/[thuban]/branches/WIP-pyshapelib-bramz/Doc/manual/thuban-manual.xml
ViewVC logotype

Contents of /branches/WIP-pyshapelib-bramz/Doc/manual/thuban-manual.xml

Parent Directory Parent Directory | Revision Log Revision Log


Revision 2311 - (show annotations)
Sat Jul 31 11:12:20 2004 UTC (20 years, 7 months ago) by jan
Original Path: trunk/thuban/Doc/manual/thuban-manual.xml
File MIME type: text/xml
File size: 86211 byte(s)
Minor corrections in Introduction.

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 "60">]>
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, 2004</year>
23 <holder>Intevation GmbH</holder>
24 </copyright>
25 <revhistory>
26 <!-- comment this first revision out when releasing a real version -->
27 <revision>
28 <revnumber>CVS version $Id$</revnumber>
29 <date></date>
30 <revremark>Under development.</revremark>
31 </revision>
32 <revision>
33 <revnumber>1.0.0</revnumber>
34 <date>22-Jan-2004</date>
35 <revremark>
36 Corresponds to Thuban 1.0.0.
37 New: Installation instructions for Win32.
38 </revremark>
39 </revision>
40 <revision>
41 <revnumber>1.0pre3</revnumber>
42 <date>04-Dec-2003</date>
43 <revremark>
44 Corresponds to Thuban 1.0rc1.
45 New: I18n, right button legend menu, EPSG projectons,
46 PostGIS support.
47 </revremark>
48 </revision>
49 <revision>
50 <revnumber>1.0pre2</revnumber>
51 <date>29-Aug-2003</date>
52 <revremark>
53 Corresponds to Thuban development release 0.8.1.
54 New: chapter on extensions.
55 </revremark>
56 </revision>
57 <revision>
58 <revnumber>1.0pre1</revnumber>
59 <date>08-Aug-2003</date>
60 <revremark>Corresponds to Thuban development release 0.8.1.</revremark>
61 </revision>
62 </revhistory>
63
64 </bookinfo>
65
66 <chapter><title>Introduction</title>
67 <para>
68 Thuban is an interactive geographic data viewer.
69 Its development had been started because there was no simple interactive
70 viewer for geographic information available as Free Software. Thuban is
71 written mainly in Python and uses the wxWidgets (former wxWindows)
72 library allowing it to
73 run on many different platforms, including GNU/Linux and Windows.
74 </para>
75 <para>
76 Geographic data viewers are a necessary tool as they allow one to
77 get a visual
78 impression of the positional relationship of the information that may not
79 be apparent from simple inspection of the data values themselves.
80 Thuban allows the user to create a session that displays
81 geographic data and then explore that data through navigation and
82 manipulation of how it is drawn. The results can then be saved or printed.
83 </para>
84 <para>
85 Thuban arranges a session in a hierarchy. A session contains a map which
86 consists of layers. Each layer represents a data set. For
87 instance, there may be a layer for roads and another layer for buildings.
88 These layers can either be vector shapes or images.
89 </para>
90
91 <section><title>Installation</title>
92 <para>
93 Thuban is actively supported under Debian Testing (sarge), RedHat 7.2,
94 and Windows 2000. Thuban depends on the following packages. These
95 packages can also be found on the
96 <ulink url="http://thuban.intevation.org/download.html">
97 Thuban Download site
98 </ulink>.
99 </para>
100 <para>
101 Required:
102 <itemizedlist>
103 <listitem><para>Python 2.2.1
104 (<literal>http://www.python.org</literal>)
105 </para></listitem>
106 <listitem><para>wxWindows 2.4
107 (<literal>http://www.wxwindows.org</literal>)
108 </para></listitem>
109 <listitem><para>wxPython 2.4
110 (<literal>http://www.wxpython.org</literal>)
111 </para></listitem>
112 <listitem><para>proj 4.4.5 Projection Library
113 (<literal>http://www.remotesensing.org/proj/</literal>)
114 </para></listitem>
115 <listitem><para>SQLite 2.8.3
116 <literal>http://www.hwaci.com/sw/sqlite/</literal>)
117 </para></listitem>
118 <listitem><para>PySQLite 0.4.3
119 (<literal>http://pysqlite.sourceforge.net</literal>)
120 </para></listitem>
121 </itemizedlist>
122 </para>
123 <para>
124 Optional:
125 <itemizedlist>
126 <listitem><para>GDAL 1.1.8
127 (<literal>http://www.remotesensing.org/gdal/</literal>)
128 </para></listitem>
129 <listitem><para>psycopg 1.0.8
130 (<literal>http://initd.org/software/psycopg</literal>)
131 </para></listitem>
132 </itemizedlist>
133 </para>
134 <para>
135 Along with the source codes, the download page also offers full
136 installation packages for Debian, Windows and RPM-based systems
137 (Mandrake, RedHat, SuSE, etc).
138 </para>
139 <section><title>RPM-based GNU/Linux Systems</title>
140 <section><title>Installing Binary Packages</title>
141 <para>
142 The most wide-spread RPM-based GNU/Linux
143 Systems are RedHat, Mandrake and SuSE.
144 The documentation of these distributions
145 should contain information about how to
146 install third-party RPM packages.
147 Nonetheless, a short summary is provided here.
148 </para>
149 <para>
150 RPM packages can be installed applying several
151 tools. The most basic one is the command line
152 program "rpm". The hardware architecture is
153 identified in the name of RPM packages, eg.
154 'i386' for most Intel/AMD architectures.
155 If you have a different hardware architecture,
156 where no binary RPM packages are provided,
157 you must rebuild binary packages from the
158 RPM source packages first (see below).
159 Typical rpm commands look like:
160
161 <programlisting>
162 rpm --install Thuban-0.9.0-1.i386.rpm
163 </programlisting>
164
165 Depending on what you already have installed
166 on your system, you are informed that some
167 packages are required, but not installed.
168 You need to install them first. Either they
169 are provided by your GNU/Linux distributor
170 or available somewhere on the Internet.
171 The more essential and special ones are
172 provided together with the Thuban package.
173 </para>
174
175 <para>
176 For rpm exist some graphical user interfaces, notably
177 kpackage, GnoRPM and xrpm.
178 </para>
179
180 <para>
181 Make yourself familiar with one of the tools and apply it
182 to install the packages.
183 Note, that you need to be administrator (root) for the system
184 to do that.
185 </para>
186 </section>
187 <section><title>Build Binaries from Source Packages</title>
188 <para>
189 This section describes howto build RPM install-packages
190 from RPM source-packages.
191 This adapts and optimizes an install-package specifically
192 to your system.
193 This is especially helpful to resolve version conflicts of
194 dependent packages. Furthermore, install-packages for other
195 platforms (e.g. PowerPC) can be created.
196 </para>
197
198 <para>
199 Note: rpm must be at least version 4. Execute
200 <literal>rpm --version</literal> to find out about the version.
201 </para>
202
203 <para>
204 You need to do the following preparations to be able to
205 build the packages as a regular user. You should now
206 perform the package buling as root since this
207 might cause damage to your system.
208 <itemizedlist>
209 <listitem>
210 <para>
211 Create RPM directory structure:
212 Choose a directory (e.g. $HOME/myrpm) and create the
213 subdirectories BUILD, RPM, SOURCES, SPECS and SRPMS.
214 A possible command sequence for this is:
215 <programlisting>
216 mkdir $HOME/freegisrpm
217 cd $HOME/freegisrpm
218 mkdir BUILD RPMS SOURCES SPECS SRPMS
219 </programlisting>
220 </para>
221 </listitem>
222 <listitem>
223 <para>
224 Set environment variable RPM_DIR:
225 <programlisting>
226 export RPM_DIR=$HOME/freegisrpm
227 </programlisting>
228 </para>
229 </listitem>
230 <listitem>
231 <para>
232 Create $HOME/.rpmmacros:
233 This file sets general preferences and some
234 specific settings for signing packages.
235 If you don't have a GnuPG-key, you can skip
236 the signature settings i.e. drop the last 4 lines.
237 A signature becomes important when you want to
238 give away packages to third parties.
239 <programlisting>
240 <![CDATA[
241 %packager Name Lastname <[email protected]>
242
243 %_topdir /home/mylogin/myrpm
244
245 %_signature gpg
246 %_gpg_name Name Lastname
247 %_pgp_path ~/.gnupg
248 %_pgpbin /usr/bin/gpg
249 ]]>
250 </programlisting>
251 </para>
252 </listitem>
253 </itemizedlist>
254
255 Now you can install any RPM source-package.
256 It's components are installed into the corresponding
257 subdirectories of your rpm-directory.
258 Essentially these are the sources (into directory SOURCES)
259 and the so-called spec-file which contains all build
260 instructions. The spec-file will go into the SPEC directory.
261 Example:
262 <literal>rpm --install Thuban-0.9.0-1.src.rpm</literal>
263 </para>
264
265 <para>
266 Create install-package:
267 Go to the directory with the spec-files and rebuild the
268 package:
269 <programlisting>
270 cd $HOME/mypm/SPECS
271 rpm -bb thuban.spec
272 </programlisting>
273 Next, you will find the newly created package in
274 $HOME/myrpm/RPMS/i386.
275 If you build the package for another architecture than
276 i386, then the name of the directory has a corresponding name.
277 </para>
278 <para>
279 For documentation of RPM, either type
280 <literal>man rpm</literal> or <literal>rpm --help</literal>.
281 This will provide you with information on the various command
282 line options of RPM.
283 For more information see the
284 <ulink url="http://www.rpm.org/">homepage of RPM</ulink>.
285 </para>
286 </section>
287 </section> <!-- Intro - Installation - RPM-->
288
289 <section><title>Win32 Systems</title>
290 <para>
291 A common installation package of Thuban for Win32
292 systems is available from the Thuban website download
293 section. This installation package is configured for
294 displaying file based vector data (Shapefiles). For the
295 display of raster data or the connection to spatial
296 databases additional steps are needed.
297 </para>
298 <para>
299 The required Python packages are listed and linked on
300 the download page as well. If you don't have Python
301 installed already, download the packages for Python,
302 wxPython for Python and the SQLite Python Libraries as
303 well as the Thuban package. Install all four packages
304 in the order: Python, wxPython, SQLite, Thuban. Follow
305 the installation instructions provided by the seperate
306 setups. The Thuban installation package will add an
307 entry in the menu folder you configured.
308 </para>
309 <section><title>Raster Data: Installation of GDAL</title>
310 <para>
311 Enabling the raster data features of Thuban is
312 straight forward. For the examples we assume that
313 Thuban has been installed under
314 <literal>C:\Thuban</literal>:
315 <itemizedlist>
316 <listitem>
317 <para>
318 Download the zip-archive <ulink
319 url="ftp://intevation.de/thuban/win2k/gdal-win2k.zip"
320 >gdal-win2k</ulink>.
321 </para></listitem>
322 <listitem><para>Extract the archive (e.g. with
323 <ulink
324 url="http://www.info-zip.org/pub/infozip/WiZ.html"
325 >WiZ (InfoZip)</ulink>) into the
326 <literal>C:\Thuban\Lib</literal>
327 directory of your Thuban installation.
328 </para>
329 </listitem>
330 <listitem>
331 <para>
332 Extent the <varname>PYTHONPATH</varname>
333 environment variable (in your Windows Control Panel)
334 to make the new libraries available for Thuban.
335 <programlisting>
336 %PYTHONPATH%;C:\Thuban\Lib\gdal;C:\Thuban\Lib\gdal\pymod
337 </programlisting>
338 </para>
339 </listitem>
340 <listitem>
341 <para>
342 Extent also the <varname>PATH</varname>
343 environment variable accordingly:
344 <programlisting>
345 %PATH%;C:\Thuban\Lib\gdal
346 </programlisting>
347 </para>
348 </listitem>
349 </itemizedlist>
350 After this installation steps Thuban is ready to
351 display raster data (e.g. the
352 <literal>island.tif</literal> from the Iceland Demo
353 data set.
354 </para>
355 </section> <!-- Win32: GDAL-->
356
357 <section><title>Working with PostGIS: Installation of PsycoPG</title>
358 <para>
359 To access PostgreSQL/PostGIS spatial databases with
360 Thuban you have to install the PsycoPG package for
361 Windows:
362 <itemizedlist>
363 <listitem>
364 <para>
365 Download the zip-archive
366 <ulink
367 url="http://stickpeople.com/projects/python/win-psycopg/win-psycopg22.zip"
368 >win-psycopg22.zip</ulink>.
369 </para>
370 </listitem>
371 <listitem>
372 <para>
373 Extract the zip-archive into a directory either already
374 in your <varname>PYTHONPATH</varname> or extent your
375 <varname>PYTHONPATH</varname> variable to the directory
376 you have extracted the archive to.
377 </para>
378 </listitem>
379 </itemizedlist>
380 For installation and maintenance of spatial databases
381 we refer to the <ulink
382 url="http://postgis.refractions.net"
383 >PostGIS Homepage</ulink>.
384 </para>
385 </section> <!-- Win32: PsycoPG-->
386
387 </section> <!-- Intro - Installation - Win32 -->
388 </section>
389
390 <section><title>Internationalization</title>
391 <para>
392 Thuban is implemented with internationalization support. So far Thuban
393 is translated by volunteers to the following languages (apart from its
394 main language: English):
395 <itemizedlist>
396 <listitem><para>French</para></listitem>
397 <listitem><para>German</para></listitem>
398 <listitem><para>Italian</para></listitem>
399 <listitem><para>Portuguese (Brazilian)</para></listitem>
400 <listitem><para>Russian</para></listitem>
401 <listitem><para>Spanish</para></listitem>
402 </itemizedlist>
403 </para>
404
405 <para>
406 To use internationalization under POSIX systems (like GNU/Linux)
407 you have to set the environment variable LC_ALL accordingly (e.g.
408 LC_ALL=fr_FR for the french language support). Please check your
409 systems documentation for details and supported settings.
410 Specifiying LC_ALL on the command line while launching thuban
411 allows appication specific language settings:
412 </para>
413 <programlisting>
414 LC_ALL=fr_FR thuban.py
415 </programlisting>
416
417 <para>
418 MS Windows users have to specify the language to be used via the control
419 bar (which effects all applications).
420 </para>
421 </section>
422
423 <section><title>The Main Window</title>
424 <para>
425 <figure>
426 <title>The Main Window</title>
427 <mediaobject>
428 <imageobject> <imagedata fileref="../images/1_2_mainwindow.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/> </imageobject>
429 <imageobject> <imagedata fileref="./images/1_2_mainwindow.ps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/> </imageobject>
430 </mediaobject>
431 </figure>
432 </para>
433
434 <para>
435 The map window shows the current state of the map and is where
436 the user can interact with the map using the tools.
437 </para>
438
439 <para>
440 The legend on the left displays a list of the current layers and
441 any visible classification groups. In the example, each shape layer
442 has a default classification which specifies how the shapes in each
443 layer are drawn. Layers that are higher in the list appear
444 ``closer'' to the user. The legend can be closed by clicking on the
445 small X in the upper right-hand region of the legend.
446 To open it again, use
447 <menuchoice>
448 <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
449 <guimenuitem>Legend</guimenuitem>
450 </menuchoice>.
451 The legend is also dockable, which means that it can be detached
452 from the main window by clicking on the small button next to the
453 close button. It can be attached by clicking the same button
454 again.
455 </para>
456 <para>
457 The status bar displays different information depending on the
458 current context. If the user is selecting an item from the menu
459 then the status bar will display a short help message indicating
460 what each menu item is for. If the user has a tool selected then
461 the position of the cursor on the map is displayed.
462 </para>
463 <para>
464 The tool bar provides quick access to the commonly needed tools.
465 By hovering over each button the user can see a short messages
466 describing what the tool does. The tools provided are Zoom In, Zoom
467 Out, Pan, Full Extent, Full Layer Extent, Full Shape Extent, Identify,
468 and Label. Each of the tools will be explained in further detail later
469 in the manual.
470 </para>
471 </section>
472
473 </chapter>
474
475 <chapter><title>Session Management</title>
476
477 <section><title>Starting a New Session</title>
478 <para>
479 A new session can be started from
480 <menuchoice>
481 <guimenu>File</guimenu>
482 <guimenuitem>New Session</guimenuitem>
483 </menuchoice>.
484 If a session is already loaded and has been modified without
485 being saved a prompt will ask if the current session should
486 be saved. A new session consists of an empty map with no
487 layers and no tables.
488 </para>
489 </section>
490
491 <section><title>Opening a Session</title>
492 <para>
493 A session can be opened from
494 <menuchoice>
495 <guimenu>File</guimenu>
496 <guimenuitem>Open Session</guimenuitem>
497 </menuchoice>. A dialog box will open allowing the user to browse
498 for a Thuban Session file. Thuban session files end with
499 <varname>.thuban</varname>. Selecting a file a clicking
500 <guibutton>OK</guibutton> will load the session into Thuban.
501
502 If a session is already loaded and has been modified without
503 being saved a prompt will ask if the current session should
504 be saved.
505 </para>
506 </section>
507
508 <section><title>Saving a Session</title>
509 <para>
510 A session can be saved from
511 <menuchoice>
512 <guimenu>File</guimenu>
513 <guimenuitem>Save Session</guimenuitem>
514 </menuchoice>. A dialog box will open allowing the user to browse
515 the file system and select a place to save the session. Thuban
516 sessions should be saved under a name ending in
517 <varname>.thuban</varname>. If the file already exists the user
518 will be prompted to save under a different name or overwrite the
519 existing file.
520 </para>
521 </section>
522
523 <section><title>The Session Info-Tree</title>
524 <para>
525 <figure>
526 <title>Session Info Tree</title>
527 <mediaobject>
528 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/2_4_session_tree.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
529 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/2_4_session_tree.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
530 </mediaobject>
531 </figure>
532 </para>
533 <para>
534 The session info-tree is primarily intended for developers working
535 with Thuban. It displays many of the internal values for the session,
536 map, and layers. It can be opened from
537 <menuchoice>
538 <guimenu>File</guimenu>
539 <guimenuitem>Session Tree</guimenuitem>
540 </menuchoice>.
541 </para>
542 </section>
543 </chapter>
544
545 <chapter><title>Map Management</title>
546 <para>
547 The map consists of a number of layers where each layer represents a
548 different type of data set. By interacting with the map the user can
549 visually explore the data.
550 </para>
551 <para>
552 The map can have a name that will appear in the Thuban title bar.
553 The map name can be changed using
554 <menuchoice>
555 <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
556 <guimenuitem>Rename</guimenuitem>
557 </menuchoice>.
558 </para>
559 <para>
560 <inlinemediaobject>
561 <imageobject>
562 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_rename_map.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
563 </imageobject>
564 <imageobject>
565 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_rename_map.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
566 </imageobject>
567 <textobject> <phrase>Rename Map</phrase> </textobject>
568 </inlinemediaobject>
569 </para>
570
571 <section><title>Adding and Removing Layers</title>
572 <para>
573 There are three types of layers that can be added to a map:
574 Shape layers, database layers
575 and image layers. Shape layers are stored in Shapefile format, a
576 widely used file format for storing geographic objects. These
577 files have the extension ``.shp''. Associated with
578 the shape file is a database file which stores attributes for
579 each shape in the Shape file. This file, in dBase format,
580 has the extension ``.dbf''. Both files must have the same base name.
581 For example, if there is a shape file named roads.shp there must
582 also be a file roads.dbf.
583 </para>
584 <itemizedlist>
585 <listitem>
586 <para>
587 Shape layers can be added to the map with
588 <menuchoice>
589 <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
590 <guimenuitem>Add Layer</guimenuitem>
591 </menuchoice>.
592 Initially, only the ``.shp'' files are shown which is enough for the
593 selection. However, if you switch to display all files and select one
594 of the associated files (e.g. ``.dbf''), Thuban will recognize the base
595 name and load the corresponding Shape file.
596 </para>
597 <para>
598 The file dialog for Shape files allows to select multiple files.
599 Use the shift-button together with the left mouse button to extend
600 the selection.
601 </para>
602 </listitem>
603
604 <listitem>
605 <para>Database layers can be added to the map with
606 <menuchoice>
607 <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
608 <guimenuitem>Add Database Layer</guimenuitem>
609 </menuchoice>.
610 A dialog with two is list is opened. The left list displays all
611 database connections currently open for the session. You can retrieve
612 a list of available layers from the selected database which is
613 displayed on the right hand. From this list one layer can be selected,
614 the dialog is closed afterwards.
615 </para>
616 <para>
617 See appendix ``Working with PostGIS'' for details.
618 </para>
619 </listitem>
620
621 <listitem>
622 <para>
623 Image layers can be added to the map with
624 <menuchoice>
625 <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
626 <guimenuitem>Add Image Layer</guimenuitem>
627 </menuchoice>.
628 It is important to select a valid image file that has geographic
629 data associated with it. The data can be embedded in the file itself,
630 or in another file. If geographic information cannot be found, Thuban
631 will report an error.
632 </para>
633 </listitem>
634 </itemizedlist>
635 </section>
636
637 <section><title>Navigation</title>
638 <para>
639 The map can be explored by using the navigation tools available on
640 the tool bar or from the
641 <menuchoice><guimenu>Map</guimenu></menuchoice> menu.
642 </para>
643 <itemizedlist>
644 <listitem>
645 <para>
646 The ZoomIn tool
647 <inlinemediaobject>
648 <imageobject>
649 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_zoomin.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
650 </imageobject>
651 <imageobject>
652 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_2_zoomin.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
653 </imageobject>
654 <textobject> <phrase>ZoomIn Tool</phrase> </textobject>
655 </inlinemediaobject>
656 enlarges a region of the map. Clicking once on the map
657 will double the magnification and center the map on the point that
658 was clicked. Clicking and dragging selects a region that will be
659 enlarged to fit the window.
660 </para>
661 </listitem>
662 <listitem>
663 <para>
664 The ZoomOut tool
665 <inlinemediaobject>
666 <imageobject>
667 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_zoomout.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
668 </imageobject>
669 <imageobject>
670 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_2_zoomout.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
671 </imageobject>
672 <textobject> <phrase>ZoomOut Tool</phrase> </textobject>
673 </inlinemediaobject>
674 shrinks the map so that a larger region is visible. A single click
675 reduces the magnification by a factor of two. Clicking and dragging
676 selects a box such that the current contents of the window will be
677 scaled to fit into that box.
678 </para>
679 </listitem>
680 <listitem>
681 <para>
682 The Pan tool
683 <inlinemediaobject>
684 <imageobject>
685 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_pan.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
686 </imageobject>
687 <imageobject>
688 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_2_pan.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
689 </imageobject>
690 <textobject> <phrase>Pan Tool</phrase> </textobject>
691 </inlinemediaobject>
692 allows the user to move the map around by clicking and dragging.
693 </para>
694 </listitem>
695 <listitem>
696 <para>
697 The Full Extent tool
698 <inlinemediaobject>
699 <imageobject>
700 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_fullextent.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
701 </imageobject>
702 <imageobject>
703 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_2_fullextent.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
704 </imageobject>
705 <textobject> <phrase>Full Extent Tool</phrase> </textobject>
706 </inlinemediaobject>
707 rescales the viewable region so that the entire map is visible.
708 </para>
709 </listitem>
710 <listitem>
711 <para>
712 The Full Layer Extent tool
713 <inlinemediaobject>
714 <imageobject>
715 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_fulllayerextent.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
716 </imageobject>
717 <imageobject>
718 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_2_fulllayerextent.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
719 </imageobject>
720 <textobject> <phrase>Full Layer Extent Tool</phrase> </textobject>
721 </inlinemediaobject>
722 rescales the viewable region so that the currently selected
723 layer fits within the window. If no layer is selected this button
724 will be disabled.
725 </para>
726 </listitem>
727 <listitem>
728 <para>
729 The Full Shape Extent tool
730 <inlinemediaobject>
731 <imageobject>
732 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_fullshapeextent.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
733 </imageobject>
734 <imageobject>
735 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_2_fullshapeextent.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
736 </imageobject>
737 <textobject> <phrase>Full Shape Extent Tool</phrase> </textobject>
738 </inlinemediaobject>
739 rescales the viewable region so that the currently selected
740 shape fits within the window. If the shape is a point, it is
741 centered and the map is zoomed all the way in. If no shape is
742 selected this button will be disabled. This feature is especially
743 helpful when identifying an object related to a selected record
744 in a tableview (see below).
745
746 </para>
747 </listitem>
748 </itemizedlist>
749 </section>
750
751 <section><title>Object Identification</title>
752 <para>
753 Objects on the map can be identified using the Identify tool
754 <inlinemediaobject>
755 <imageobject>
756 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_3_identify.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
757 </imageobject>
758 <imageobject>
759 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_3_identify.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
760 </imageobject>
761 <textobject> <phrase>Identify Tool</phrase> </textobject>
762 </inlinemediaobject>.
763 Clicking on an object selects that object and opens a dialog which
764 shows all the table attributes for that object. Any current selection
765 is lost. Objects on the map are typically shapes and this document
766 will often refer to objects as shapes.
767 </para>
768 </section>
769
770 <section><title>Object Labeling</title>
771 <para>
772 Objects can be labeled using the Label tool
773 <inlinemediaobject>
774 <imageobject>
775 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_3_label.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
776 </imageobject>
777 <imageobject>
778 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_3_label.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
779 </imageobject>
780 <textobject> <phrase>Label Tool</phrase> </textobject>
781 </inlinemediaobject>.
782 Clicking on an object selects that object and opens a dialog which
783 displays the table attributes for that object. An attribute can
784 be selected to be the label on the map. The label will be placed
785 at the center of the shape. Clicking on an object that already has
786 a label will remove the label.
787 </para>
788 </section>
789
790 <section><title>The Legend</title>
791 <para>
792 <inlinemediaobject>
793 <imageobject>
794 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_5_legend.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
795 </imageobject>
796 <imageobject>
797 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_5_legend.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
798 </imageobject>
799 <textobject> <phrase>Legend</phrase> </textobject>
800 </inlinemediaobject>
801 </para>
802 <para>
803 The Legend provides an overview of the layers in the map. Layers
804 that appear higher in the legend will appear ``closer'' to the user.
805 If a layer supports classification (currently, only shape layers
806 have this feature) then the classification groups will be shown
807 below each layer. The properties for each group are also displayed
808 with a small graphic. Polygon layers appear as rectangles, lines
809 appear as curved lines, and points appear as circles.
810 </para>
811 <para>
812 Along the top of the legend is a toolbar which allows quick access
813 to some of the layer manipulation options under
814 <menuchoice><guimenu>Map</guimenu></menuchoice>.
815 </para>
816
817 <itemizedlist>
818 <listitem>
819 <para>
820 The Move Layer to Top tool
821 <inlinemediaobject>
822 <imageobject>
823 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_5_totop.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
824 </imageobject>
825 <imageobject>
826 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_5_totop.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
827 </imageobject>
828 <textobject> <phrase>Move Layer to Top</phrase> </textobject>
829 </inlinemediaobject> raises the selected layer to the top of the map.
830 </para>
831 </listitem>
832 <listitem>
833
834 <para>
835 The Move Layer Up tool
836 <inlinemediaobject>
837 <imageobject>
838 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_5_moveup.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
839 </imageobject>
840 <imageobject>
841 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_5_moveup.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
842 </imageobject>
843 <textobject> <phrase>Move Layer Up</phrase> </textobject>
844 </inlinemediaobject> raises the selected layer one level.
845 </para>
846 </listitem>
847 <listitem>
848
849 <para>
850 The Move Layer Down tool
851 <inlinemediaobject>
852 <imageobject>
853 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_5_movedown.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
854 </imageobject>
855 <imageobject>
856 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_5_movedown.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
857 </imageobject>
858 <textobject> <phrase>Move Layer Down</phrase> </textobject>
859 </inlinemediaobject> lowers the selected layer one level.
860 </para>
861
862 </listitem>
863 <listitem>
864 <para>
865 The Move Layer to Bottom tool
866 <inlinemediaobject>
867 <imageobject>
868 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_5_tobottom.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
869 </imageobject>
870 <imageobject>
871 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_5_tobottom.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
872 </imageobject>
873 <textobject> <phrase>Move Layer to Bottom</phrase> </textobject>
874 </inlinemediaobject> lowers the selected layer to the bottom of the map.
875 </para>
876
877 </listitem>
878 <listitem>
879 <para>
880 The Visible tool
881 <inlinemediaobject>
882 <imageobject>
883 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_5_visible.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
884 </imageobject>
885 <imageobject>
886 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_5_visible.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
887 </imageobject>
888 <textobject> <phrase>Visible</phrase> </textobject>
889 </inlinemediaobject> shows the selected layer in the map if it was
890 hidden.
891 </para>
892
893 </listitem>
894 <listitem>
895 <para>
896 The Invisible tool
897 <inlinemediaobject>
898 <imageobject>
899 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_5_invisible.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
900 </imageobject>
901 <imageobject>
902 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_5_invisible.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
903 </imageobject>
904 <textobject> <phrase>Invisible</phrase> </textobject>
905 </inlinemediaobject> hides the selected layer in the map.
906 </para>
907
908 </listitem>
909 <listitem>
910 <para>
911 The Properties tool
912 <inlinemediaobject>
913 <imageobject>
914 <imagedata fileref="../images/3_5_props.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/>
915 </imageobject>
916 <imageobject>
917 <imagedata fileref="./images/3_5_props.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/>
918 </imageobject>
919 <textobject> <phrase>Properties</phrase> </textobject>
920 </inlinemediaobject> opens the layer's properties dialog box.
921 Double-clicking on a layer or a group of a layer will open the
922 properties dialog for that layer.
923 </para>
924 </listitem>
925 </itemizedlist>
926
927 <para>
928 The most used layer related actions are also available from a
929 popup menu. It is raised when a layer is clicked with the right mouse
930 button.
931 </para>
932
933 <para>
934 <figure>
935 <title>Layer Popup Menu</title>
936 <mediaobject>
937 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/3_5_popup_menu.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
938 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/3_5_popup_menu.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
939 </mediaobject>
940 </figure>
941 </para>
942
943 <para>
944 Along the bottom of the legend is the scalebar. The scalebar
945 will be available if there are any layers and the map has a
946 projection set.
947 </para>
948 </section>
949
950 <section><title>Exporting</title>
951 <para>
952 Under Windows, maps can be exported in Enhanced Metafile format
953 (<varname>.wmf</varname>)
954 from
955 <menuchoice>
956 <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
957 <guimenuitem>Export</guimenuitem>
958 </menuchoice> for use in reports, presentations, or further
959 modification. The current map view, legend, and, if available,
960 scalebar are exported. Under other platforms this option is not
961 available. Clicking this menu item open a file selection dialog
962 that lets the user select a location to export the map.
963 </para>
964 </section>
965
966 <section><title>Printing</title>
967 <para>
968 The map can be printed using
969 <menuchoice>
970 <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
971 <guimenuitem>Print</guimenuitem>
972 </menuchoice>. The current map view, legend, and, if available,
973 scalebar are printed. A standard printing dialog will open allowing
974 the user to configure the printer. This dialog will differ depending
975 on which platform Thuban is running.
976 </para>
977 </section>
978
979 </chapter>
980
981 <chapter><title>Layer Management</title>
982 <para>
983 </para>
984
985 <section><title>Types of Layers</title>
986 <para>
987 There are three types of layers supported by Thuban: shape layers,
988 database layers and
989 image layers. Shape layers consist of vector based shapes with
990 geo-referenced coordinates. There are three types of supported
991 shapes: polygons, lines (arc), and points. Database layers are similar
992 to shape layers but loaded from a database instead of the file system.
993 Image layers can be any image
994 file format supported by the Geo-spatial Data Abstraction Library
995 (GDAL). The images must have geographic
996 coordinate data either embedded within the file or in a separate
997 file that is in the same directory as the image file. GeoTIFF files
998 work very well with Thuban and were designed specifically to be image
999 layers in GIS programs.
1000 </para>
1001 <para>
1002 All actions in the
1003 <menuchoice>
1004 <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
1005 </menuchoice> menu act on the currently selected layer in the legend.
1006 </para>
1007 </section>
1008
1009 <section><title>Properties</title>
1010 <para>
1011 To view the properties for a layer it must first be selected in the
1012 legend. The menu option
1013 <menuchoice>
1014 <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
1015 <guimenuitem>Properties</guimenuitem>
1016 </menuchoice> opens a dialog that displays a layer's properties.
1017 All layers have a title which can be modified in the text field
1018 provided. The type of layer is also shows. If the type is a type
1019 of shape (polygon, arc, point) the classification table will be
1020 shown. Image layers have no other properties other than title
1021 and type.
1022 </para>
1023 <para>
1024 <figure>
1025 <title>Properties Window</title>
1026 <mediaobject>
1027 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/4_2_layer_properties.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1028 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/4_2_layer_properties.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1029 </mediaobject>
1030 </figure>
1031 </para>
1032 <para>
1033 <figure>
1034 <title>Properties Window</title>
1035 <mediaobject>
1036 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/4_2_raster_layer_properties.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1037 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/4_2_raster_layer_properties.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1038 </mediaobject>
1039 </figure>
1040 </para>
1041 </section>
1042
1043 <section><title>Visibility</title>
1044 <para>
1045 Sometimes it is not desirable to view all layers at the same time.
1046 Some layers may take a long time to draw and so while navigating
1047 around the map the user may not want to wait for the map to redraw
1048 all the layers each time the map is changed. Each layer can be
1049 independently turned on or off using the
1050 <menuchoice>
1051 <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
1052 <guimenuitem>Show</guimenuitem>
1053 </menuchoice>
1054 or
1055 <menuchoice>
1056 <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
1057 <guimenuitem>Hide</guimenuitem>
1058 </menuchoice> options respectively.
1059 </para>
1060 </section>
1061
1062 <section><title>Duplication</title>
1063 <para>
1064 Layers and all their properties, including classifications, can
1065 be duplicated using
1066 <menuchoice>
1067 <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
1068 <guimenuitem>Duplicate</guimenuitem>
1069 </menuchoice>. Duplicating a layer is useful if the user wishes
1070 to model a layer in several different ways. Even though the layers
1071 overlap, by carefully selecting the shape properties it is possible
1072 to display several pieces of information at once. For example, one
1073 copy of a roads layer may be classified on a length property and
1074 another copy may be classified on a type property. If the length
1075 property was expressed with color and the type property expressed
1076 with line thickness then it would be possible to view both
1077 classifications by placing the type property copy over the
1078 length property copy.
1079 </para>
1080 </section>
1081
1082 </chapter>
1083
1084 <chapter><title>Layer Classifications</title>
1085 <para>
1086 A layer classification is a way of assigning drawing properties to
1087 groups of shapes based on attributes stored in the layer's table.
1088 Only layer's with shapes can have a classification; image layers
1089 cannot be classified.
1090 </para>
1091 <para>
1092 A classification consists of a number of groups, each group
1093 having a value or range of values to match against, and symbol
1094 properties which control how a shape is drawn on the map. The user
1095 selects which field in the table is used by the classification and
1096 when the map is drawn the value for that field for each shape is
1097 compared with each group's value. The properties of the first group
1098 to match are used to draw the shape. This allows the user to get a
1099 visual impression of not only how the data is laid out but also what
1100 kind of data lies where.
1101 </para>
1102 <para>
1103 A layer always has a classification. When a new layer is added to the
1104 map, a default classification is created with the DEFAULT group. This
1105 group cannot be removed but can be hidden (see below). Every shape in the
1106 layer, regardless of its attributes, will match this group if no other
1107 group matches.
1108 </para>
1109
1110 <section><title>Editing Classifications</title>
1111 <para>
1112 A layer's classification can be modified under the properties dialog
1113 (<menuchoice>
1114 <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
1115 <guimenuitem>Properties</guimenuitem>
1116 </menuchoice>). The layer's classification field can be set to None,
1117 which simply assigns a DEFAULT group to the classification. No new
1118 groups can be added to the classification if the field is None.
1119 The user must first select a field to classify on. New groups can
1120 be added to the classification with the <guibutton>Add</guibutton>
1121 button.
1122 </para>
1123 <para>
1124 To apply the changes to the map the user can click
1125 either <guibutton>Try</guibutton> or <guibutton>OK</guibutton>.
1126 <guibutton>Try</guibutton> will not close the dialog box, allowing
1127 the user to see how the classification changes the map.
1128 <guibutton>Revert</guibutton> will undo the last classification applied
1129 to the map. <guibutton>OK</guibutton> will commit the changes and
1130 close the dialog. The user will be unable to undo the changes.
1131 <guibutton>Close</guibutton> simply closes the dialog box. If any
1132 changes have not been applied with <guibutton>Try</guibutton> the
1133 changes will not be applied to the map.
1134 </para>
1135 <para>
1136 <figure>
1137 <title>Properties Window</title>
1138 <mediaobject>
1139 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/5_classification.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1140 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/5_classification.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1141 </mediaobject>
1142 </figure>
1143 </para>
1144 <para>
1145 The order of the groups in the classification is significant
1146 except for the DEFAULT group, which remains at the top. When shapes
1147 are matched against groups the matching begins at the first group
1148 after the DEFAULT group so that groups higher in the list will
1149 be checked first. Matching for a
1150 given shape will stop at the first group that matches. The user can
1151 use <guibutton>Move Up</guibutton> and <guibutton>Move Down</guibutton>
1152 to change the order of the groups. The DEFAULT group will always
1153 match a shape that hasn't matched another group.
1154 </para>
1155 <section><title>Visible</title>
1156 <para>
1157 The Visible column has check-boxes that determine whether a
1158 classification group will be displayed in the legend. This is
1159 useful if the user knows that the groups completely cover
1160 the data set and don't want the DEFAULT group to be displayed
1161 in the legend and on a printout.
1162 </para>
1163 </section>
1164 <section><title>Symbols</title>
1165 <para>
1166 Each type of shape has its own type of symbol. Thuban supports three
1167 types of shapes: polygons, lines, and points. Polygons and points
1168 have outline and fill color, while lines have only line color. Each
1169 group has associated symbol properties. To edit the symbol
1170 properties for a group the user can double click on the Symbol
1171 column or select a group and click the
1172 <guibutton>Edit Symbol</guibutton> button.
1173 </para>
1174 </section>
1175 <section><title>Value</title>
1176 <para>
1177 The Value column of the classification table is the value that will
1178 be matched when the map is being drawn. The type of data that can
1179 entered into this field depends on the type of data of the
1180 classification field.
1181 </para>
1182 <para>
1183 If the field is of type Text, anything entered
1184 into the field is valid. The text will be compared literally to the
1185 value of the shape attribute, including case sensitivity.
1186 If the type is Integer, then any valid integer may be entered. In
1187 addition, with special syntax, a range of values can be entered.
1188 A range from <varname>start</varname> to <varname>end</varname>
1189 inclusive is specified like this: <literal>[start;end]</literal>.
1190 The exclusive range is specified like this:
1191 <literal>]start;end[</literal>. Ranges can include infinity like
1192 this: <literal>[-oo;oo]</literal>. Field types can also be of type
1193 Decimal. They represent any rational number and can be used in
1194 ranges as well.
1195 </para>
1196 </section>
1197 <section><title>Label</title>
1198 <para>
1199 By default, the text that is displayed for a group in the legend
1200 is the value for that group. The label can substitute a more
1201 descriptive term in the legend.
1202 </para>
1203 </section>
1204 </section>
1205
1206 <section><title>Generating Classes</title>
1207 <para>
1208 <figure>
1209 <title>Generate Class</title>
1210 <mediaobject>
1211 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/5_3_genclass.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1212 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/5_3_genclass.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1213 </mediaobject>
1214 </figure>
1215 </para>
1216 <para>
1217 Creating a classification by hand can be tedious.
1218 Thuban, therefore, provides a means of generating an entire
1219 classification at once while still giving the user control over
1220 how it appears. Clicking <guibutton>Generate Class</guibutton>
1221 opens the <varname>Generate Classification</varname> dialog.
1222 Under the <varname>Generate</varname> pull down there are at most
1223 three different ways to generate classifications:
1224 Unique Values, Uniform Distribution, and Quantiles. Some options
1225 may not be available if the data type for the field does not
1226 support them. For instance, <varname>Uniform Distribution</varname>
1227 doesn't make sense for a Text field.
1228 </para>
1229 <para>
1230 For every way of generating a classification, a color scheme must
1231 be selected. Thuban provides several different color schemes that
1232 affect how the group properties change over the classification.
1233 It may be desirable that only certain properties change over the
1234 classification. If the shape type is a polygon or a point then
1235 the <guibutton>Fix Border Color</guibutton> option will be available.
1236 This allows the user to select a border color for all classification
1237 groups.
1238 It is also possible to create a custom color scheme. Selecting
1239 this option will display two symbols: the one of the left has the
1240 properties of the first group and the one on the right has the
1241 properties of the last group. Thuban will interpolate between these
1242 two properties to generate the other groups.
1243 <figure>
1244 <title>Custom Color Scheme</title>
1245 <mediaobject>
1246 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/5_2_custom_ramp.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1247 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/5_2_custom_ramp.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1248 </mediaobject>
1249 </figure>
1250 </para>
1251 <para>
1252 The Unique Values option lets the user select specific values that
1253 appear in the table. Clicking <guibutton>Retrieve From Table</guibutton>
1254 searches the table for all unique values and displays them in the
1255 list on the left. Items can be selected and moved to the list on the
1256 right. Each list can be sorted or reversed for easier searching.
1257 The classification that is generated will be in the same order as
1258 the list on the right.
1259 <figure>
1260 <title>Unique Values</title>
1261 <mediaobject>
1262 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/5_2_unique_values.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1263 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/5_2_unique_values.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1264 </mediaobject>
1265 </figure>
1266 </para>
1267 <para>
1268 The Uniform Distribution option creates a user specified number of
1269 groups of ranges such that each range covers equal intervals. The
1270 minimum and maximum values can automatically be retrieved from the
1271 table by clicking <guibutton>Retrieve From Table</guibutton>. The
1272 stepping is how large each interval is. Adjusting this value will
1273 automatically recalculate how many groups is appropriate.
1274 <figure>
1275 <title>Uniform Distribution</title>
1276 <mediaobject>
1277 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/5_2_uniform_dist.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1278 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/5_2_uniform_dist.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1279 </mediaobject>
1280 </figure>
1281 </para>
1282 <para>
1283 The Quantiles option generates ranges based on the number of items
1284 in the table. For example, by specifying five groups Thuban will
1285 generate five groups with appropriate ranges such that 20% of the table
1286 data is in each group. If it is impossible to generate exact
1287 groupings, Thuban will issue a warning but allow the user to continue.
1288 <figure>
1289 <title>Quantiles</title>
1290 <mediaobject>
1291 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/5_2_quantiles.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1292 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/5_2_quantiles.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1293 </mediaobject>
1294 </figure>
1295 </para>
1296 </section>
1297 </chapter>
1298
1299 <chapter><title>Projection Management</title>
1300 <para>
1301 Projections control how the geographic data is displayed on the screen.
1302 If multiple layers are loaded into Thuban where the geographic data
1303 is in a different projection system, then the user must specify a
1304 projection for each layer. The user must also tell Thuban which
1305 projection the map is in. This can be the same as the layers or a different
1306 projection in which case the layers are reprojected into that space.
1307 The map projection can be set using
1308 <menuchoice>
1309 <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
1310 <guimenuitem>Projection</guimenuitem>
1311 </menuchoice> and the layer projection can be set using
1312 <menuchoice>
1313 <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
1314 <guimenuitem>Projection</guimenuitem>
1315 </menuchoice>.
1316 <figure>
1317 <title>Projection Window</title>
1318 <mediaobject>
1319 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/6_projection.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1320 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/6_projection.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1321 </mediaobject>
1322 </figure>
1323 </para>
1324 <para>
1325 Thuban is distributed with a sample collection of projections and the
1326 set of coordinate systems as used by the EPSG
1327 (European Petroleum Survey Group). This quite large set is only displayed
1328 if activated by the according checkbox. The set falls into two parts:
1329 deprecated lists all projections which are no longer part of the
1330 EPSG data base.
1331 </para>
1332 <para>
1333 The
1334 user can create new projections and make them available to all
1335 future Thuban sessions. They may also be exported and imported so
1336 that custom projections can be distributed.
1337 </para>
1338 <section><title>Selecting a Projection</title>
1339 <para>
1340 The available projections are listed on the left. If the layer
1341 or map already has a projection it will initially be highlighted
1342 and will end with <varname>(current)</varname>. Selecting
1343 <varname>&lt;None&gt;</varname> will cause Thuban to use the data as
1344 it appears in the source file and will not use a projection.
1345 </para>
1346 </section>
1347 <section><title>Editing a Projection</title>
1348 <para>
1349 Whenever a projection is selected from the list its properties
1350 are displayed on the right. These properties can be changed
1351 and the changes saved to the selected projection using
1352 <guibutton>Update</guibutton>. Only a projection that comes
1353 from a file can be updated, so if the current layer's projection
1354 is selected, <guibutton>Update</guibutton> will be disabled.
1355 <guibutton>Add to List</guibutton> adds the projection to the
1356 list of available projections as a new entry, and thus makes it
1357 available to future Thuban sessions. Clicking <guibutton>New</guibutton>
1358 will create an entirely new, empty projection. The
1359 <guibutton>Remove</guibutton> button will permanently remove a
1360 projection from the list of available projections.
1361 </para>
1362 <para>
1363 To apply the selected projection to the map the user can click
1364 either <guibutton>Try</guibutton> or <guibutton>OK</guibutton>.
1365 <guibutton>Try</guibutton> will not close the dialog box, allowing
1366 the user to see how the projeciton changes the map.
1367 <guibutton>Revert</guibutton> will undo the last projection applied
1368 to the map. <guibutton>OK</guibutton> will commit the changes and
1369 close the dialog. The user will be unable to undo the changes.
1370 <guibutton>Close</guibutton> simply closes the dialog box. If no
1371 selection has been applied with <guibutton>Try</guibutton> the
1372 selection will not be applied to the map.
1373 </para>
1374 </section>
1375 <section><title>Importing/Exporting Projections</title>
1376 <para>
1377 The projections that appear in the list of available projections
1378 can be exported to another file that the user chooses. By selecting
1379 one or more projections and clicking <guibutton>Export</guibutton>
1380 the user will be able to select a file in which to store those
1381 projections.
1382 The file can then be distributed to other Thuban users. To import
1383 a projection file the user can click <guibutton>Import</guibutton>.
1384 The imported projections are added to the list and are then available
1385 to the current session and any future Thuban sessions.
1386 </para>
1387 </section>
1388 </chapter>
1389
1390 <chapter><title>Table Management</title>
1391 <para>
1392 Thuban distinguishes two different types of tables: Attribute tables
1393 (which belong to a layer) and normal data tables. Both provide
1394 the same general functionality with the difference that actions on an
1395 attribute table might also effect the map display.
1396 </para>
1397
1398 <section><title>Table View</title>
1399 <para>
1400 <figure>
1401 <title>Table View</title>
1402 <mediaobject>
1403 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/7_1_table_view.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1404 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/7_1_table_view.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1405 </mediaobject>
1406 </figure>
1407 </para>
1408 <para>
1409 Thuban provides a standard dialog to display table contents, the
1410 Table View. The view has five sections: The title, selections,
1411 the table grid, export functions, and the status bar.
1412 </para>
1413 <para>
1414 The title bar identifies the table with its name.
1415 </para>
1416 <para>
1417 The selections box let the user perform simple analysis on the data
1418 based on comparisons: The first choice must be a field identifier of
1419 the table, the second choice determines the type of comparison. The
1420 third choice can be either a specific value (interpreted as numerical
1421 or string depending on the type of the first field) or a second field
1422 identifier. Thus you can perform analysis like selecting all
1423 records where <literal>population > 10000</literal> or
1424 <literal>cars_per_inhabitant < bikes_per_inhabitant</literal>
1425 (note that the field names are only explanatory, the dBase files
1426 allow only 11 character field names).
1427
1428 Selections can be combined either by applying a selection only on
1429 a previously selected set of records or by adding the results of a
1430 selection to a previous set. The default is that a selection replaces
1431 earlier results.
1432 </para>
1433 <para>
1434 The table grid shows the contents of the table (one record per row),
1435 with highlighted selection results. Columns and rows can be resized.
1436 </para>
1437 <para>
1438 The contents of a table can be exported into a file, either dBase
1439 format (DBF) or comma separated values (CSV). The
1440 <guibutton>Export</guibutton> button
1441 raises a file dialog to specify a path and file name, the export type
1442 is determined by the file extension (either .dbf or .csv).
1443
1444 The <guibutton>Export Selection</guibutton> button works similarly
1445 but exports only the selected records.
1446
1447 The <guibutton>Close</guibutton> button closes the table view window.
1448 This is different from the menu item
1449 <menuchoice>
1450 <guimenu>Table</guimenu>
1451 <guimenuitem>Close</guimenuitem>
1452 </menuchoice> which unloads the table from Thuban.
1453 </para>
1454 <para>
1455 The status bar displays some statistics about the table and optional
1456 selection results.
1457 </para>
1458 </section>
1459
1460 <section><title>General Functionality (Menu Table)</title>
1461 <para>
1462 The general functions affect all tables open in Thuban. Attribute
1463 tables are considered here as normal data tables (with the exception
1464 that they cannot be closed).
1465 </para>
1466 <section><title>Open</title>
1467 <para>
1468 The
1469 <menuchoice>
1470 <guimenu>Table</guimenu>
1471 <guimenuitem>Open</guimenuitem>
1472 </menuchoice>
1473 item raises a file dialog to let you select a
1474 dBase file from the file system to be loaded into Thuban read-only.
1475 On <guibutton>OK</guibutton> the selected file is loaded and a
1476 table view is opened.
1477 </para>
1478 </section>
1479
1480 <section><title>Close</title>
1481 <para>
1482 The
1483 <menuchoice>
1484 <guimenu>Table</guimenu>
1485 <guimenuitem>Close</guimenuitem>
1486 </menuchoice>
1487 item raises a dialog listing the currently open
1488 data tables
1489 (loaded via
1490 <menuchoice>
1491 <guimenu>Table</guimenu>
1492 <guimenuitem>Open</guimenuitem>
1493 </menuchoice>). Selected tables are dereferenced on confirmation.
1494 Since tables are opened read-only the contents of the tables are
1495 not affected.
1496
1497 Any open views of the tables are closed as well.
1498
1499 Tables used in a join cannot be closed.
1500 </para>
1501 </section>
1502
1503 <section><title>Rename</title>
1504 <para>
1505 <menuchoice>
1506 <guimenu>Table</guimenu>
1507 <guimenuitem>Rename</guimenuitem>
1508 </menuchoice> changes the table title.
1509 </para>
1510 </section>
1511
1512 <section><title>Show</title>
1513 <para>
1514 The
1515 <menuchoice>
1516 <guimenu>Table</guimenu>
1517 <guimenuitem>Show</guimenuitem>
1518 </menuchoice>
1519 item raises a list of available tables (explicitly
1520 loaded, attribute tables, results of a join). Selected tables are
1521 show in tables views on <guibutton>OK</guibutton>.
1522 </para>
1523 </section>
1524
1525 <section><title>Join</title>
1526 <para>
1527 <figure>
1528 <title>Join Tables</title>
1529 <mediaobject>
1530 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/7_2_5_join.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1531 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/7_2_5_join.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1532 </mediaobject>
1533 </figure>
1534 </para>
1535 <para>
1536 The
1537 <menuchoice>
1538 <guimenu>Table</guimenu>
1539 <guimenuitem>Join</guimenuitem>
1540 </menuchoice>
1541 item raises a dialog to specify the two tables to be
1542 joined. The join results in a new table named 'Join of "left table"
1543 and "right table"'.
1544
1545 The dialog lets you select the two tables to be joined and the two
1546 fields the join has to be performed on. By default, the new
1547 table contains only those records which are matched by the join.
1548
1549 If you want to preserve the records of the left table you can
1550 perform an outer join. The fields from the right table for records
1551 not matched by the join are filled with <varname>None</varname> in
1552 this case.
1553 </para>
1554 </section>
1555
1556 </section>
1557 <section><title>Attribute Tables</title>
1558 <para>
1559 To clearly separate between both types of tables (data and
1560 attribute), Thuban provides functionality regarding the attribute
1561 tables under the <menuchoice><guimenu>Layer</guimenu></menuchoice> menu.
1562 </para>
1563
1564 <section><title>Show Table</title>
1565 <para>
1566 <menuchoice>
1567 <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
1568 <guimenuitem>Show Table</guimenuitem>
1569 </menuchoice>
1570 opens the attribute table of the currently active layer in a table
1571 view.
1572
1573 In addition to the functionality described above selections
1574 affect also the map display: objects related to selected records
1575 are highlighted.
1576 </para>
1577 </section>
1578
1579 <section><title>Join Table</title>
1580 <para>
1581 Unlike the join described above, the join does not result in a
1582 new table. The attribute table of the currently active layer is the
1583 left table and other tables are joined to this table. The results of
1584 the join are available for classification.
1585
1586 As a consequence, the join cannot result in fewer
1587 records than the source attribute table. The user is warned if the
1588 right table does not fulfill this constraint. An outer join must be
1589 used in such cases.
1590 </para>
1591 </section>
1592
1593 <section><title>Unjoin Table</title>
1594 <para>
1595 As said above, a normal table cannot be closed while it is still
1596 used in a join. While the joined table resulting from a join of
1597 normal tables can be simply closed (and thereby dereferencing
1598 the source tables), this is not possible for attribute tables.
1599
1600 Hence joins on attribute tables must be solved explicitly. This is
1601 what the
1602 <menuchoice>
1603 <guimenu>Layer</guimenu>
1604 <guimenuitem>Unjoin Table</guimenuitem>
1605 </menuchoice>
1606 item is used for: The last join for the currently
1607 active layer is solved.
1608 </para>
1609 </section>
1610 </section>
1611 </chapter>
1612
1613 <chapter><title>Extensions</title>
1614 <para>
1615 Thuban is designed to be extensible. The term Extension is used as a
1616 general term for anything that extends Thuban.
1617 This chapter introduces into some oppportunities how to add and
1618 handle extra functionality developed by your own or third parties.
1619 </para>
1620
1621 <section><title>Add personal extensions via thubanstart.py</title>
1622 <para>
1623 After Thuban has been started for the first time, a directory
1624 .thuban is created within your home directory.
1625 There you can add a file thubanstart.py which will be imported
1626 by Thuban at start-up. It is recommended to add only import-statements
1627 to this file to keep the actual code of extensions separate.
1628 </para>
1629 <para>
1630 The modules to import must either be found through the environment
1631 variable PYTHONPATH or directly be placed into the .thuban-directory.
1632 </para>
1633 <para>
1634 As an example, copy the file examples/simple_extensions/hello_world.py
1635 of the Thuban source code into the .thuban-directory of your home
1636 directory. Now add add the statement import hello_world to the
1637 file thubanstart.py and run Thuban. You will notice an additional
1638 menu <menuchoice><guimenu>Extensions</guimenu></menuchoice> where
1639 the new item for the Hello-World extension is placed - select it
1640 to see the Hello-World message.
1641 </para>
1642 </section>
1643
1644 <section><title>Extensions included in Thuban package</title>
1645 <para>
1646 The extensions described in this section are part of the
1647 Thuban package, but not activated by default.
1648 You will find them in the Thuban installation directory
1649 under <literal>Extensions/</literal>. Activate them as personal
1650 extensions via PYTHONPATH as described in the previous section.
1651 Stable extensions will appear under the menu
1652 <menuchoice><guimenu>Extensions</guimenu></menuchoice> and
1653 extensions which are in experimental state and therefore
1654 not fully functional under
1655 <menuchoice><guimenu>Experimental</guimenu></menuchoice>.
1656 </para>
1657
1658 <section><title>Stable extensions</title>
1659 <para>
1660 These extensions provide extra-functionality to Thuban
1661 that has not (yet) been integrated in the main application.
1662 They are considered to be free of bugs, but may be
1663 further polished with helpful user interactions.
1664 </para>
1665 <section><title>gns2shp</title>
1666 <para>
1667 This tool converts data of the Geospatial Names Server
1668 (GNS, see <ulink url="http://www.nima.mil/gns"/>)
1669 into Shapefile format.
1670 The above web-site offer to download named places
1671 information grouped by countries for all of the world
1672 except USA for which other data are provided.
1673 </para>
1674 <para>
1675 If you download and unpack a package, you will have
1676 a text-file with suffix .txt.
1677 Selecting such a file via gns2shp will create the
1678 corresponding Shapefile with the same basename and
1679 place it in the same direcory. Afterwards it
1680 is automatically loaded into Thuban.
1681 The Shapefile will not automatically be delete afterwards.
1682 </para>
1683 <para>
1684 The gns2shp.py module can also be executed on the
1685 command line for batch processing purposes.
1686 </para>
1687 <para>
1688 A sample (<literal>ls.txt</literal> for Liechtenstein)
1689 is included in the directory
1690 <literal>Extensions/gns2shp/test</literal>.
1691 </para>
1692 </section>
1693 </section>
1694 <section><title>Experimental extensions</title>
1695 <para>
1696 All all of these functions have to be handled with care,
1697 since they are neither complete nor well tested.
1698 They are to be seen as a proof-of-concept and may
1699 additionally in some cases of practical help.
1700 </para>
1701 <para>
1702 Any interest on further improvement of these extensions
1703 should be communicated towards the developer and user
1704 community.
1705 </para>
1706
1707 <section><title>importAPR</title>
1708 <para>
1709 This command offer to load an ESRI® ArcView® project
1710 file (suffix .apr) and convert it for use within Thuban.
1711 After selecting a apr-file to load, a list
1712 will be presented that offers to select one of the views
1713 of the apr-file, provided there is more than one.
1714 Furthermore, the Session Info-Tree is extended with
1715 a complete representation of the parsed apr-file.
1716 </para>
1717 <para>
1718 The legend of Thuban does not yet cover all of the elements as
1719 supported by the legend of ArcView®. Therefore, the Thuban
1720 map will look different. Furthermore, the apr-format is
1721 a proprietary format, not openly documented.
1722 Therefore, the interpretation is
1723 partly based on reverse engeneering and good guessing.
1724 </para>
1725 <para>
1726 The file-paths within the apr-file may not fit and potentially
1727 are subject to fix in the apr-file. You can do this
1728 applying any text editor. The paths are either absolute
1729 or relative from where Thuban has been started.
1730 </para>
1731 <para>
1732 A sample for the Iceland data is included as
1733 <literal>Extensions/importAPR/samples/iceland.apr</literal>.
1734 The file-paths are relative from the Thuban main directory.
1735 </para>
1736 </section>
1737 </section>
1738 </section>
1739
1740 <section><title>Writing simple extensions</title>
1741 <para>
1742 Writing an extension for Thuban basically means to
1743 implement the extra functionality in Python with all of the
1744 Thuban classes, methods and variables available.
1745 </para>
1746 <para>
1747 All classes and their methods are documented in the source code
1748 (see their doc-strings). Here is an example from
1749 Thuban/Model/layer.py that describes some of the methods
1750 of a Layer object:
1751 </para>
1752 <programlisting>
1753 <![CDATA[
1754 class BaseLayer(TitledObject, Modifiable):
1755
1756 """Base class for the layers."""
1757
1758 def __init__(self, title, visible = True, projection = None):
1759 """Initialize the layer.
1760
1761 title -- the title
1762 visible -- boolean. If true the layer is visible.
1763 """
1764 TitledObject.__init__(self, title)
1765 Modifiable.__init__(self)
1766 self.visible = visible
1767 self.projection = projection
1768
1769 def Visible(self):
1770 """Return true if layer is visible"""
1771 return self.visible
1772
1773 def SetVisible(self, visible):
1774 """Set the layer's visibility."""
1775 self.visible = visible
1776 self.issue(LAYER_VISIBILITY_CHANGED, self)
1777
1778 def HasClassification(self):
1779 """Determine if this layer support classifications."""
1780 ...
1781 ]]>
1782 </programlisting>
1783 <para>
1784 This example intends to give you an impression of the
1785 source-code-level documentation.
1786 You have to make yourself familiar with
1787 the Python programming language to understand some special
1788 code elements.
1789 </para>
1790 <section><title>hello_world.py</title>
1791 <para>
1792 Traditionally, the first example should welcome the world.
1793 Most of the code handles the frame for integrating a menu
1794 item into Thuban while the actual raising of a message
1795 is done in a single line.
1796 </para>
1797 <programlisting>
1798 <![CDATA[
1799 # Copyright (C) 2003 by Intevation GmbH
1800 # Authors:
1801 # Jan-Oliver Wagner <[email protected]>
1802 #
1803 # This program is free software under the GPL (>=v2)
1804 # Read the file COPYING coming with Thuban for details.
1805
1806 """
1807 Extend Thuban with a sample Hello World to demonstrate simple
1808 extensions.
1809 """
1810
1811 __version__ = '$Revision$'
1812
1813 # use _() already now for all strings that may later be translated
1814 from Thuban import _
1815
1816 # Thuban has named commands which can be registered in the central
1817 # instance registry.
1818 from Thuban.UI.command import registry, Command
1819
1820 # The instance of the main menu of the Thuban application
1821 # See Thuban/UI/menu.py for the API of the Menu class
1822 from Thuban.UI.mainwindow import main_menu
1823
1824 def hello_world_dialog(context):
1825 """Just raise a simple dialog to greet the world.
1826
1827 context -- The Thuban context.
1828 """
1829 context.mainwindow.RunMessageBox(_('Hello World'), _('Hello World!'))
1830
1831
1832 # create a new command and register it
1833 registry.Add(Command('hello_world', _('Hello World'), hello_world_dialog,
1834 helptext = _('Welcome everyone on this planet')))
1835
1836 # find the extensions menu (create it anew if not found)
1837 extensions_menu = main_menu.FindOrInsertMenu('extensions', _('E&xtensions'))
1838
1839 # finally bind the new command with an entry in the extensions menu
1840 extensions_menu.InsertItem('hello_world')
1841 ]]>
1842 </programlisting>
1843 </section>
1844 <section><title>Registering a Command</title>
1845 <para>
1846 Mainly, our new function has to be registered to the Thuban
1847 framework in order to connect it to the menu. A registered
1848 command can also be connected to e.g. a toolbar button.
1849 </para>
1850 <para>
1851 The instances and classes for this are imported at the beginning.
1852 Any code not inside a method or class is directly executed when
1853 the source-code module is imported. Therefore, the second
1854 part of this example consist of the plain statements to create a new
1855 Command and to add it to the menu.
1856 </para>
1857 <para>
1858 By convention, it looks for a menu registered as ``extensions'' to
1859 insert the new command. If it does not exist yet, it gets created.
1860 It is advisable to copy this code for any of your extensions.
1861 </para>
1862 </section>
1863 <section><title>The Thuban context</title>
1864 <para>
1865 A registered command that is called, always receives the
1866 Thuban context. This instance provides our method with
1867 hook references to all important components of the Thuban
1868 application.
1869 </para>
1870 <para>
1871 In the example hello_world.py, our function uses the
1872 mainwindow component which offers a method to raise a
1873 message dialog. In total there are three hooks:
1874 <itemizedlist>
1875 <listitem>
1876 <para>application:
1877 This object is the instance of the Thuban Application class.
1878 Except maybe for loading or savinf sessions, you will not
1879 need this object for a simple extension.
1880 See Thuban/UI/application.py for the API.
1881 </para>
1882 </listitem>
1883 <listitem>
1884 <para>session:
1885 The instance of the current session. It manages the sessions'
1886 map and tables. You can set and remove the map or tables.
1887 In may also get the map object. However, you should know that
1888 internally it is already prepared to handle many maps.
1889 Therfore, currently you would always receive a list with exactlty
1890 one element. In the future, if there are more than one map,
1891 you will not know which one is the currently display one and
1892 therefore you should use the mainwindow as hook to find
1893 the currently displayed map.
1894 See Thuban/Model/session.py for the API.
1895 </para>
1896 </listitem>
1897 <listitem>
1898 <para>
1899 mainwindow: The mainwindow object is central to manage various
1900 GUI things such as the Legend sub-window. Most notably,
1901 you get access to the canvas which is the window part where
1902 the map is drawn. The canvas knows, which map it currently
1903 draws and therefore you get the current map via
1904 context.mainwindow.canvas.Map().
1905 See Thuban/UI/mainwindow.py for the API.
1906 </para>
1907 </listitem>
1908 </itemizedlist>
1909 </para>
1910 </section>
1911 </section>
1912 </chapter>
1913
1914 <chapter><title>Trouble Shooting</title>
1915 <para>
1916 Here are a few problems that users have encountered when first using Thuban.
1917 </para>
1918 <para>
1919
1920 <itemizedlist>
1921 <listitem>
1922 <para>After adding two or more layers nothing is drawn in the map window.
1923 </para>
1924 <para>
1925 This is probably because the layers have different projections. Projections
1926 must be set on all layers and on the map itself if the layers' projections
1927 are different.
1928 </para>
1929 </listitem>
1930
1931 <listitem>
1932 <para>Thuban crashes on startup with the error
1933 <literal>NameError: global name 'False' is not defined</literal>.
1934 </para>
1935 <para>
1936 <varname>True</varname> and <varname>False</varname> were only introduced
1937 in Python 2.2.1. Thuban depends on at least Python 2.2.1.
1938 </para>
1939 </listitem>
1940
1941 <listitem>
1942 <para>After compiling Thuban, Thuban crashes with an error similar to
1943 <literal>
1944 ImportError: /usr/local//lib/thuban/Thuban/../Lib/wxproj.so: undefined symbol: __gxx_personality_v0
1945 </literal>
1946 </para>
1947 <para>
1948 Thuban depends on the wxWindows library. If Thuban is compiled with an
1949 incompatible version of the compiler than wxWindows was compiled with
1950 this error may occur. Try compiling with a different version of the
1951 compiler.
1952 </para>
1953 </listitem>
1954 </itemizedlist>
1955 </para>
1956 <para>
1957 If an error occurs Thuban will display a dialog indicating the error
1958 before closing. The text should be copied and reported to the
1959 <ulink url="http://thuban.intevation.org/bugtracker.html">
1960 Intevation bugtracker
1961 </ulink>.
1962 More information about the system is available from
1963 <menuchoice><guimenu>Help</guimenu><guimenuitem>About</guimenuitem></menuchoice> box.
1964 This should also be included in the bug report.
1965 <figure>
1966 <title>Error Dialog</title>
1967 <mediaobject>
1968 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/8_int_error.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1969 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/8_int_error.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
1970 </mediaobject>
1971 </figure>
1972 </para>
1973
1974 </chapter>
1975
1976 <appendix><title>Supported Data Sources</title>
1977 <para>
1978 </para>
1979 <variablelist>
1980 <varlistentry>
1981 <term>Shapefile</term>
1982 <listitem>
1983 <para>
1984 The Shapefile format has become a standard format for saving
1985 geographic vector information. It supports polygons, lines, and
1986 points.
1987
1988 <ulink url="http://www.esri.com/library/whitepapers/pdfs/shapefile.pdf">
1989 Technical Specification.
1990 </ulink>
1991 </para>
1992 </listitem>
1993 </varlistentry>
1994
1995 <varlistentry>
1996 <term>dBase file</term>
1997 <listitem>
1998 <para>
1999 dBase files are used to store the attributes for each layer. This
2000 is closely associated with the Shapefile format. For detailed
2001 specifications on the correct format of a dBase file used with
2002 Thuban please see the Technical Specification for the Shapefile
2003 format above.
2004 </para>
2005 </listitem>
2006 </varlistentry>
2007
2008 <varlistentry>
2009 <term>PostGIS</term>
2010 <listitem>
2011 <para>
2012 PostGIS adds support for geographic objects to the PostgreSQL
2013 object-relational database. Different layer types (as for Shapefiles)
2014 are supported. <ulink url="http://postgis.refractions.net">PostGIS
2015 Homepage</ulink>
2016 </para>
2017 </listitem>
2018 </varlistentry>
2019
2020 <varlistentry>
2021 <term>Raster files</term>
2022 <listitem>
2023 <para>
2024 Binding the GDAL library Thuban supports numerous raster file formats,
2025 see <ulink url="http://www.remotesensing.org/gdal/formats_list.html">
2026 GDAL format list</ulink> for details.</para>
2027
2028 <para>Most commonly used is the <emphasis>TIFF/GeoTIFF</emphasis>
2029 format: Raster maps are provided as TIFF images, with an additional
2030 "world file" storing the geographic reference (usually with an
2031 extension ".tfw").
2032 </para>
2033 </listitem>
2034 </varlistentry>
2035
2036 </variablelist>
2037 </appendix>
2038
2039 <appendix><title>Working with PostGIS</title>
2040 <para>
2041 This section focusses on the use of PostGIS in the Thuban framework. For
2042 installation and maintenance of spatial databases we refer to the
2043 <ulink url="http://postgis.refractions.net">PostGIS Homepage</ulink>.
2044 The Thuban PostGIS support requires the
2045 <ulink url="http://initd.org/software/psycopg">psycopg module</ulink>.
2046 </para>
2047
2048 <para>
2049 Working with PostGIS Databases is seperated into two steps:
2050 <itemizedlist>
2051 <listitem><para>Opening a Database Connection</para></listitem>
2052 <listitem><para>Loading a Data Layer</para></listitem>
2053 </itemizedlist>
2054 </para>
2055 <section><title>Opening a Database Connection</title>
2056 <para>
2057 Before a data layer can be loaded from a PostGIS database a
2058 connection with the database has to be established.
2059 <menuchoice>
2060 <guimenu>Session</guimenu>
2061 <guimenuitem>Database Connections ...</guimenuitem>
2062 </menuchoice> opens a dialog for database connection
2063 management. In the dialog new connections can be added
2064 and existing ones can be removed. Removing a database
2065 connection is not possible if the map still displays a
2066 layer provided by this database connection.
2067 </para>
2068 <figure>
2069 <title>Database Management Dialog</title>
2070 <mediaobject>
2071 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/app_postgis_db_management.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
2072 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/app_postgis_db_management.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
2073 </mediaobject>
2074 </figure>
2075
2076 <para>
2077 To add a new database connection to the session a dialog is
2078 opened to specify the relevant connection data. Enter all
2079 data relevant for your connection. If the connection fails
2080 the dialog remains open and provides some hints on the failure.
2081 </para>
2082 <figure>
2083 <title>Add Database Dialog</title>
2084 <mediaobject>
2085 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/app_postgis_db_add.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
2086 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/app_postgis_db_add.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
2087 </mediaobject>
2088 </figure>
2089
2090 <para>
2091 It is important to note that information on database connections are
2092 also stored with the session. Passwords are NOT stored. If you load a
2093 session with database connections you are asked to enter these
2094 passwords again where required.
2095 </para>
2096
2097 </section>
2098
2099 <section><title>Loading a Data Layer</title>
2100 <para>
2101 Data layers as part of a map are loaded with the
2102 <menuchoice>
2103 <guimenu>Map</guimenu>
2104 <guimenuitem>Add Database Layer ...</guimenuitem>
2105 </menuchoice> menu item. A dialog is raised displaying two choice
2106 lists. In the left list all connected databases are shown.
2107 Highlighting
2108 one of these and issuing a retrieval results in a list of available
2109 layer tables from that database. After selection of a
2110 layer the dialog is closed.
2111 </para>
2112 <figure>
2113 <title>Add Database Dialog</title>
2114 <mediaobject>
2115 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="../images/app_postgis_add_layer.png" format="PNG" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
2116 <imageobject><imagedata fileref="./images/app_postgis_add_layer.eps" format="EPS" scale="&imgscale;"/></imageobject>
2117 </mediaobject>
2118 </figure>
2119
2120 </section>
2121
2122 </appendix>
2123
2124 <appendix><title>Supported Projections</title>
2125 <para>
2126 The following types of projections are directly support by
2127 Thuban. The specific values for each are provided by the user
2128 to create custom projections. Thuban comes with predefined
2129 projections which are available through the Projections dialog.
2130 </para>
2131 <itemizedlist>
2132 <listitem>
2133 <para>Geographic</para>
2134 <itemizedlist>
2135 <listitem><para><literal>Ellipsoid</literal></para></listitem>
2136 <listitem><para>
2137 <literal>Source Data</literal>: either Degrees or Radians
2138 </para></listitem>
2139 </itemizedlist>
2140 </listitem>
2141 <listitem>
2142 <para>Lambert Conic Conformal</para>
2143 <itemizedlist>
2144 <listitem><para><literal>Ellipsoid</literal></para></listitem>
2145 <listitem><para><literal>Latitude of 1st standard parallel</literal></para></listitem>
2146 <listitem><para><literal>Latitude of 2nd standard parallel</literal></para></listitem>
2147 <listitem><para><literal>Central Meridian</literal></para></listitem>
2148 <listitem><para><literal>Latitude of Origin</literal></para></listitem>
2149 <listitem><para><literal>False Easting</literal> (meters)</para></listitem>
2150 <listitem><para><literal>False Northing</literal> (meters)</para></listitem>
2151 </itemizedlist>
2152 </listitem>
2153 <listitem>
2154 <para>Transverse Mercator</para>
2155 <itemizedlist>
2156 <listitem><para><literal>Ellipsoid</literal></para></listitem>
2157 <listitem><para><literal>Latitude</literal>of origin</para></listitem>
2158 <listitem><para><literal>Longitude</literal>at central meridian</para></listitem>
2159 <listitem><para><literal>Scale Factor</literal>at central meridian</para></listitem>
2160 <listitem><para><literal>False Easting</literal> (meters)</para></listitem>
2161 <listitem><para><literal>False Northing</literal> (meters)</para></listitem>
2162 </itemizedlist>
2163 </listitem>
2164 <listitem>
2165 <para>Universal Transverse Mercator</para>
2166 <itemizedlist>
2167 <listitem><para><literal>Ellipsoid</literal></para></listitem>
2168 <listitem><para><literal>Zone</literal>
2169 (can be guessed appling the Propose button)</para></listitem>
2170 <listitem><para><literal>Southern Hemisphere</literal> flag</para></listitem>
2171 </itemizedlist>
2172 </listitem>
2173 </itemizedlist>
2174
2175 <para>
2176 Thuban comes with a sample set of map projections for various
2177 European countries. Apart from the basic projection they differ
2178 especially in their parameterization:
2179 </para>
2180 <itemizedlist>
2181 <listitem><para>Belgium Datum 1972 (Lambert Conic Conformal)</para>
2182 </listitem>
2183
2184 <listitem><para>Gauss-Boaga Zone 1 (Italy, Transverse Mercartor)</para>
2185 </listitem>
2186
2187 <listitem><para>Gauss-Krueger Zone 2 (Germany, Transverse Mercartor)
2188 </para>
2189 </listitem>
2190
2191 <listitem><para>Reseau Geodesique Francaise
2192 (France, Lambert Conic Conformal)</para>
2193 </listitem>
2194
2195 <listitem><para>UK National Grid (United Kingdom, Transverse Mercartor)
2196 </para>
2197 </listitem>
2198 </itemizedlist>
2199
2200 <para>
2201 Thuban uses the comprehensive PROJ library for projections. PROJ provides
2202 more than the four commonly used projections described above. If needed
2203 Thuban can be easily extended to a new projection covered by PROJ.
2204 </para>
2205 </appendix>
2206
2207 </book>
2208

Properties

Name Value
svn:eol-style native
svn:keywords Author Date Id Revision

[email protected]
ViewVC Help
Powered by ViewVC 1.1.26