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<!DOCTYPE book |
<!DOCTYPE book |
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PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.2//EN" |
PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.2//EN" |
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"http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.2/docbookx.dtd"> |
"http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.2/docbookx.dtd"> |
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<!-- $ Revision: $ --> |
<!-- $Revision$ --> |
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<book> |
<book> |
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<bookinfo> |
<bookinfo> |
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<title>Thuban Manual</title> |
<title>Thuban Manual</title> |
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<author> |
<author> |
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<firstname></firstname><surname></surname> |
<firstname>Jonathan</firstname><surname>Coles</surname> |
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</author> |
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<author> |
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<firstname>Jan-Oliver</firstname><surname>Wagner</surname> |
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</author> |
</author> |
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<copyright> |
<copyright> |
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<year>2003</year> |
<year>2003</year> |
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|
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<chapter><title>Introduction</title> |
<chapter><title>Introduction</title> |
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<para> |
<para> |
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|
Thuban is a Free Software Geographic Information Systems (GIS) viewer. |
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It is being developed because there is currently no simple interactive |
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viewer for geographic information available as Free Software. Thuban is |
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written in Python and C++ and uses the wxWindows library allowing it to |
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run on many different platforms, including GNU/Linux and Windows. |
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</para> |
</para> |
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<para> |
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GIS viewers are a necessary tool as they allow one to get a visual |
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impression of the positional relationship of the information that may not |
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be apparent from simple inspection of the data values themselves. |
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Thuban allows the user to create a session that displays |
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geographic data and then explore that data through navigation and |
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manipulation of how it is drawn. The results can then be saved or printed. |
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</para> |
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<para> |
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Thuban arranges a session in a hierarchy. A session contains a map which |
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consists of layers. Each layer represents one kind of data set. For |
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instance, there may be a layer for roads and another layer for buildings. |
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These layers can either be vector shapes or images. |
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</para> |
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|
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<section><title>Installation</title> |
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<para> |
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Thuban is actively supported under Debian Testing (sarge), RedHat 7.2, |
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and Windows 2000. All the necessary files can be found on the |
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<ulink url="http://thuban.intevation.org/download.html"> |
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Thuban Download site |
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</ulink>. |
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</para> |
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</section> |
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|
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<section><title>The Main Window</title> |
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<para> |
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<screenshot> |
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<screeninfo>The Main Window</screeninfo> |
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<mediaobject> |
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<imageobject> <imagedata fileref="../images/1_2_mainwindow.png" format="PNG"/> </imageobject> |
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<imageobject> <imagedata fileref="./images/1_2_mainwindow.ps" format="EPS"/> </imageobject> |
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<textobject><phrase>The Main Window</phrase></textobject> |
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<caption><para>The Main Window</para></caption> |
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</mediaobject> |
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</screenshot> |
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</para> |
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|
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<para> |
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The map window shows the current state of the map and is where |
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the user can interact with the map using the tools. |
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</para> |
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|
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<para> |
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The legend on the left displays a list of the current layers and |
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any visible classification groups. In the example, each shape layer |
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has a default classification which specifies how the shapes in each |
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layer are drawn. Layers that are higher in the list appear |
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``closer'' to the user. The legend can be closed by clicking on the |
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small X in the upper right-hand region of the legend. |
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To open it again, use |
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<menuchoice> |
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<guimenu>Map</guimenu> |
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<guimenuitem>Legend</guimenuitem> |
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</menuchoice>. |
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The legend is also dockable, which means that it can be detached |
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from the main window by clicking on the small button next to the |
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close button. It can be attached by clicking the same button |
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again. |
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</para> |
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<para> |
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The status bar displays different information depending on the |
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current context. If the user is selecting an item from the menu |
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then the status bar will display a short help message indicating |
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what each menu item is for. If the user has a tool selected then |
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the position of the cursor on the map is displayed. |
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</para> |
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<para> |
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The tool bar provides quick access to the commonly needed tools. |
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By hovering over each button the user can see a short messages |
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describing what the tool does. The tools provided are Zoom In, Zoom |
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Out, Pan, Full Extent, Full Layer Extent, Full Shape Extent, Indentify, |
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and Label. Each of the tools will be explained in further detail later |
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in the manual. |
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</para> |
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</section> |
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|
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</chapter> |
</chapter> |
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|
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<chapter><title>Session Management</title> |
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|
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<section><title>Starting a New Session</title> |
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<para> |
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A new session can be started from |
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<menuchoice> |
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<guimenu>File</guimenu> |
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<guimenuitem>New Session</guimenuitem> |
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</menuchoice>. |
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|
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If a session is already loaded and has been modified without |
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being saved a prompt will ask if the current session should |
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be saved. |
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|
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</para> |
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</section> |
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|
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<section><title>Opening a Session</title> |
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<para> |
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A session can be opened from |
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<menuchoice> |
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<guimenu>File</guimenu> |
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<guimenuitem>Open Session</guimenuitem> |
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</menuchoice>. |
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|
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If a session is already loaded and has been modified without |
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being saved a prompt will ask if the current session should |
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be saved. |
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</para> |
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</section> |
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|
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<section><title>Saving a Session</title> |
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<para> |
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A session can be saved from |
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<menuchoice> |
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<guimenu>File</guimenu> |
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<guimenuitem>Save Session</guimenuitem> |
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</menuchoice>. |
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|
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</para> |
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</section> |
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|
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<section><title>The Session Info-Tree</title> |
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<para> |
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(primarily for developers) |
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</para> |
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</section> |
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</chapter> |
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|
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<chapter><title>Map Management</title> |
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<para> |
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The map consists of a number of layers where each layer represents a |
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different type of data set. By interacting with the map the user can |
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visually explore the data. |
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</para> |
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|
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<section><title>Adding and Removing Layers</title> |
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<para> |
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There are two types of layers that can use added to a map: shape layers |
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and image layers. Shape layers are stored in Shapefile format, a |
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standard file format for storing geographic objects. Normally, these |
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files have the extension ``.shp''. Associated with |
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the object information is a database file which stores attributes for |
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each shape in the Shapefile. This file, stored in DB2 format, usually |
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has the extension ``.dbf''. Both files should have the same base name. |
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For example, if there is a Shapefile named roads.shp there should |
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also be a file roads.dbf. |
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</para> |
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<para> |
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Shape layers can be added to the map with |
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<menuchoice> |
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<guimenu>Map</guimenu> |
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<guimenuitem>Add Layer</guimenuitem> |
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</menuchoice>. |
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Thuban will load all files with the same base name, so it doesn't |
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matter if the Shapefile or database file is selected. |
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</para> |
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|
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<para> |
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Image layers can be added to the map with |
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<menuchoice> |
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<guimenu>Map</guimenu> |
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<guimenuitem>Add Image Layer</guimenuitem> |
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</menuchoice>. |
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It is important to select a valid image file that has geographic |
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data associated with it. This can be embedded in the file itself, |
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or in another file. If geographic information cannot be found, Thuban |
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will report an error. |
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</para> |
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</section> |
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|
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<section><title>Navigation</title> |
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<para> |
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The map can be explored by using the navigation tools available on |
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the tool bar, or from the |
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<menuchoice><guimenu>Map</guimenu></menuchoice> menu. |
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</para> |
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<para> |
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The ZoomIn tool |
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<inlinemediaobject> |
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<imageobject> |
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<imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_zoomin.png" format="PNG"/> |
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</imageobject> |
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<textobject> <phrase>ZoomIn Tool</phrase> </textobject> |
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</inlinemediaobject> |
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can be used to enlarge a region of the map. Clicking once on the map |
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will double the magnification and center the map on the point that |
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was clicked. Clicking and dragging lets the user select a region |
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to be enlarged to fit the window. |
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</para> |
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<para> |
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The ZoomOut tool |
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<inlinemediaobject> |
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<imageobject> |
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<imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_zoomout.png" format="PNG"/> |
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</imageobject> |
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<textobject> <phrase>ZoomOut Tool</phrase> </textobject> |
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</inlinemediaobject> |
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shrinks the map so that a larger region is visible. A single click |
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reduces the magnification by a factor of two. Clicking and dragging |
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selects a box such that the current contents of the window will be |
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scaled to fit into that box. |
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</para> |
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<para> |
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The Pan tool |
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<inlinemediaobject> |
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<imageobject> |
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<imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_pan.png" format="PNG"/> |
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</imageobject> |
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<textobject> <phrase>Pan Tool</phrase> </textobject> |
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</inlinemediaobject> |
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allows the user to move the map around by clicking and dragging. |
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</para> |
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<para> |
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The Full Extent tool |
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<inlinemediaobject> |
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<imageobject> |
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<imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_fullextent.png" format="PNG"/> |
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</imageobject> |
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<textobject> <phrase>Full Extent Tool</phrase> </textobject> |
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</inlinemediaobject> |
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rescales the viewable region so that the entire map is visible. |
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</para> |
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<para> |
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The Full Layer Extent tool |
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<inlinemediaobject> |
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<imageobject> |
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<imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_fulllayerextent.png" format="PNG"/> |
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</imageobject> |
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<textobject> <phrase>Full Layer Extent Tool</phrase> </textobject> |
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</inlinemediaobject> |
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rescales the viewable region so that the currently selected |
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layer fits within the window. If no layer is selected this button |
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will be disabled. |
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</para> |
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<para> |
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The Full Shape Extent tool |
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<inlinemediaobject> |
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<imageobject> |
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<imagedata fileref="../images/3_2_fullshapeextent.png" format="PNG"/> |
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</imageobject> |
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<textobject> <phrase>Full Shape Extent Tool</phrase> </textobject> |
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</inlinemediaobject> |
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rescales the viewable region so that the currently selected |
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shape fits within the window. If the shape is a point, it is |
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centered and the map is zoomed all the way in. If no shape is |
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selected this button will be disabled. |
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</para> |
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</section> |
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|
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<section><title>Object Identification</title> |
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<para> |
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Objects on the map can be identified using the Identify tool |
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<inlinemediaobject> |
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<imageobject> |
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<imagedata fileref="../images/3_3_identify.png" format="PNG"/> |
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</imageobject> |
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<textobject> <phrase>Identify Tool</phrase> </textobject> |
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</inlinemediaobject>. |
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Clicking on an object selects that object and opens a dialog which |
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shows all the table attributes for that object. Any current selection |
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is lost. |
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</para> |
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</section> |
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|
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<section><title>Object Labelling</title> |
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<para> |
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Objects can be labelled using the Label tool |
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<inlinemediaobject> |
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<imageobject> |
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<imagedata fileref="../images/3_3_label.png" format="PNG"/> |
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</imageobject> |
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<textobject> <phrase>Label Tool</phrase> </textobject> |
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</inlinemediaobject>. |
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Clicking on an object selects that object and opens a dialog which |
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displays the table attributes for that object. An attribute can |
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be selected to be the label on the map. Using this tool for an |
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object that already has a label will remove the label. |
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</para> |
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</section> |
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|
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<section><title>The Legend</title> |
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<para> |
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The Legend provides an overview of the layers in the map. Layers |
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that appear higher in the legend will appear ``closer'' to the user. |
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If a layer supports classification (currently, only shape layers |
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have this feature) then the classification groups will be shown |
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below each layer. The properties for each group are also displayed |
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with a small graphic. Polygon layers appear as rectangles, lines |
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appear as curved lines, and points appear as circles. |
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</para> |
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<para> |
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Along the top of the legend is a toolbar which allows quick access |
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to some of the layer manipulation options under |
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<menuchoice> <guimenu>Map</guimenu> </menuchoice>. |
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|
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Double-clicking on a layer or a group of a layer will open the |
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properties dialog for that layer. |
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</para> |
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</section> |
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|
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<section><title>Printing</title> |
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|
<para> |
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|
The map can be printed using |
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|
<menuchoice> |
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|
<guimenu>Map</guimenu> |
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|
<guimenuitem>Print</guimenuitem> |
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|
</menuchoice>. A standard printing dialog will open allowing the |
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user to configure the printer. |
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|
</para> |
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|
</section> |
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|
</chapter> |
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|
|
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|
<chapter><title>Layer Management</title> |
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|
<para> |
| 343 |
|
</para> |
| 344 |
|
|
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|
<section><title>Types of Layers</title> |
| 346 |
|
<para> |
| 347 |
|
There are two types of layers supported by Thuban: shape layers and |
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image layers. Shape layers consist of vector based shapes with |
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|
geo-referenced coordinates. There are three types of supported |
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shapes: polygons, lines, and points. Image layers can be any image |
| 351 |
|
file format supported by GDAL. The images must have a geographic |
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|
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. |
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|
</para> |
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|
</section> |
| 358 |
|
|
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|
<section><title>Properties</title> |
| 360 |
|
<para> |
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|
Each shape in a shape layer can have various properties which control |
| 362 |
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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. |
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|
</para> |
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|
</section> |
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|
|
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<section><title>Visibility</title> |
| 368 |
|
<para> |
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|
Sometimes it is not desirable to view all layers at the same time. |
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|
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 |
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|
each time the map is changed. Each layer can be independently |
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|
turned on or off using the |
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|
<menuchoice> |
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|
<guimenu>Layer</guimenu> |
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|
<guimenuitem>Show</guimenuitem> |
| 377 |
|
</menuchoice> |
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|
or |
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|
<menuchoice> |
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|
<guimenu>Layer</guimenu> |
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|
<guimenuitem>Hide</guimenuitem> |
| 382 |
|
</menuchoice> options respectively. |
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|
</para> |
| 384 |
|
</section> |
| 385 |
|
|
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|
<section><title>Sequence</title> |
| 387 |
|
<para> |
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|
</para> |
| 389 |
|
</section> |
| 390 |
|
|
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|
<section><title>Duplication</title> |
| 392 |
|
<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 |
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|
classifications by placing the type property copy over the |
| 407 |
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length property copy. |
| 408 |
|
</para> |
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|
</section> |
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|
|
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|
</chapter> |
| 412 |
|
|
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|
<chapter><title>Layer Classifications</title> |
| 414 |
|
<para> |
| 415 |
|
</para> |
| 416 |
|
|
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|
<section><title>Adding and Removing Classes</title> |
| 418 |
|
<para> |
| 419 |
|
</para> |
| 420 |
|
</section> |
| 421 |
|
|
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|
<section><title>Symbols</title> |
| 423 |
|
<para> |
| 424 |
|
</para> |
| 425 |
|
</section> |
| 426 |
|
|
| 427 |
|
<section><title>Generating Classes</title> |
| 428 |
|
<para> |
| 429 |
|
</para> |
| 430 |
|
</section> |
| 431 |
|
</chapter> |
| 432 |
|
|
| 433 |
|
<chapter><title>Projection Management</title> |
| 434 |
|
<para> |
| 435 |
|
</para> |
| 436 |
|
</chapter> |
| 437 |
|
|
| 438 |
|
<chapter><title>Table Management</title> |
| 439 |
|
<para> |
| 440 |
|
</para> |
| 441 |
|
</chapter> |
| 442 |
|
|
| 443 |
|
<chapter><title>Trouble Shooting</title> |
| 444 |
|
<para> |
| 445 |
|
</para> |
| 446 |
|
</chapter> |
| 447 |
|
|
| 448 |
|
<appendix><title>Supported Data Sources</title> |
| 449 |
|
<para> |
| 450 |
|
</para> |
| 451 |
|
</appendix> |
| 452 |
|
|
| 453 |
|
<appendix><title>Supported Projections</title> |
| 454 |
|
<para> |
| 455 |
|
</para> |
| 456 |
|
</appendix> |
| 457 |
|
|
| 458 |
</book> |
</book> |
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