condition where I have to develop a WebGIS for visualization of datasets. I started hitting my head with the examples, samples and codes available online and was successful in preparing something acceptable to end users. Most of the time, I searched for relevant sample code on web, changed the parameters and adapted for my purpose in clean and more understandable form. I feel those pieces of codes might be helpful for other ‘forced to be developers’ like me. I will be sharing those JavaScripts and Google Map API v3 codes here regularly.

  1. Create Markers (with InfoWindows) from coordinates pasted in Text Box

I wrote this code in order to make user capable of copying data from Excel sheet and paste in text box to map it.

Once the data is copied from Excel, it comes as ‘TAB’ delimited text when pasted in box. The javascript code splits the data into lines, separates values in each line based on Tabs and then display the enteries as Markers on map using first two columns containing N, E respectively.

Specifying column number allows you to decide what to display in InfoWindow which displays while clicking on marker.

pakistangis

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html><head>

<meta name="viewport" content="initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=yes" />

<script src="http://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?v=3&sensor=false" type="text/javascript"></script>
   1:  

   2: <style type="text/css">

   3:   html { height: 100% }

   4:   body { height: 100%; margin: 0px; padding: 0px }

   5:   #map_canvas { height: 100% }

   6:   #textarea {

   7:     position:absolute;

   8:     padding:0px;

   9:     z-index:888;

  10:     bottom:5px;

  11:     right:5px;

  12:     opacity:0.90;

  13:     text-align:center;

  14:     border:0px #ccc solid;

  15:     background-color: #FFF;

  16:     visibility: hidden; 

  17:     }

  18: </style>

  19: <script type="text/javascript"> 

  20: var map;

  21: var points = [];

  22: var lines;

  23: function initialize() {

  24:  

  25:     map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById("map"), {

  26:         zoom: 5,

  27:         center: new google.maps.LatLng(30.637905104982618, 71.103515625),

  28:         mapTypeId: google.maps.MapTypeId.ROADMAP,

  29:         

  30:                 });

  31:             }

  32:  

  33: function createMarkers(coordinates){

  34:     lines = coordinates.split("\n");    //splits lines pasted in text box

  35:     alert('There are '+ lines.length +' points to display on map');

  36:     for (var i=0; i<lines.length; i++){

  37:         var xy = lines[i].split("\t");    //splits data in each line based on Tabs. Data copied from excel comes in Tab Delimited format

  38:         var x = xy[0];

  39:         var y = xy[1];    

  40:         var latlng =  new google.maps.LatLng(x,y);

  41:         points.push(latlng);

  42:         var marker = new google.maps.Marker({

  43:                 position: latlng,

  44:                 map:map

  45:         });

  46:         

  47:         var labelingColumn = document.getElementById('labelingColumn').value;

  48:         addInfoWindow(marker, xy[labelingColumn]);    // Third column in each line is passed to addInfoWindow as content for showing in infowindow

  49:       }

  50:       

  51:       zoomTo(points);

  52:   }

  53:   

  54:       function addInfoWindow(marker, content) {

  55:     var infoWindow = new google.maps.InfoWindow({

  56:         content: content

  57:     });

  58:  

  59:     google.maps.event.addListener(marker, 'click', function () {

  60:         infoWindow.open(map, marker);

  61:     });

  62:     }

  63:  

  64:     function zoomTo(points){

  65:     bounds = new google.maps.LatLngBounds();

  66:       for (i = 0; i < points.length; i++) {

  67:       bounds.extend(points[i]);

  68:       }

  69:       map.fitBounds(bounds);

  70:  

  71:     }

  72:     function clearMap(){

  73:         document.getElementById('coordinates').value = "";

  74:         initialize();

  75:         }

  76:     function showCoordinatesMapper(){

  77:         if(document.getElementById('csvToMap').checked){

  78:             document.getElementById('textarea').style.visibility = 'visible';

  79:             }

  80:         else {

  81:             document.getElementById('textarea').style.visibility = 'hidden';

  82:             }

  83:         }

</script>

</head>

<body onload="initialize()">

<!-- side panel div container -->

<div style="position:absolute; width:230px; height: 100%; overflow:auto; float:left; padding-left:10px; padding-right:10px;">

    <h1>Pakistan GIS</h1>

    <h3>Creating Markers (with Infowindows) from coordinates data in text box</h3>

    Show Coordinates Mapper: <input id="csvToMap" type="checkbox" onclick="showCoordinatesMapper();" />

</div>

<div id='textarea'>

  <form action="#" onsubmit="createMarkers(this.coordinates.value); return false">

    <textarea cols="40" rows="15" wrap="off" id="coordinates">Paste your data with coordinates here...</textarea>    

    </br>

    <label>Select Column for Labeling</label>

    <select id="labelingColumn" width = "100px">

          <option value="2">Column 3</option>

          <option value="3">Column 4</option>

          <option value="4">Column 5</option>

          <option value="5">Column 6</option>

      </select>

    

    <input type="submit" value="Put on Map"/>

    </form>

    <button id="delete-button" onClick="clearMap();">Clear Markers</button>

</div>

<!-- map div container -->

  <div id="map" style="height:100%; margin-left:250px;"></div>

</body>

</html>

Surveying and Mapping Act 2013

In a recent GIS Working Group meeting in Lahore, it has been shared by Major (Retd.) Nadeem Ahmad Ch. Director, Survey of Pakistan that the bill has been approved by Standing Committee on Defence of National Assembly but due to paucity of time the bill could not be presented in National Assembly for passing. However, now the same has been initiated in shape Presidential Ordinance which is in process of approval by federal government. The copy of Surveying and Mapping 2013 is posted on the website of National Assembly which can be downloaded.

FloodInfo.pk : An online Flood Risk Estimator in Pakistan

FRE

Flood Risk Estimator has been developed to support rural communities, government agencies, non-government organization and other line actors working in flood prone areas of District Layyah by providing them scenario based precise information on flood risks.

It is one of the outputs of a project titled ‘Enhancing capacities of flood prone communities through GIS based early warning system’ implemented by Doaba Foundation with technical support of City Pulse (Pvt.) Ltd. It has been generously supported by Oxfam GB.

Flood Risk Estimator has its core based on GIS based flood plain modeling and mapping techniques coupled with indigenous knowledge of riverine communities. It has been developed with the objectives of creating a system which can help in:

  1. estimating flood water spread at a particular discharge
  2. finding depth of flood water at any location in flooded area
  3. estimating the affected elements* at any particular discharge

*villages, population, schools, health facilities, public buildings, livestock hospitals, bridges, culverts, sippers, embankments, roads

All information on elements at risk and communities’ capacities have been obtained through primary sources via field visit, community meeting and GPS survey. Flood plain modeling is based on high resolution satellite images, Digital Elevation Model and ground observations of discharges and water flow. All spatial and non spatial data have been processed using HECRAS and associated GIS technologies. See detailed presentation on development process here.

Flood risk estimation report

A snapshot of Flood Scenario Report generated for one Union council

Flood risk estimation report2

A snapshot of Flood Plain Mapping and Elements at Risk

Flyonfloodedarea

A snapshot of Fly on Flooded Area

Peri Urban Structure Plan of Okara City

A group of urban planning students from University of Engineering and Technology (CRP-10) including M. Aamir Basheer, Imtiaz Hussain, Imran Nawaz, Zohaib Anwar, Iqra Ismail, Rohail Javaid, Ghulam Mustafa, Akram Anwar, Adnan Khan, Aniqa Azam, Areesha Gul has prepared GIS based peri urban structure plan of Okara City using high resolution satellite image. The map includes Points of interest , Existing urban boundary , Existing land uses, Proposed Roads, and Proposed urban block.

This is a true addition to the existing effort on GIS mapping of Okara which was done by Munawar and Nausheen (CRP-08) in 2009. Previous map can be seen HERE.

Okara file

Prei Uran final image

Peri Urban Plan of Hujra Shah Muqeem

An interesting effort by Muhammad Mashhood and Arif Hussain, students at Engineering University, Department of City and Regional Planning.

Its GIS based map of Hujra Shah Muqeem containing base map, existing land uses, road network, points of interest, existing and proposed urban area boundaries, water bodies and proposed land uses for future growth.

pakistangis_hujra_shah_muqeem

High resolution data on human population distributions in Pakistan

High resolution, contemporary data on human population distributions are a prerequisite for the accurate measurement of the impacts of population growth, for monitoring changes and for planning interventions. The AsiaPop project was initiated in July 2011 with an aim of producing detailed and freely-available population distribution maps for the whole of Asia. This appears to be the highest resolution data on the subject available in open source as of today.

image6078

Details

Units: Persons per grid square

Projection: Geographic (WGS84)

Spatial Resolution: 0.000833 degrees (~100m at the equator)

Years: 2010, 2015

Versions: (i) Adjusted to match UN national estimates and (ii) Unadjusted

Format: Geotiff (zipped using 7-zip (open access tool)