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1 bh 1367 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
2     <!DOCTYPE book
3     PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.2//EN"
4     "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.2/docbookx.dtd">
5 bh 1369 <!-- $Revision$ -->
6 bh 1367 <book>
7     <bookinfo>
8     <title>Thuban Manual</title>
9     <author>
10 jan 1423 <firstname>Jonathan</firstname><surname>Coles</surname>
11 bh 1367 </author>
12 jan 1423 <author>
13     <firstname>Jan-Oliver</firstname><surname>Wagner</surname>
14     </author>
15 bh 1367 <copyright>
16     <year>2003</year>
17     <holder>Intevation GmbH</holder>
18     </copyright>
19     </bookinfo>
20    
21     <chapter><title>Introduction</title>
22     <para>
23 jonathan 1446 Thuban is a Free Software Geographic Information Systems (GIS) viewer.
24     It is being developed because there is currently no simple interactive
25     viewer for geographic information available as Free Software. Thuban is
26     written in Python and C++ and uses the wxWindows library allowing it to
27     run on many different platforms, including GNU/Linux and Windows.
28 bh 1367 </para>
29 jonathan 1446 <para>
30     GIS viewers are a necessary tool as they allow one to get a visual
31     impression of the positional relationship of the information that may not
32     be apparent from simple inspection of the data values themselves.
33     Thuban allows the user to create a session that displays
34     geographic data and then explore that data through navigation and
35     manipulation of how it is drawn. The results can then be saved or printed.
36     </para>
37     <para>
38     Thuban arranges a session in a hierarchy. A session contains a map which
39     consists of layers. Each layer represents one kind of data set. For
40     instance, there may be a layer for roads and another layer for buildings.
41     These layers can either be vector shapes or images.
42     </para>
43 jan 1423
44     <section><title>Installation</title>
45 jonathan 1446 <para>
46     Thuban is actively supported under Debian Testing (sarge), RedHat 7.2,
47     and Windows 2000. All the necessary files can be found on the
48     <ulink url="http://thuban.intevation.org/download.html">
49     Thuban Download site
50     </ulink>.
51     </para>
52 jan 1423 </section>
53    
54 jonathan 1446 <section><title>The Main Window</title>
55 jan 1423 <para>
56 jonathan 1446 <screenshot>
57     <screeninfo>The Main Window</screeninfo>
58     <mediaobject>
59 jonathan 1466 <imageobject> <imagedata fileref="../images/1_2_mainwindow.png" format="PNG"/> </imageobject>
60     <imageobject> <imagedata fileref="./images/1_2_mainwindow.ps" format="EPS"/> </imageobject>
61 jonathan 1446 <textobject><phrase>The Main Window</phrase></textobject>
62     <caption><para>The Main Window</para></caption>
63     </mediaobject>
64     </screenshot>
65     </para>
66    
67     <para>
68 jonathan 1466 The map window shows the current state of the map and is where
69 jonathan 1446 the user can interact with the map using the tools.
70     </para>
71    
72     <para>
73 jonathan 1466 The legend on the left displays a list of the current layers and
74     any visible classification groups. In the example, each shape layer
75     has a default classification which specifies how the shapes in each
76     layer are drawn. Layers that are higher in the list appear
77     ``closer'' to the user. The legend can be closed by clicking on the
78     small X in the upper right-hand region of the legend.
79     To open it again, use
80 jonathan 1446 <menuchoice>
81     <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
82     <guimenuitem>Legend</guimenuitem>
83     </menuchoice>.
84     The legend is also dockable, which means that it can be detached
85     from the main window by clicking on the small button next to the
86 jonathan 1466 close button. It can be attached by clicking the same button
87 jonathan 1446 again.
88     </para>
89     <para>
90 jonathan 1466 The status bar displays different information depending on the
91 jonathan 1446 current context. If the user is selecting an item from the menu
92     then the status bar will display a short help message indicating
93     what each menu item is for. If the user has a tool selected then
94     the position of the cursor on the map is displayed.
95     </para>
96     <para>
97 jonathan 1466 The tool bar provides quick access to the commonly needed tools.
98 jonathan 1446 By hovering over each button the user can see a short messages
99     describing what the tool does. The tools provided are Zoom In, Zoom
100     Out, Pan, Full Extent, Full Layer Extent, Full Shape Extent, Indentify,
101     and Label. Each of the tools will be explained in further detail later
102     in the manual.
103     </para>
104 jan 1423 </section>
105    
106 bh 1367 </chapter>
107 jan 1423
108     <chapter><title>Session Management</title>
109    
110 jonathan 1446 <section><title>Starting a New Session</title>
111 jan 1423 <para>
112 jonathan 1446 A new session can be started from
113     <menuchoice>
114     <guimenu>File</guimenu>
115     <guimenuitem>New Session</guimenuitem>
116     </menuchoice>.
117    
118     If a session is already loaded and has been modified without
119     being saved a prompt will ask if the current session should
120     be saved.
121    
122 jan 1423 </para>
123     </section>
124    
125 jonathan 1446 <section><title>Opening a Session</title>
126 jan 1423 <para>
127 jonathan 1446 A session can be opened from
128     <menuchoice>
129     <guimenu>File</guimenu>
130     <guimenuitem>Open Session</guimenuitem>
131     </menuchoice>.
132    
133     If a session is already loaded and has been modified without
134     being saved a prompt will ask if the current session should
135     be saved.
136 jan 1423 </para>
137     </section>
138    
139 jonathan 1446 <section><title>Saving a Session</title>
140 jan 1423 <para>
141 jonathan 1446 A session can be saved from
142     <menuchoice>
143     <guimenu>File</guimenu>
144     <guimenuitem>Save Session</guimenuitem>
145     </menuchoice>.
146    
147 jan 1423 </para>
148     </section>
149    
150 jonathan 1446 <section><title>The Session Info-Tree</title>
151 jan 1423 <para>
152     (primarily for developers)
153     </para>
154     </section>
155     </chapter>
156    
157     <chapter><title>Map Management</title>
158     <para>
159 jonathan 1466 The map consists of a number of layers where each layer represents a
160     different type of data set. By interacting with the map the user can
161     visually explore the data.
162 jan 1423 </para>
163    
164 jonathan 1446 <section><title>Adding and Removing Layers</title>
165 jan 1423 <para>
166 jonathan 1466 There are two types of layers that can use added to a map: shape layers
167     and image layers. Shape layers are stored in Shapefile format, a
168     standard file format for storing geographic objects. Normally, these
169     files have the extension ``.shp''. Associated with
170     the object information is a database file which stores attributes for
171     each shape in the Shapefile. This file, stored in DB2 format, usually
172     has the extension ``.dbf''. Both files should have the same base name.
173     For example, if there is a Shapefile named roads.shp there should
174     also be a file roads.dbf.
175 jan 1423 </para>
176 jonathan 1466 <para>
177     Shape layers can be added to the map with
178     <menuchoice>
179     <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
180     <guimenuitem>Add Layer</guimenuitem>
181     </menuchoice>.
182     Thuban will load all files with the same base name, so it doesn't
183     matter if the Shapefile or database file is selected.
184     </para>
185    
186     <para>
187     Image layers can be added to the map with
188     <menuchoice>
189     <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
190     <guimenuitem>Add Image Layer</guimenuitem>
191     </menuchoice>.
192     It is important to select a valid image file that has geographic
193     data associated with it. This can be embedded in the file itself,
194     or in another file. If geographic information cannot be found, Thuban
195     will report an error.
196     </para>
197 jan 1423 </section>
198    
199     <section><title>Navigation</title>
200     <para>
201 jonathan 1466 The map can be explored by using the navigation tools available on
202     the tool bar, or from the
203     <menuchoice><guimenu>Map</guimenu></menuchoice> menu.
204 jan 1423 </para>
205 jonathan 1466 <para>
206     The ZoomIn tool
207     <inlinemediaobject>
208     <imageobject>
209     <imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_zoomin.png" format="PNG"/>
210     </imageobject>
211     <textobject> <phrase>ZoomIn Tool</phrase> </textobject>
212     </inlinemediaobject>
213     can be used to enlarge a region of the map. Clicking once on the map
214     will double the magnification and center the map on the point that
215     was clicked. Clicking and dragging lets the user select a region
216     to be enlarged to fit the window.
217     </para>
218     <para>
219     The ZoomOut tool
220     <inlinemediaobject>
221     <imageobject>
222     <imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_zoomout.png" format="PNG"/>
223     </imageobject>
224     <textobject> <phrase>ZoomOut Tool</phrase> </textobject>
225     </inlinemediaobject>
226     shrinks the map so that a larger region is visible. A single click
227     reduces the magnification by a factor of two. Clicking and dragging
228     selects a box such that the current contents of the window will be
229     scaled to fit into that box.
230     </para>
231     <para>
232     The Pan tool
233     <inlinemediaobject>
234     <imageobject>
235     <imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_pan.png" format="PNG"/>
236     </imageobject>
237     <textobject> <phrase>Pan Tool</phrase> </textobject>
238     </inlinemediaobject>
239     allows the user to move the map around by clicking and dragging.
240     </para>
241     <para>
242     The Full Extent tool
243     <inlinemediaobject>
244     <imageobject>
245     <imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_fullextent.png" format="PNG"/>
246     </imageobject>
247     <textobject> <phrase>Full Extent Tool</phrase> </textobject>
248     </inlinemediaobject>
249     rescales the viewable region so that the entire map is visible.
250     </para>
251     <para>
252     The Full Layer Extent tool
253     <inlinemediaobject>
254     <imageobject>
255     <imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_fulllayerextent.png" format="PNG"/>
256     </imageobject>
257     <textobject> <phrase>Full Layer Extent Tool</phrase> </textobject>
258     </inlinemediaobject>
259     rescales the viewable region so that the currently selected
260     layer fits within the window. If no layer is selected this button
261     will be disabled.
262     </para>
263     <para>
264     The Full Shape Extent tool
265     <inlinemediaobject>
266     <imageobject>
267     <imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_fullshapeextent.png" format="PNG"/>
268     </imageobject>
269     <textobject> <phrase>Full Shape Extent Tool</phrase> </textobject>
270     </inlinemediaobject>
271     rescales the viewable region so that the currently selected
272     shape fits within the window. If the shape is a point, it is
273     centered and the map is zoomed all the way in. If no shape is
274     selected this button will be disabled.
275     </para>
276 jan 1423 </section>
277    
278 jonathan 1446 <section><title>Object Identification</title>
279 jan 1423 <para>
280 jonathan 1466 Objects on the map can be identified using the Identify tool
281     <inlinemediaobject>
282     <imageobject>
283     <imagedata fileref="../images/3_3_identify.png" format="PNG"/>
284     </imageobject>
285     <textobject> <phrase>Identify Tool</phrase> </textobject>
286     </inlinemediaobject>.
287     Clicking on an object selects that object and opens a dialog which
288     shows all the table attributes for that object. Any current selection
289     is lost.
290 jan 1423 </para>
291     </section>
292    
293 jonathan 1446 <section><title>Object Labelling</title>
294 jan 1423 <para>
295 jonathan 1466 Objects can be labelled using the Label tool
296     <inlinemediaobject>
297     <imageobject>
298     <imagedata fileref="../images/3_3_label.png" format="PNG"/>
299     </imageobject>
300     <textobject> <phrase>Label Tool</phrase> </textobject>
301     </inlinemediaobject>.
302     Clicking on an object selects that object and opens a dialog which
303     displays the table attributes for that object. An attribute can
304     be selected to be the label on the map. Using this tool for an
305     object that already has a label will remove the label.
306 jan 1423 </para>
307     </section>
308    
309 jonathan 1446 <section><title>The Legend</title>
310 jan 1423 <para>
311 jonathan 1466 The Legend provides an overview of the layers in the map. Layers
312     that appear higher in the legend will appear ``closer'' to the user.
313     If a layer supports classification (currently, only shape layers
314     have this feature) then the classification groups will be shown
315     below each layer. The properties for each group are also displayed
316     with a small graphic. Polygon layers appear as rectangles, lines
317     appear as curved lines, and points appear as circles.
318     </para>
319     <para>
320     Along the top of the legend is a toolbar which allows quick access
321     to some of the layer manipulation options under
322     <menuchoice> <guimenu>Map</guimenu> </menuchoice>.
323    
324     Double-clicking on a layer or a group of a layer will open the
325     properties dialog for that layer.
326 jan 1423 </para>
327     </section>
328    
329     <section><title>Printing</title>
330     <para>
331 jonathan 1466 The map can be printed using
332     <menuchoice>
333     <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
334     <guimenuitem>Print</guimenuitem>
335     </menuchoice>. A standard printing dialog will open allowing the
336     user to configure the printer.
337 jan 1423 </para>
338     </section>
339     </chapter>
340    
341     <chapter><title>Layer Management</title>
342     <para>
343     </para>
344    
345 jonathan 1446 <section><title>Types of Layers</title>
346 jan 1423 <para>
347 jonathan 1466 There are two types of layers supported by Thuban: shape layers and
348     image layers. Shape layers consist of vector based shapes with
349     geo-referenced coordinates. There are three types of supported
350     shapes: polygons, lines, and points. Image layers can be any image
351     file format supported by GDAL. The images must have a geographic
352     coordinate data either embedded within the file, or in a seperate
353     file that is in the same directory as the image file used for the
354     layer. GeoTIFF files work very well with Thuban and were designed
355     specifically to be image layers in GIS programs.
356 jan 1423 </para>
357     </section>
358    
359 jonathan 1466 <section><title>Properties</title>
360     <para>
361     Each shape in a shape layer can have various properties which control
362     how it is drawn on the map. Polygons and points can be drawn with an
363     outline color and a fill color, while lines have only a line color.
364     </para>
365     </section>
366    
367 jan 1423 <section><title>Visibility</title>
368     <para>
369 jonathan 1466 Sometimes it is not desirable to view all layers at the same time.
370     Some layers may take a long time to draw and so while navigating
371     around the map the user may not want to wait for the map to redraw
372     each time the map is changed. Each layer can be independently
373     turned on or off using the
374     <menuchoice>
375     <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
376     <guimenuitem>Show</guimenuitem>
377     </menuchoice>
378     or
379     <menuchoice>
380     <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
381     <guimenuitem>Hide</guimenuitem>
382     </menuchoice> options respectively.
383 jan 1423 </para>
384     </section>
385    
386     <section><title>Sequence</title>
387     <para>
388     </para>
389     </section>
390    
391     <section><title>Duplication</title>
392     <para>
393 jonathan 1466 Layers and all their properties, including classifications, can
394     be duplicated using
395     <menuchoice>
396     <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
397     <guimenuitem>Duplicate</guimenuitem>
398     </menuchoice>. Duplicating a layer is useful if the user wishes
399     to model a layer in several different ways. Even though the layers
400     overlap by carefully selecting the shape properties it is possible
401     to display several pieces of information at once. For example, one
402     copy of a roads layer may be classified on a length property and
403     another copy may be classified on a type property. if the length
404     property was expressed with color and the type property expressed
405     with line thickness then it would be possible to view both
406     classifications by placing the type property copy over the
407     length property copy.
408 jan 1423 </para>
409     </section>
410    
411     </chapter>
412    
413     <chapter><title>Layer Classifications</title>
414     <para>
415     </para>
416    
417 jonathan 1446 <section><title>Adding and Removing Classes</title>
418 jan 1423 <para>
419     </para>
420     </section>
421    
422 jonathan 1446 <section><title>Symbols</title>
423 jan 1423 <para>
424     </para>
425     </section>
426    
427 jonathan 1446 <section><title>Generating Classes</title>
428 jan 1423 <para>
429     </para>
430     </section>
431     </chapter>
432    
433     <chapter><title>Projection Management</title>
434     <para>
435     </para>
436     </chapter>
437    
438     <chapter><title>Table Management</title>
439     <para>
440     </para>
441     </chapter>
442    
443     <chapter><title>Trouble Shooting</title>
444     <para>
445     </para>
446     </chapter>
447    
448     <appendix><title>Supported Data Sources</title>
449     <para>
450     </para>
451     </appendix>
452    
453     <appendix><title>Supported Projections</title>
454     <para>
455     </para>
456     </appendix>
457    
458 bh 1367 </book>

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