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Study / Practical
QGIS from first project to capstone
Eighteen parts that build on each other, all done through the QGIS interface with no coding. All of them use the same Bengaluru data, so you can follow every step on your own machine.
20 partsQGIS 3.44 LTRFree software
Foundations
4 parts- 01Interface, plugins and raster handlingInstall QGIS, find your way around the interface, add plugins, and work with real Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 rasters: load, inspect, style, stack bands, mosaic, clip, reproject and calculate.
- 02GeoreferencingGive an unreferenced image real coordinates using the QGIS Georeferencer. Three methods with control points, transformation types, residual errors, and a check of the result.
- 03Vectors: conversion, editing and stylingCreate vector layers, convert a raster to polygons, edit geometry with snapping, and style and label features, using a Sentinel-2 scene over Bengaluru.
- 04CSV, joins, reprojection and Field CalculatorTurn a CSV of coordinates into a point layer, pull coordinates back out, join an external table, change the projection, and compute new fields with the Field Calculator.
Data and databases
3 parts- 05Capture data and convert formatsCollect vector data from Google Earth and OpenStreetMap, use web basemaps for reference, and convert between Shapefile, KML, GML and GeoJSON.
- 06Spatial databases and analysisStore layers in a GeoPackage, query them with SQL in DB Manager, export your data, and run core analysis tools: buffer, clip, intersect, dissolve, spatial join and select by location.
- 07Coordinate reference systemsWhat a CRS is, how geographic and projected systems differ, how to read an EPSG code, and how to find, fix and change the CRS of layers in QGIS.
Analysis
7 parts- 08Band combinations and spectral indicesBuild true and false colour composites, apply scale factors, mask clouds, and calculate NDVI, NDWI, MNDWI, NDBI and NBR from open satellite data.
- 09Attribute queries and selectionFind the features you need with Select by Expression, Select by Value, the Query Builder and attribute table filters, and understand the difference between a selection and a filter.
- 10Print layouts and map designBuild a map layout with a title, legend, scale bar, north arrow, coordinate grid and credits, produce a map series with Atlas, and export to PDF or image.
- 11Vector geoprocessing and Model BuilderCombine layers with union, intersection and difference, count points and measure lines inside polygons, run proximity and distance matrix analysis, and chain tools into a reusable model.
- 12Raster analysis, reclassify and zonal statisticsReclassify an NDVI raster into classes, combine rasters with the raster calculator, summarise values inside polygons with zonal statistics, and compare dates with local statistics.
- 13Terrain and hydrologyPrepare a Copernicus DEM, derive slope, aspect, hillshade and contours, check what a point can see, and delineate flow paths and catchments.
- 14Interpolation, density and heatmapsTurn scattered point values into a surface with IDW, TIN and kriging, and turn point locations into density surfaces and heatmaps.
Applied projects
6 parts- 15Distance surfaces and site suitabilityBuild distance rasters, add a terrain cost surface, and combine slope, road access and hospital gaps into a ranked map of candidate sites.
- 16Network analysisRoute along real roads instead of straight lines: find a shortest path, map the area reachable within a distance, and build a table of travel distances between places.
- 173D maps, animation, graphs and reportsDrape imagery over a DEM in the 3D map view, record a fly-through, make a chart from your results and place map and chart on one report page.
- 18Capstone: land cover and changeClassify a Sentinel-2 scene into five land cover classes with Raster Calculator rules, compare NDVI between 2020 and 2025, and report the areas, with the limits stated.
- 19LULC classification with LandsatClassify a Landsat 8 image of Bengaluru into four land cover classes in QGIS, with K-means clustering and two supervised methods, check the maps against independent reference cells, and report the areas with the limits stated.
- 20Raster time series with NDVIOpen twelve monthly NDVI rasters of farmland around Jagraon in Punjab, stack them into one layer, play them as an animation with the Temporal Controller, read the seasonal curve of a field and a town, and map how much each place changes through the year.