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20    
21    <chapter><title>Introduction</title>    <chapter><title>Introduction</title>
22      <para>      <para>
23        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        </para>
29        <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>      </para>
43    
44          <section><title>Installation</title>          <section><title>Installation</title>
45          <para>          <para>
46          </para>          Thuban is actively supported under Debian Testing (sarge), RedHat 7.2,
47          </section>          and Windows 2000. All the necessary files can be found on the
48            <ulink url="http://thuban.intevation.org/download.html">
49          <section><title>The main window</title>          Thuban Download site
50          <para>          </ulink>.
51                  map, legend window (dockable), Statusbat, toolbar,          </para>
52                  other general stuff          </section>
53          </para>  
54            <section><title>The Main Window</title>
55            <para>
56            <screenshot>
57            <screeninfo>The Main Window</screeninfo>
58            <mediaobject>
59            <imageobject> <imagedata fileref="../images/1_2_mainwindow.png" format="PNG"/> </imageobject>
60            <imageobject> <imagedata fileref="./images/1_2_mainwindow.ps" format="EPS"/> </imageobject>
61            <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            The map window shows the current state of the map and is where
69            the user can interact with the map using the tools.
70            </para>
71    
72            <para>
73            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            <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            close button. It can be attached by clicking the same button
87            again.
88            </para>
89            <para>
90            The status bar displays different information depending on the
91            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            The tool bar provides quick access to the commonly needed tools.
98            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          </section>          </section>
105    
106    </chapter>    </chapter>
107    
108    <chapter><title>Session Management</title>    <chapter><title>Session Management</title>
     <para>  
     </para>  
109    
110          <section><title>Starting a new session</title>          <section><title>Starting a New Session</title>
111          <para>          <para>
112            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          </para>          </para>
123          </section>          </section>
124    
125          <section><title>Opening a session</title>          <section><title>Opening a Session</title>
126          <para>          <para>
127            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          </para>          </para>
137          </section>          </section>
138    
139          <section><title>Saving a session</title>          <section><title>Saving a Session</title>
140          <para>          <para>
141            A session can be saved from
142            <menuchoice>
143            <guimenu>File</guimenu>
144            <guimenuitem>Save Session</guimenuitem>
145            </menuchoice>.
146    
147          </para>          </para>
148          </section>          </section>
149    
150          <section><title>The session info-tree</title>          <section><title>The Session Info-Tree</title>
151          <para>          <para>
152                  (primarily for developers)                  (primarily for developers)
153          </para>          </para>
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156    
157    <chapter><title>Map Management</title>    <chapter><title>Map Management</title>
158      <para>      <para>
159        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      </para>      </para>
163    
164          <section><title>Adding and removing layers</title>          <section><title>Adding and Removing Layers</title>
165          <para>          <para>
166            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            </para>
176            <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>          </para>
         </section>  
185    
         <section><title>Navigation</title>  
186          <para>          <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>          </para>
197          </section>          </section>
198    
199          <section><title>Object identification</title>          <section><title>Navigation</title>
200          <para>          <para>
201          </para>          The map can be explored by using the navigation tools available on
202          </section>          the tool bar, or from the
203            <menuchoice><guimenu>Map</guimenu></menuchoice> menu.
204            </para>
205            <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            </section>
277    
278            <section><title>Object Identification</title>
279            <para>
280            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            </para>
291            </section>
292    
293            <section><title>Object Labelling</title>
294            <para>
295            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            </para>
307            </section>
308    
309            <section><title>The Legend</title>
310            <para>
311            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          <section><title>Object labelling</title>          Double-clicking on a layer or a group of a layer will open the
325          <para>          properties dialog for that layer.
         </para>  
         </section>  
   
         <section><title>The legend</title>  
         <para>  
326          </para>          </para>
327          </section>          </section>
328    
329          <section><title>Printing</title>          <section><title>Printing</title>
330          <para>          <para>
331            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          </para>          </para>
338          </section>          </section>
339    </chapter>    </chapter>
# Line 101  Line 342 
342      <para>      <para>
343      </para>      </para>
344    
345          <section><title>Layer types</title>          <section><title>Types of Layers</title>
346          <para>          <para>
347            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          </para>          </para>
357          </section>          </section>
358    
359          <section><title>Visibility</title>          <section><title>Properties</title>
360          <para>          <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>          </para>
365          </section>          </section>
366    
367          <section><title>Sequence</title>          <section><title>Visibility</title>
368          <para>          <para>
369            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          </para>          </para>
384          </section>          </section>
385    
386          <section><title>Duplication</title>          <section><title>Sequence</title>
387          <para>          <para>
388          </para>          </para>
389          </section>          </section>
390    
391          <section><title>Properties</title>          <section><title>Duplication</title>
392          <para>          <para>
393            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          </para>          </para>
409          </section>          </section>
410    
411    </chapter>    </chapter>
412    
413    <chapter><title>Layer Classifications</title>    <chapter><title>Layer Classifications</title>
414      <para>      <para>
415      </para>      </para>
416    
417          <section><title>Adding and removing classes</title>          <section><title>Adding and Removing Classes</title>
418          <para>          <para>
419          </para>          </para>
420          </section>          </section>
421    
422          <section><title>Editing symbols</title>          <section><title>Symbols</title>
423          <para>          <para>
424          </para>          </para>
425          </section>          </section>
426    
427          <section><title>Automatic generation of classes</title>          <section><title>Generating Classes</title>
428          <para>          <para>
429          </para>          </para>
430          </section>          </section>
Legend:
Removed from v.1423  
changed lines
  Added in v.1466
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