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1 <?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 [<!ENTITY imgscale "70">]>
6 <!-- $Revision$ -->
7 <book>
8 <bookinfo>
9 <title>User's Manual for Thuban 1.0</title>
10 <authorgroup>
11 <author>
12 <firstname>Jonathan</firstname><surname>Coles</surname>
13 </author>
14 <author>
15 <firstname>Jan-Oliver</firstname><surname>Wagner</surname>
16 </author>
17 <author>
18 <firstname>Frank</firstname><surname>Koormann</surname>
19 </author>
20 </authorgroup>
21 <copyright>
22 <year>2003</year>
23 <holder>Intevation GmbH</holder>
24 </copyright>
25 <revhistory>
26 <revision>
27 <revnumber>1.0pre1</revnumber>
28 <date>08-Aug-2003</date>
29 <revremark>Corresponds to Thuban development release 0.8.1</revremark>
30 </revision>
31 </revhistory>
32
33 </bookinfo>
34
35 <chapter><title>Introduction</title>
36 <para>
37 Thuban is an interactive geographic data viewer.
38 It has been developed because there was no simple interactive
39 viewer for geographic information available as Free Software. Thuban is
40 written in Python and C++ and uses the wxWindows library allowing it to
41 run on many different platforms, including GNU/Linux and Windows.
42 </para>
43 <para>
44 Geographic data viewers are a necessary tool as they allow one to
45 get a visual
46 impression of the positional relationship of the information that may not
47 be apparent from simple inspection of the data values themselves.
48 Thuban allows the user to create a session that displays
49 geographic data and then explore that data through navigation and
50 manipulation of how it is drawn. The results can then be saved or printed.
51 </para>
52 <para>
53 Thuban arranges a session in a hierarchy. A session contains a map which
54 consists of layers. Each layer represents one kind of data set. For
55 instance, there may be a layer for roads and another layer for buildings.
56 These layers can either be vector shapes or images.
57 </para>
58
59 <section><title>Installation</title>
60 <para>
61 Thuban is actively supported under Debian Testing (sarge), RedHat 7.2,
62 and Windows 2000. Thuban depends on the following packages. These
63 packages can also be found on the
64 <ulink url="http://thuban.intevation.org/download.html">
65 Thuban Download site
66 </ulink>.
67 <itemizedlist>
68 <listitem><para>Python 2.2.1 (<literal>http://www.python.org</literal>)</para></listitem>
69 <listitem><para>wxWindows 2.4 (<literal>http://www.wxwindows.org</literal>)</para></listitem>
70 <listitem><para>wxPython 2.4 (<literal>http://www.wxpython.org</literal>)</para></listitem>
71 <listitem><para>proj 4.4.5 Projection Library (<literal>http://www.remotesensing.org/proj/</literal>)</para></listitem>
72 <listitem><para>GDAL 1.1.8 (<literal>http://www.remotesensing.org/gdal/</literal>)</para></listitem>
73 <listitem><para>SQLite 2.8.3 (<literal>http://www.hwaci.com/sw/sqlite/</literal>)</para></listitem>
74 <listitem><para>PySQLite 0.4.3 (<literal>http://pysqlite.sourceforge.net</literal>)</para></listitem>
75 </itemizedlist>
76 </para>
77 <para>
78 Along with the source codes, the download page also offers
79 full installation packages for Debian, Windows and RPM-based systems
80 (Mandrake, RedHat, SuSE, etc).
81 </para>
82 </section>
83
84 <section><title>The Main Window</title>
85 <para>
86 <figure>
87 <title>The Main Window</title>
88 <mediaobject>
89 <imageobject> <imagedata fileref="../images/1_2_mainwindow.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/> </imageobject>
90 <imageobject> <imagedata fileref="./images/1_2_mainwindow.ps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/> </imageobject>
91 </mediaobject>
92 </figure>
93 </para>
94
95 <para>
96 The map window shows the current state of the map and is where
97 the user can interact with the map using the tools.
98 </para>
99
100 <para>
101 The legend on the left displays a list of the current layers and
102 any visible classification groups. In the example, each shape layer
103 has a default classification which specifies how the shapes in each
104 layer are drawn. Layers that are higher in the list appear
105 ``closer'' to the user. The legend can be closed by clicking on the
106 small X in the upper right-hand region of the legend.
107 To open it again, use
108 <menuchoice>
109 <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
110 <guimenuitem>Legend</guimenuitem>
111 </menuchoice>.
112 The legend is also dockable, which means that it can be detached
113 from the main window by clicking on the small button next to the
114 close button. It can be attached by clicking the same button
115 again.
116 </para>
117 <para>
118 The status bar displays different information depending on the
119 current context. If the user is selecting an item from the menu
120 then the status bar will display a short help message indicating
121 what each menu item is for. If the user has a tool selected then
122 the position of the cursor on the map is displayed.
123 </para>
124 <para>
125 The tool bar provides quick access to the commonly needed tools.
126 By hovering over each button the user can see a short messages
127 describing what the tool does. The tools provided are Zoom In, Zoom
128 Out, Pan, Full Extent, Full Layer Extent, Full Shape Extent, Identify,
129 and Label. Each of the tools will be explained in further detail later
130 in the manual.
131 </para>
132 </section>
133
134 </chapter>
135
136 <chapter><title>Session Management</title>
137
138 <section><title>Starting a New Session</title>
139 <para>
140 A new session can be started from
141 <menuchoice>
142 <guimenu>File</guimenu>
143 <guimenuitem>New Session</guimenuitem>
144 </menuchoice>.
145 If a session is already loaded and has been modified without
146 being saved a prompt will ask if the current session should
147 be saved. A new session consists of an empty map with no
148 layers and no tables.
149 </para>
150 </section>
151
152 <section><title>Opening a Session</title>
153 <para>
154 A session can be opened from
155 <menuchoice>
156 <guimenu>File</guimenu>
157 <guimenuitem>Open Session</guimenuitem>
158 </menuchoice>. A dialog box will open allowing the user to browse
159 for a Thuban Session file. Thuban session files end with
160 <varname>.thuban</varname>. Selecting a file a clicking
161 <guibutton>OK</guibutton> will load the session into Thuban.
162
163 If a session is already loaded and has been modified without
164 being saved a prompt will ask if the current session should
165 be saved.
166 </para>
167 </section>
168
169 <section><title>Saving a Session</title>
170 <para>
171 A session can be saved from
172 <menuchoice>
173 <guimenu>File</guimenu>
174 <guimenuitem>Save Session</guimenuitem>
175 </menuchoice>. A dialog box will open allowing the user to browse
176 the file system and select a place to save the session. Thuban
177 sessions should be saved under a name ending in
178 <varname>.thuban</varname>. If the file already exists the user
179 will be prompted to save under a different name or overwrite the
180 existing file.
181 </para>
182 </section>
183
184 <section><title>The Session Info-Tree</title>
185 <para>
186 <figure>
187 <title>Session Info Tree</title>
188 <mediaobject>
189 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/2_4_session_tree.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
190 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/2_4_session_tree.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
191 </mediaobject>
192 </figure>
193 </para>
194 <para>
195 The session info-tree is primarily intended for developers working
196 with Thuban. It displays many of the internal values for the session,
197 map, and layers. It can be opened from
198 <menuchoice>
199 <guimenu>File</guimenu>
200 <guimenuitem>Session Tree</guimenuitem>
201 </menuchoice>.
202 </para>
203 </section>
204 </chapter>
205
206 <chapter><title>Map Management</title>
207 <para>
208 The map consists of a number of layers where each layer represents a
209 different type of data set. By interacting with the map the user can
210 visually explore the data.
211 </para>
212 <para>
213 The map can have a name that will appear in the Thuban title bar.
214 The map name can be changed using
215 <menuchoice>
216 <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
217 <guimenuitem>Rename</guimenuitem>
218 </menuchoice>.
219 </para>
220 <para>
221 <inlinemediaobject>
222 <imageobject>
223 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_rename_map.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
224 </imageobject>
225 <imageobject>
226 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_rename_map.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
227 </imageobject>
228 <textobject> <phrase>Rename Map</phrase> </textobject>
229 </inlinemediaobject>
230 </para>
231
232 <section><title>Adding and Removing Layers</title>
233 <para>
234 There are two types of layers that can be added to a map: shape layers
235 and image layers. Shape layers are stored in Shapefile format, a
236 standard file format for storing geographic objects. These
237 files have the extension ``.shp''. Associated with
238 the shape file is a database file which stores attributes for
239 each shape in the shape file. This file, in dBase format,
240 has the extension ``.dbf''. Both files must have the same base name.
241 For example, if there is a shape file named roads.shp there must
242 also be a file roads.dbf.
243 </para>
244 <para>
245 Shape layers can be added to the map with
246 <menuchoice>
247 <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
248 <guimenuitem>Add Layer</guimenuitem>
249 </menuchoice>.
250 Thuban will load all files with the same base name, so it doesn't
251 matter if the shape file or database file is selected.
252 </para>
253
254 <para>
255 Image layers can be added to the map with
256 <menuchoice>
257 <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
258 <guimenuitem>Add Image Layer</guimenuitem>
259 </menuchoice>.
260 It is important to select a valid image file that has geographic
261 data associated with it. The data can be embedded in the file itself,
262 or in another file. If geographic information cannot be found, Thuban
263 will report an error.
264 </para>
265 </section>
266
267 <section><title>Navigation</title>
268 <para>
269 The map can be explored by using the navigation tools available on
270 the tool bar or from the
271 <menuchoice><guimenu>Map</guimenu></menuchoice> menu.
272 </para>
273 <itemizedlist>
274 <listitem>
275 <para>
276 The ZoomIn tool
277 <inlinemediaobject>
278 <imageobject>
279 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_zoomin.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
280 </imageobject>
281 <imageobject>
282 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_2_zoomin.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
283 </imageobject>
284 <textobject> <phrase>ZoomIn Tool</phrase> </textobject>
285 </inlinemediaobject>
286 enlarges a region of the map. Clicking once on the map
287 will double the magnification and center the map on the point that
288 was clicked. Clicking and dragging selects a region that will be
289 enlarged to fit the window.
290 </para>
291 </listitem>
292 <listitem>
293 <para>
294 The ZoomOut tool
295 <inlinemediaobject>
296 <imageobject>
297 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_zoomout.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
298 </imageobject>
299 <imageobject>
300 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_2_zoomout.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
301 </imageobject>
302 <textobject> <phrase>ZoomOut Tool</phrase> </textobject>
303 </inlinemediaobject>
304 shrinks the map so that a larger region is visible. A single click
305 reduces the magnification by a factor of two. Clicking and dragging
306 selects a box such that the current contents of the window will be
307 scaled to fit into that box.
308 </para>
309 </listitem>
310 <listitem>
311 <para>
312 The Pan tool
313 <inlinemediaobject>
314 <imageobject>
315 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_pan.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
316 </imageobject>
317 <imageobject>
318 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_2_pan.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
319 </imageobject>
320 <textobject> <phrase>Pan Tool</phrase> </textobject>
321 </inlinemediaobject>
322 allows the user to move the map around by clicking and dragging.
323 </para>
324 </listitem>
325 <listitem>
326 <para>
327 The Full Extent tool
328 <inlinemediaobject>
329 <imageobject>
330 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_fullextent.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
331 </imageobject>
332 <imageobject>
333 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_2_fullextent.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
334 </imageobject>
335 <textobject> <phrase>Full Extent Tool</phrase> </textobject>
336 </inlinemediaobject>
337 rescales the viewable region so that the entire map is visible.
338 </para>
339 </listitem>
340 <listitem>
341 <para>
342 The Full Layer Extent tool
343 <inlinemediaobject>
344 <imageobject>
345 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_fulllayerextent.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
346 </imageobject>
347 <imageobject>
348 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_2_fulllayerextent.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
349 </imageobject>
350 <textobject> <phrase>Full Layer Extent Tool</phrase> </textobject>
351 </inlinemediaobject>
352 rescales the viewable region so that the currently selected
353 layer fits within the window. If no layer is selected this button
354 will be disabled.
355 </para>
356 </listitem>
357 <listitem>
358 <para>
359 The Full Shape Extent tool
360 <inlinemediaobject>
361 <imageobject>
362 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_fullshapeextent.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
363 </imageobject>
364 <imageobject>
365 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_2_fullshapeextent.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
366 </imageobject>
367 <textobject> <phrase>Full Shape Extent Tool</phrase> </textobject>
368 </inlinemediaobject>
369 rescales the viewable region so that the currently selected
370 shape fits within the window. If the shape is a point, it is
371 centered and the map is zoomed all the way in. If no shape is
372 selected this button will be disabled. This feature is especially
373 helpful when identifying an object related to a selected record
374 in a tableview (see below).
375
376 </para>
377 </listitem>
378 </itemizedlist>
379 </section>
380
381 <section><title>Object Identification</title>
382 <para>
383 Objects on the map can be identified using the Identify tool
384 <inlinemediaobject>
385 <imageobject>
386 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_3_identify.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
387 </imageobject>
388 <imageobject>
389 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_3_identify.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
390 </imageobject>
391 <textobject> <phrase>Identify Tool</phrase> </textobject>
392 </inlinemediaobject>.
393 Clicking on an object selects that object and opens a dialog which
394 shows all the table attributes for that object. Any current selection
395 is lost. Objects on the map are typically shapes and this document
396 will often refer to objects as shapes.
397 </para>
398 </section>
399
400 <section><title>Object Labeling</title>
401 <para>
402 Objects can be labeled using the Label tool
403 <inlinemediaobject>
404 <imageobject>
405 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_3_label.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
406 </imageobject>
407 <imageobject>
408 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_3_label.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
409 </imageobject>
410 <textobject> <phrase>Label Tool</phrase> </textobject>
411 </inlinemediaobject>.
412 Clicking on an object selects that object and opens a dialog which
413 displays the table attributes for that object. An attribute can
414 be selected to be the label on the map. The label will be placed
415 at the center of the shape. Clicking on an object that already has
416 a label will remove the label.
417 </para>
418 </section>
419
420 <section><title>The Legend</title>
421 <para>
422 <inlinemediaobject>
423 <imageobject>
424 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_5_legend.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
425 </imageobject>
426 <imageobject>
427 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_5_legend.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
428 </imageobject>
429 <textobject> <phrase>Legend</phrase> </textobject>
430 </inlinemediaobject>
431 </para>
432 <para>
433 The Legend provides an overview of the layers in the map. Layers
434 that appear higher in the legend will appear ``closer'' to the user.
435 If a layer supports classification (currently, only shape layers
436 have this feature) then the classification groups will be shown
437 below each layer. The properties for each group are also displayed
438 with a small graphic. Polygon layers appear as rectangles, lines
439 appear as curved lines, and points appear as circles.
440 </para>
441 <para>
442 Along the top of the legend is a toolbar which allows quick access
443 to some of the layer manipulation options under
444 <menuchoice><guimenu>Map</guimenu></menuchoice>.
445 </para>
446
447 <itemizedlist>
448 <listitem>
449 <para>
450 The Move Layer to Top tool
451 <inlinemediaobject>
452 <imageobject>
453 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_5_totop.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
454 </imageobject>
455 <imageobject>
456 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_5_totop.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
457 </imageobject>
458 <textobject> <phrase>Move Layer to Top</phrase> </textobject>
459 </inlinemediaobject> raises the selected layer to the top of the map.
460 </para>
461 </listitem>
462 <listitem>
463
464 <para>
465 The Move Layer Up tool
466 <inlinemediaobject>
467 <imageobject>
468 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_5_moveup.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
469 </imageobject>
470 <imageobject>
471 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_5_moveup.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
472 </imageobject>
473 <textobject> <phrase>Move Layer Up</phrase> </textobject>
474 </inlinemediaobject> raises the selected layer one level.
475 </para>
476 </listitem>
477 <listitem>
478
479 <para>
480 The Move Layer Down tool
481 <inlinemediaobject>
482 <imageobject>
483 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_5_movedown.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
484 </imageobject>
485 <imageobject>
486 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_5_movedown.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
487 </imageobject>
488 <textobject> <phrase>Move Layer Down</phrase> </textobject>
489 </inlinemediaobject> lowers the selected layer one level.
490 </para>
491
492 </listitem>
493 <listitem>
494 <para>
495 The Move Layer to Bottom tool
496 <inlinemediaobject>
497 <imageobject>
498 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_5_tobottom.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
499 </imageobject>
500 <imageobject>
501 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_5_tobottom.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
502 </imageobject>
503 <textobject> <phrase>Move Layer to Bottom</phrase> </textobject>
504 </inlinemediaobject> lowers the selected layer to the bottom of the map.
505 </para>
506
507 </listitem>
508 <listitem>
509 <para>
510 The Visible tool
511 <inlinemediaobject>
512 <imageobject>
513 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_5_visible.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
514 </imageobject>
515 <imageobject>
516 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_5_visible.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
517 </imageobject>
518 <textobject> <phrase>Visible</phrase> </textobject>
519 </inlinemediaobject> shows the selected layer in the map if it was
520 hidden.
521 </para>
522
523 </listitem>
524 <listitem>
525 <para>
526 The Invisible tool
527 <inlinemediaobject>
528 <imageobject>
529 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_5_invisible.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
530 </imageobject>
531 <imageobject>
532 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_5_invisible.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
533 </imageobject>
534 <textobject> <phrase>Invisible</phrase> </textobject>
535 </inlinemediaobject> hides the selected layer in the map.
536 </para>
537
538 </listitem>
539 <listitem>
540 <para>
541 The Properties tool
542 <inlinemediaobject>
543 <imageobject>
544 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_5_props.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
545 </imageobject>
546 <imageobject>
547 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_5_props.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
548 </imageobject>
549 <textobject> <phrase>Properties</phrase> </textobject>
550 </inlinemediaobject> opens the layer's properties dialog box.
551 Double-clicking on a layer or a group of a layer will open the
552 properties dialog for that layer.
553 </para>
554 </listitem>
555 </itemizedlist>
556 <para>
557 Along the bottom of the legend is the scalebar. The scalebar
558 will be available if there are any layers and the map has a
559 projection set.
560 </para>
561 </section>
562
563 <section><title>Exporting</title>
564 <para>
565 Under Windows, maps can be exported in Enhanced Metafile format
566 (<varname>.wmf</varname>)
567 from
568 <menuchoice>
569 <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
570 <guimenuitem>Export</guimenuitem>
571 </menuchoice> for use in reports, presentations, or further
572 modification. The current map view, legend, and, if available,
573 scalebar are exported. Under other platforms this option is not
574 available. Clicking this menu item open a file selection dialog
575 that lets the user select a location to export the map.
576 </para>
577 </section>
578
579 <section><title>Printing</title>
580 <para>
581 The map can be printed using
582 <menuchoice>
583 <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
584 <guimenuitem>Print</guimenuitem>
585 </menuchoice>. The current map view, legend, and, if available,
586 scalebar are printed. A standard printing dialog will open allowing
587 the user to configure the printer. This dialog will differ depending
588 on which platform Thuban is running.
589 </para>
590 </section>
591
592 </chapter>
593
594 <chapter><title>Layer Management</title>
595 <para>
596 </para>
597
598 <section><title>Types of Layers</title>
599 <para>
600 There are two types of layers supported by Thuban: shape layers and
601 image layers. Shape layers consist of vector based shapes with
602 geo-referenced coordinates. There are three types of supported
603 shapes: polygons, lines (arc), and points. Image layers can be any image
604 file format supported by the Geo-spatial Data Abstraction Library
605 (GDAL). The images must have geographic
606 coordinate data either embedded within the file or in a separate
607 file that is in the same directory as the image file. GeoTIFF files
608 work very well with Thuban and were designed specifically to be image
609 layers in GIS programs.
610 </para>
611 <para>
612 All actions in the
613 <menuchoice>
614 <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
615 </menuchoice> menu act on the currently selected layer in the legend.
616 </para>
617 </section>
618
619 <section><title>Properties</title>
620 <para>
621 To view the properties for a layer it must first be selected in the
622 legend. The menu option
623 <menuchoice>
624 <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
625 <guimenuitem>Properties</guimenuitem>
626 </menuchoice> opens a dialog that displays a layer's properties.
627 All layers have a title which can be modified in the text field
628 provided. The type of layer is also shows. If the type is a type
629 of shape (polygon, arc, point) the classification table will be
630 shown. Image layers have no other properties other than title
631 and type.
632 </para>
633 <para>
634 <figure>
635 <title>Properties Window</title>
636 <mediaobject>
637 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/4_2_layer_properties.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
638 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/4_2_layer_properties.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
639 </mediaobject>
640 </figure>
641 </para>
642 <para>
643 <figure>
644 <title>Properties Window</title>
645 <mediaobject>
646 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/4_2_raster_layer_properties.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
647 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/4_2_raster_layer_properties.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
648 </mediaobject>
649 </figure>
650 </para>
651 </section>
652
653 <section><title>Visibility</title>
654 <para>
655 Sometimes it is not desirable to view all layers at the same time.
656 Some layers may take a long time to draw and so while navigating
657 around the map the user may not want to wait for the map to redraw
658 all the layers each time the map is changed. Each layer can be
659 independently turned on or off using the
660 <menuchoice>
661 <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
662 <guimenuitem>Show</guimenuitem>
663 </menuchoice>
664 or
665 <menuchoice>
666 <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
667 <guimenuitem>Hide</guimenuitem>
668 </menuchoice> options respectively.
669 </para>
670 </section>
671
672 <section><title>Duplication</title>
673 <para>
674 Layers and all their properties, including classifications, can
675 be duplicated using
676 <menuchoice>
677 <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
678 <guimenuitem>Duplicate</guimenuitem>
679 </menuchoice>. Duplicating a layer is useful if the user wishes
680 to model a layer in several different ways. Even though the layers
681 overlap, by carefully selecting the shape properties it is possible
682 to display several pieces of information at once. For example, one
683 copy of a roads layer may be classified on a length property and
684 another copy may be classified on a type property. If the length
685 property was expressed with color and the type property expressed
686 with line thickness then it would be possible to view both
687 classifications by placing the type property copy over the
688 length property copy.
689 </para>
690 </section>
691
692 </chapter>
693
694 <chapter><title>Layer Classifications</title>
695 <para>
696 A layer classification is a way of assigning drawing properties to
697 groups of shapes based on attributes stored in the layer's table.
698 Only layer's with shapes can have a classification; image layers
699 cannot be classified.
700 </para>
701 <para>
702 A classification consists of a number of groups, each group
703 having a value or range of values to match against, and symbol
704 properties which control how a shape is drawn on the map. The user
705 selects which field in the table is used by the classification and
706 when the map is drawn the value for that field for each shape is
707 compared with each group's value. The properties of the first group
708 to match are used to draw the shape. This allows the user to get a
709 visual impression of not only how the data is laid out but also what
710 kind of data lies where.
711 </para>
712 <para>
713 A layer always has a classification. When a new layer is added to the
714 map, a default classification is created with the DEFAULT group. This
715 group cannot be removed but can be hidden (see below). Every shape in the
716 layer, regardless of its attributes, will match this group if no other
717 group matches.
718 </para>
719
720 <section><title>Editing Classifications</title>
721 <para>
722 A layer's classification can be modified under the properties dialog
723 (<menuchoice>
724 <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
725 <guimenuitem>Properties</guimenuitem>
726 </menuchoice>). The layer's classification field can be set to None,
727 which simply assigns a DEFAULT group to the classification. No new
728 groups can be added to the classification if the field is None.
729 The user must first select a field to classify on. New groups can
730 be added to the classification with the <guibutton>Add</guibutton>
731 button.
732 </para>
733 <para>
734 To apply the changes to the map the user can click
735 either <guibutton>Try</guibutton> or <guibutton>OK</guibutton>.
736 <guibutton>Try</guibutton> will not close the dialog box, allowing
737 the user to see how the classification changes the map.
738 <guibutton>Revert</guibutton> will undo the last classification applied
739 to the map. <guibutton>OK</guibutton> will commit the changes and
740 close the dialog. The user will be unable to undo the changes.
741 <guibutton>Close</guibutton> simply closes the dialog box. If any
742 changes have not been applied with <guibutton>Try</guibutton> the
743 changes will not be applied to the map.
744 </para>
745 <para>
746 <figure>
747 <title>Properties Window</title>
748 <mediaobject>
749 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/5_classification.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
750 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/5_classification.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
751 </mediaobject>
752 </figure>
753 </para>
754 <para>
755 The order of the groups in the classification is significant
756 except for the DEFAULT group, which remains at the top. When shapes
757 are matched against groups the matching begins at the first group
758 after the DEFAULT group so that groups higher in the list will
759 be checked first. Matching for a
760 given shape will stop at the first group that matches. The user can
761 use <guibutton>Move Up</guibutton> and <guibutton>Move Down</guibutton>
762 to change the order of the groups. The DEFAULT group will always
763 match a shape that hasn't matched another group.
764 </para>
765 <section><title>Visible</title>
766 <para>
767 The Visible column has check-boxes that determine whether a
768 classification group will be displayed in the legend. This is
769 useful if the user knows that the groups completely cover
770 the data set and don't want the DEFAULT group to be displayed
771 in the legend and on a printout.
772 </para>
773 </section>
774 <section><title>Symbols</title>
775 <para>
776 Each type of shape has its own type of symbol. Thuban supports three
777 types of shapes: polygons, lines, and points. Polygons and points
778 have outline and fill color, while lines have only line color. Each
779 group has associated symbol properties. To edit the symbol
780 properties for a group the user can double click on the Symbol
781 column or select a group and click the
782 <guibutton>Edit Symbol</guibutton> button.
783 </para>
784 </section>
785 <section><title>Value</title>
786 <para>
787 The Value column of the classification table is the value that will
788 be matched when the map is being drawn. The type of data that can
789 entered into this field depends on the type of data of the
790 classification field.
791 </para>
792 <para>
793 If the field is of type Text, anything entered
794 into the field is valid. The text will be compared literally to the
795 value of the shape attribute, including case sensitivity.
796 If the type is Integer, then any valid integer may be entered. In
797 addition, with special syntax, a range of values can be entered.
798 A range from <varname>start</varname> to <varname>end</varname>
799 inclusive is specified like this: <literal>[start;end]</literal>.
800 The exclusive range is specified like this:
801 <literal>]start;end[</literal>. Ranges can include infinity like
802 this: <literal>[-oo;oo]</literal>. Field types can also be of type
803 Decimal. They represent any rational number and can be used in
804 ranges as well.
805 </para>
806 </section>
807 <section><title>Label</title>
808 <para>
809 By default, the text that is displayed for a group in the legend
810 is the value for that group. The label can substitute a more
811 descriptive term in the legend.
812 </para>
813 </section>
814 </section>
815
816 <section><title>Generating Classes</title>
817 <para>
818 <figure>
819 <title>Generate Class</title>
820 <mediaobject>
821 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/5_3_genclass.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
822 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/5_3_genclass.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
823 </mediaobject>
824 </figure>
825 </para>
826 <para>
827 Creating a classification by hand can be tedious.
828 Thuban, therefore, provides a means of generating an entire
829 classification at once while still giving the user control over
830 how it appears. Clicking <guibutton>Generate Class</guibutton>
831 opens the <varname>Generate Classification</varname> dialog.
832 Under the <varname>Generate</varname> pull down there are at most
833 three different ways to generate classifications:
834 Unique Values, Uniform Distribution, and Quantiles. Some options
835 may not be available if the data type for the field does not
836 support them. For instance, <varname>Uniform Distribution</varname>
837 doesn't make sense for a Text field.
838 </para>
839 <para>
840 For every way of generating a classification, a color scheme must
841 be selected. Thuban provides several different color schemes that
842 affect how the group properties change over the classification.
843 It may be desirable that only certain properties change over the
844 classification. If the shape type is a polygon or a point then
845 the <guibutton>Fix Border Color</guibutton> option will be available.
846 This allows the user to select a border color for all classification
847 groups.
848 It is also possible to create a custom color scheme. Selecting
849 this option will display two symbols: the one of the left has the
850 properties of the first group and the one on the right has the
851 properties of the last group. Thuban will interpolate between these
852 two properties to generate the other groups.
853 <figure>
854 <title>Custom Color Scheme</title>
855 <mediaobject>
856 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/5_2_custom_ramp.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
857 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/5_2_custom_ramp.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
858 </mediaobject>
859 </figure>
860 </para>
861 <para>
862 The Unique Values option lets the user select specific values that
863 appear in the table. Clicking <guibutton>Retrieve From Table</guibutton>
864 searches the table for all unique values and displays them in the
865 list on the left. Items can be selected and moved to the list on the
866 right. Each list can be sorted or reversed for easier searching.
867 The classification that is generated will be in the same order as
868 the list on the right.
869 <figure>
870 <title>Unique Values</title>
871 <mediaobject>
872 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/5_2_unique_values.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
873 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/5_2_unique_values.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
874 </mediaobject>
875 </figure>
876 </para>
877 <para>
878 The Uniform Distribution option creates a user specified number of
879 groups of ranges such that each range covers equal intervals. The
880 minimum and maximum values can automatically be retrieved from the
881 table by clicking <guibutton>Retrieve From Table</guibutton>. The
882 stepping is how large each interval is. Adjusting this value will
883 automatically recalculate how many groups is appropriate.
884 <figure>
885 <title>Uniform Distribution</title>
886 <mediaobject>
887 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/5_2_uniform_dist.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
888 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/5_2_uniform_dist.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
889 </mediaobject>
890 </figure>
891 </para>
892 <para>
893 The Quantiles option generates ranges based on the number of items
894 in the table. For example, by specifying five groups Thuban will
895 generate five groups with appropriate ranges such that 20% of the table
896 data is in each group. If it is impossible to generate exact
897 groupings, Thuban will issue a warning but allow the user to continue.
898 <figure>
899 <title>Quantiles</title>
900 <mediaobject>
901 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/5_2_quantiles.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
902 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/5_2_quantiles.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
903 </mediaobject>
904 </figure>
905 </para>
906 </section>
907 </chapter>
908
909 <chapter><title>Projection Management</title>
910 <para>
911 Projections control how the geographic data is displayed on the screen.
912 If multiple layers are loaded into Thuban where the geographic data
913 is in a different projection system, then the user must specify a
914 projection for each layer. The user must also tell Thuban which
915 projection the map is in. This can be the same as the layers or a different
916 projection in which case the layers are reprojected into that space.
917 The map projection can be set using
918 <menuchoice>
919 <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
920 <guimenuitem>Projection</guimenuitem>
921 </menuchoice> and the layer projection can be set using
922 <menuchoice>
923 <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
924 <guimenuitem>Projection</guimenuitem>
925 </menuchoice>.
926 <figure>
927 <title>Projection Window</title>
928 <mediaobject>
929 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/6_projection.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
930 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/6_projection.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
931 </mediaobject>
932 </figure>
933 </para>
934 <para>
935 Thuban is distributed with a sample collection of projections. The
936 user can create new projections and make them available to all
937 future Thuban sessions. They may also be exported and imported so
938 that custom projections can be distributed.
939 </para>
940 <section><title>Selecting a Projection</title>
941 <para>
942 The available projections are listed on the left. If the layer
943 or map already has a projection it will initially be highlighted
944 and will end with <varname>(current)</varname>. Selecting
945 <varname>&lt;None&gt;</varname> will cause Thuban to use the data as
946 it appears in the source file and will not use a projection.
947 </para>
948 </section>
949 <section><title>Editing a Projection</title>
950 <para>
951 Whenever a projection is selected from the list its properties
952 are displayed on the right. These properties can be changed
953 and the changes saved to the selected projection using
954 <guibutton>Update</guibutton>. Only a projection that comes
955 from a file can be updated, so if the current layer's projection
956 is selected, <guibutton>Update</guibutton> will be disabled.
957 <guibutton>Add to List</guibutton> adds the projection to the
958 list of available projections as a new entry, and thus makes it
959 available to future Thuban sessions. Clicking <guibutton>New</guibutton>
960 will create an entirely new, empty projection. The
961 <guibutton>Remove</guibutton> button will permanently remove a
962 projection from the list of available projections.
963 </para>
964 <para>
965 To apply the selected projection to the map the user can click
966 either <guibutton>Try</guibutton> or <guibutton>OK</guibutton>.
967 <guibutton>Try</guibutton> will not close the dialog box, allowing
968 the user to see how the projeciton changes the map.
969 <guibutton>Revert</guibutton> will undo the last projection applied
970 to the map. <guibutton>OK</guibutton> will commit the changes and
971 close the dialog. The user will be unable to undo the changes.
972 <guibutton>Close</guibutton> simply closes the dialog box. If no
973 selection has been applied with <guibutton>Try</guibutton> the
974 selection will not be applied to the map.
975 </para>
976 </section>
977 <section><title>Importing/Exporting Projections</title>
978 <para>
979 The projections that appear in the list of available projections
980 can be exported to another file that the user chooses. By selecting
981 one or more projections and clicking <guibutton>Export</guibutton>
982 the user will be able to select a file in which to store those
983 projections.
984 The file can then be distributed to other Thuban users. To import
985 a projection file the user can click <guibutton>Import</guibutton>.
986 The imported projections are added to the list and are then available
987 to the current session and any future Thuban sessions.
988 </para>
989 </section>
990 </chapter>
991
992 <chapter><title>Table Management</title>
993 <para>
994 Thuban distinguishes two different types of tables: Attribute tables
995 (which belong to a layer) and normal data tables. Both provide
996 the same general functionality with the difference that actions on an
997 attribute table might also effect the map display.
998 </para>
999
1000 <section><title>Table View</title>
1001 <para>
1002 <figure>
1003 <title>Table View</title>
1004 <mediaobject>
1005 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/7_1_table_view.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1006 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/7_1_table_view.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1007 </mediaobject>
1008 </figure>
1009 </para>
1010 <para>
1011 Thuban provides a standard dialog to display table contents, the
1012 Table View. The view has five sections: The title, selections,
1013 the table grid, export functions, and the status bar.
1014 </para>
1015 <para>
1016 The title bar identifies the table with its name.
1017 </para>
1018 <para>
1019 The selections box let the user perform simple analysis on the data
1020 based on comparisons: The first choice must be a field identifier of
1021 the table, the second choice determines the type of comparison. The
1022 third choice can be either a specific value (interpreted as numerical
1023 or string depending on the type of the first field) or a second field
1024 identifier. Thus you can perform analysis like selecting all
1025 records where <literal>population > 10000</literal> or
1026 <literal>cars_per_inhabitant < bikes_per_inhabitant</literal>
1027 (note that the field names are only explanatory, the dBase files
1028 allow only 11 character field names).
1029
1030 Selections can be combined either by applying a selection only on
1031 a previously selected set of records or by adding the results of a
1032 selection to a previous set. The default is that a selection replaces
1033 earlier results.
1034 </para>
1035 <para>
1036 The table grid shows the contents of the table (one record per row),
1037 with highlighted selection results. Columns and rows can be resized.
1038 </para>
1039 <para>
1040 The contents of a table can be exported into a file, either dBase
1041 format (DBF) or comma separated values (CSV). The
1042 <guibutton>Export</guibutton> button
1043 raises a file dialog to specify a path and file name, the export type
1044 is determined by the file extension (either .dbf or .csv).
1045
1046 The <guibutton>Export Selection</guibutton> button works similarly
1047 but exports only the selected records.
1048
1049 The <guibutton>Close</guibutton> button closes the table view window.
1050 This is different from the menu item
1051 <menuchoice>
1052 <guimenu>Table</guimenu>
1053 <guimenuitem>Close</guimenuitem>
1054 </menuchoice> which unloads the table from Thuban.
1055 </para>
1056 <para>
1057 The status bar displays some statistics about the table and optional
1058 selection results.
1059 </para>
1060 </section>
1061
1062 <section><title>General Functionality (Menu Table)</title>
1063 <para>
1064 The general functions affect all tables open in Thuban. Attribute
1065 tables are considered here as normal data tables (with the exception
1066 that they cannot be closed).
1067 </para>
1068 <section><title>Open</title>
1069 <para>
1070 The
1071 <menuchoice>
1072 <guimenu>Table</guimenu>
1073 <guimenuitem>Open</guimenuitem>
1074 </menuchoice>
1075 item raises a file dialog to let you select a
1076 dBase file from the file system to be loaded into Thuban read-only.
1077 On <guibutton>OK</guibutton> the selected file is loaded and a
1078 table view is opened.
1079 </para>
1080 </section>
1081
1082 <section><title>Close</title>
1083 <para>
1084 The
1085 <menuchoice>
1086 <guimenu>Table</guimenu>
1087 <guimenuitem>Close</guimenuitem>
1088 </menuchoice>
1089 item raises a dialog listing the currently open
1090 data tables
1091 (loaded via
1092 <menuchoice>
1093 <guimenu>Table</guimenu>
1094 <guimenuitem>Open</guimenuitem>
1095 </menuchoice>). Selected tables are dereferenced on confirmation.
1096 Since tables are opened read-only the contents of the tables are
1097 not affected.
1098
1099 Any open views of the tables are closed as well.
1100
1101 Tables used in a join cannot be closed.
1102 </para>
1103 </section>
1104
1105 <section><title>Rename</title>
1106 <para>
1107 <menuchoice>
1108 <guimenu>Table</guimenu>
1109 <guimenuitem>Rename</guimenuitem>
1110 </menuchoice> changes the table title.
1111 </para>
1112 </section>
1113
1114 <section><title>Show</title>
1115 <para>
1116 The
1117 <menuchoice>
1118 <guimenu>Table</guimenu>
1119 <guimenuitem>Show</guimenuitem>
1120 </menuchoice>
1121 item raises a list of available tables (explicitly
1122 loaded, attribute tables, results of a join). Selected tables are
1123 show in tables views on <guibutton>OK</guibutton>.
1124 </para>
1125 </section>
1126
1127 <section><title>Join</title>
1128 <para>
1129 <figure>
1130 <title>Join Tables</title>
1131 <mediaobject>
1132 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/7_2_5_join.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1133 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/7_2_5_join.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1134 </mediaobject>
1135 </figure>
1136 </para>
1137 <para>
1138 The
1139 <menuchoice>
1140 <guimenu>Table</guimenu>
1141 <guimenuitem>Join</guimenuitem>
1142 </menuchoice>
1143 item raises a dialog to specify the two tables to be
1144 joined. The join results in a new table named 'Join of "left table"
1145 and "right table"'.
1146
1147 The dialog lets you select the two tables to be joined and the two
1148 fields the join has to be performed on. By default, the new
1149 table contains only those records which are matched by the join.
1150
1151 If you want to preserve the records of the left table you can
1152 perform an outer join. The fields from the right table for records
1153 not matched by the join are filled with <varname>None</varname> in
1154 this case.
1155 </para>
1156 </section>
1157
1158 </section>
1159 <section><title>Attribute Tables</title>
1160 <para>
1161 To clearly separate between both types of tables (data and
1162 attribute), Thuban provides functionality regarding the attribute
1163 tables under the <menuchoice><guimenu>Layer</guimenu></menuchoice> menu.
1164 </para>
1165
1166 <section><title>Show Table</title>
1167 <para>
1168 <menuchoice>
1169 <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
1170 <guimenuitem>Show Table</guimenuitem>
1171 </menuchoice>
1172 opens the attribute table of the currently active layer in a table
1173 view.
1174
1175 In addition to the functionality described above selections
1176 affect also the map display: objects related to selected records
1177 are highlighted.
1178 </para>
1179 </section>
1180
1181 <section><title>Join Table</title>
1182 <para>
1183 Unlike the join described above, the join does not result in a
1184 new table. The attribute table of the currently active layer is the
1185 left table and other tables are joined to this table. The results of
1186 the join are available for classification.
1187
1188 As a consequence, the join cannot result in fewer
1189 records than the source attribute table. The user is warned if the
1190 right table does not fulfill this constraint. An outer join must be
1191 used in such cases.
1192 </para>
1193 </section>
1194
1195 <section><title>Unjoin Table</title>
1196 <para>
1197 As said above, a normal table cannot be closed while it is still
1198 used in a join. While the joined table resulting from a join of
1199 normal tables can be simply closed (and thereby dereferencing
1200 the source tables), this is not possible for attribute tables.
1201
1202 Hence joins on attribute tables must be solved explicitly. This is
1203 what the
1204 <menuchoice>
1205 <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
1206 <guimenuitem>Unjoin Table</guimenuitem>
1207 </menuchoice>
1208 item is used for: The last join for the currently
1209 active layer is solved.
1210 </para>
1211 </section>
1212 </section>
1213 </chapter>
1214
1215 <chapter><title>Trouble Shooting</title>
1216 <para>
1217 Here are a few problems that users have encountered when first using Thuban.
1218 </para>
1219 <para>
1220
1221 <itemizedlist>
1222 <listitem>
1223 <para>After adding two or more layers nothing is drawn in the map window.
1224 </para>
1225 <para>
1226 This is probably because the layers have different projections. Projections
1227 must be set on all layers and on the map itself if the layers' projections
1228 are different.
1229 </para>
1230 </listitem>
1231
1232 <listitem>
1233 <para>Thuban crashes on startup with the error
1234 <literal>NameError: global name 'False' is not defined</literal>.
1235 </para>
1236 <para>
1237 <varname>True</varname> and <varname>False</varname> were only introduced
1238 in Python 2.2.1. Thuban depends on at least Python 2.2.1.
1239 </para>
1240 </listitem>
1241
1242 <listitem>
1243 <para>After compiling Thuban, Thuban crashes with an error similar to
1244 <literal>
1245 ImportError: /usr/local//lib/thuban/Thuban/../Lib/wxproj.so: undefined symbol: __gxx_personality_v0
1246 </literal>
1247 </para>
1248 <para>
1249 Thuban depends on the wxWindows library. If Thuban is compiled with an
1250 incompatible version of the compiler than wxWindows was compiled with
1251 this error may occur. Try compiling with a different version of the
1252 compiler.
1253 </para>
1254 </listitem>
1255 </itemizedlist>
1256 </para>
1257 <para>
1258 If an error occurs Thuban will display a dialog indicating the error
1259 before closing. The text should be copied and reported to the
1260 <ulink url="http://thuban.intevation.org/bugtracker.html">
1261 Intevation bugtracker
1262 </ulink>.
1263 More information about the system is available from
1264 <menuchoice><guimenu>Help</guimenu><guimenuitem>About</guimenuitem></menuchoice> box.
1265 This should also be included in the bug report.
1266 <figure>
1267 <title>Error Dialog</title>
1268 <mediaobject>
1269 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/8_int_error.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1270 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/8_int_error.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1271 </mediaobject>
1272 </figure>
1273 </para>
1274
1275 </chapter>
1276
1277 <appendix><title>Supported Data Sources</title>
1278 <para>
1279 </para>
1280 <variablelist>
1281 <varlistentry>
1282 <term>Shapefile</term>
1283 <listitem>
1284 <para>
1285 The Shapefile format has become a standard format for saving
1286 geographic vector information. It supports polygons, lines, and
1287 points.
1288
1289 <ulink url="http://www.esri.com/library/whitepapers/pdfs/shapefile.pdf">
1290 Technical Specification.
1291 </ulink>
1292 </para>
1293 </listitem>
1294 </varlistentry>
1295
1296 <varlistentry>
1297 <term>dBase file</term>
1298 <listitem>
1299 <para>
1300 dBase files are used to store the attributes for each layer. This
1301 is closely associated with the Shapefile format. For detailed
1302 specifications on the correct format of a dBase file used with
1303 Thuban please see the Technical Specification for the Shapefile
1304 format above.
1305 </para>
1306 </listitem>
1307 </varlistentry>
1308
1309 <varlistentry>
1310 <term>Raster files</term>
1311 <listitem>
1312 <para>
1313 Binding the GDAL library Thuban supports numerous raster file formats,
1314 see <ulink url="http://www.remotesensing.org/gdal/formats_list.html">
1315 GDAL format list</ulink> for details.</para>
1316
1317 <para>Most commonly used is the <emphasis>TIFF/GeoTIFF</emphasis>
1318 format: Raster maps are provided as TIFF images, with an additional
1319 "world file" storing the geographic reference (usually with an
1320 extension ".tfw").
1321 </para>
1322 </listitem>
1323 </varlistentry>
1324
1325 </variablelist>
1326 </appendix>
1327
1328 <appendix><title>Supported Projections</title>
1329 <para>
1330 The following types of projections are directly support by
1331 Thuban. The specific values for each are provided by the user
1332 to create custom projections. Thuban comes with predefined
1333 projections which are available through the Projections dialog.
1334 </para>
1335 <itemizedlist>
1336 <listitem>
1337 <para>Geographic</para>
1338 <itemizedlist>
1339 <listitem><para><literal>Ellipsoid</literal></para></listitem>
1340 <listitem><para>
1341 <literal>Source Data</literal>: either Degrees or Radians
1342 </para></listitem>
1343 </itemizedlist>
1344 </listitem>
1345 <listitem>
1346 <para>Lambert Conic Conformal</para>
1347 <itemizedlist>
1348 <listitem><para><literal>Ellipsoid</literal></para></listitem>
1349 <listitem><para><literal>Latitude of 1st standard parallel</literal></para></listitem>
1350 <listitem><para><literal>Latitude of 2nd standard parallel</literal></para></listitem>
1351 <listitem><para><literal>Central Meridian</literal></para></listitem>
1352 <listitem><para><literal>Latitude of Origin</literal></para></listitem>
1353 <listitem><para><literal>False Easting</literal> (meters)</para></listitem>
1354 <listitem><para><literal>False Northing</literal> (meters)</para></listitem>
1355 </itemizedlist>
1356 </listitem>
1357 <listitem>
1358 <para>Transverse Mercator</para>
1359 <itemizedlist>
1360 <listitem><para><literal>Ellipsoid</literal></para></listitem>
1361 <listitem><para><literal>Latitude</literal>of origin</para></listitem>
1362 <listitem><para><literal>Longitude</literal>at central meridian</para></listitem>
1363 <listitem><para><literal>Scale Factor</literal>at central meridian</para></listitem>
1364 <listitem><para><literal>False Easting</literal> (meters)</para></listitem>
1365 <listitem><para><literal>False Northing</literal> (meters)</para></listitem>
1366 </itemizedlist>
1367 </listitem>
1368 <listitem>
1369 <para>Universal Transverse Mercator</para>
1370 <itemizedlist>
1371 <listitem><para><literal>Ellipsoid</literal></para></listitem>
1372 <listitem><para><literal>Zone</literal>
1373 (can be guessed appling the Propose button)</para></listitem>
1374 <listitem><para><literal>Southern Hemisphere</literal> flag</para></listitem>
1375 </itemizedlist>
1376 </listitem>
1377 </itemizedlist>
1378
1379 <para>
1380 Thuban comes with a sample set of map projections for various
1381 European countries. Apart from the basic projection they differ
1382 especially in their parameterization:
1383 </para>
1384 <itemizedlist>
1385 <listitem><para>Belgium Datum 1972 (Lambert Conic Conformal)</para>
1386 </listitem>
1387
1388 <listitem><para>Gauss-Boaga Zone 1 (Italy, Transverse Mercartor)</para>
1389 </listitem>
1390
1391 <listitem><para>Gauss-Krueger Zone 2 (Germany, Transverse Mercartor)
1392 </para>
1393 </listitem>
1394
1395 <listitem><para>Reseau Geodesique Francaise
1396 (France, Lambert Conic Conformal)</para>
1397 </listitem>
1398
1399 <listitem><para>UK National Grid (United Kingdom, Transverse Mercartor)
1400 </para>
1401 </listitem>
1402 </itemizedlist>
1403
1404 <para>
1405 Thuban uses the comprehensive PROJ library for projections. PROJ provides
1406 more than the four commonly used projections described above. If needed
1407 Thuban can be easily extended to a new projection covered by PROJ.
1408 </para>
1409 </appendix>
1410
1411 </book>
1412

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