Put Your QGIS Mapping Skills to the Test

A Beginner's Guide to Making Maps in QGIS

• QGIS is a powerful tool for making maps and this guide only scratches the surface of its capabilities.

• The most recent version of QGIS is 3.2.2, while the most recent long-term release is 2.18.9.

• Windows users need to choose between 32-bit or 64-bit versions based on their operating system.

• Mac users need to adjust Security & Privacy settings before installing QGIS.

• Joins can be used to merge CSV data with shapefiles in QGIS.

• Joining data to a shapefile is not permanent and requires saving a new shapefile to make the join permanent.

• The Layout Manager tool in QGIS allows for the creation of visually appealing and shareable maps.

• The Map Layout screen has a main menu, toolbars, map window, items and history window, and layout and properties window.

• Adding a map, legend, scale bar, north arrow, and title can enhance the appearance and usefulness of a map.

• A base layer can provide geographical context to a region of interest.

• Changes to the appearance of items on the map can be made in their properties panel.

• The final map can be exported and shared as an image or PDF.Guide to Adding a Basemap and Customizing a Map in QGIS

• QGIS is open software that allows users to create and add to QGIS tools.

• To customize a map in QGIS, start by opening a shapefile of a map.

• To change the color of the shapefile, select the pop down menu next to Color and move the black circle towards a light pinkish color.

• California_Tracts is a symbol that pops up in the legend of the map, but it can be eliminated by turning off Auto update under Legend items by unchecking the box.

• A basemap is necessary to provide background detail necessary to orient the location of the map.

• QGIS does not have basemaps preloaded, so a QGIS plugin is needed to get a basemap.

• QuickMapServices is a plugin for finding datasets and basemaps that can be installed by selecting Plugins from the main menu and then Manage and Install Plugins.

• Once installed, new buttons will appear in the toolbars, and basemaps can be selected from a variety of different sources.

• OSM is Open Street Maps, a free crowd-sourced editable map that can be selected as a basemap.

• Select OSM and select standard to see the OSM basemap pop up in both the Map and Layout views.

• The map can be customized further as desired.

• The end result should be a customized map with a new basemap that provides more context for the location of the map.

Test your knowledge on making maps in QGIS with our informative quiz. From understanding the basics of QGIS to adding basemaps and customizing maps, this quiz will challenge your understanding of QGIS and help you improve your skills. Sharpen your knowledge on navigational tools, layout managers, and properties windows to create visually appealing and informative maps. Take the quiz and see how much you know about making maps in QGIS!