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Table of Contents

Here is a detailed table of contents for Desktop GIS as it currently stands. Things may change a bit prior to publication. For more detail, see the Annotated Chapter List.

  1. Introduction
    • What is Desktop Mapping?
    • Desktop vs Server Mapping
    • Assembling a Toolkit
    • Other Mapping Options
    • What’s Ahead?
  2. Getting Started
    • The Three User Classes
    • Which are You?
    • Choosing a Platform
    • Selecting the Right Toolkit
    • Acquiring and Installing Software
    • Integration of Tools
    • Managing Software Change
    • Getting Support
    • Where to Find Data
    • Next Step
  3. Working with Vector Data
    • Viewing Data
    • Rendering a Story
    • Looking at Attribute Data
    • Advanced Viewing and Rendering
    • Making Attribute Data Work for You
  4. Working with Raster Data
    • Viewing Raster Data
    • Improving Rendering with Pyramids
    • Intelligent Rasters
  5. Digitizing and Editing Vector Data
    • Simple Digitizing
    • Editing Attribute Data
    • More Digitizing and Editing
  6. Data Formats
    • Common Formats
    • Choosing a Standard Format
    • Conversion Options
  7. Spatial Databases
    • Introduction
    • Open Source Spatial Databases
    • Getting Started with PostGIS
    • Using PostGIS and Quantum GIS
    • Using PostGIS and uDig
    • Summing It Up
  8. Creating Data
    • Digitizing
    • Importing Data
    • Converting Data
    • Using GPS Data with QGIS
    • Georeferencing an Image
  9. Projections and Coordinate Systems
    • Projection Flavors
    • Working with Projections
    • The PROJ.4 Projections Libary
    • More Resources
  10. Geoprocessing
    • Projecting Data
    • Line of Sight Analysis
    • Hydrologic Modeling
    • Creating Hillshades
    • Merging Digital Elevation Models
    • Clipping Features
  11. Using Command Line Tools
    • GMT
    • Using GDAL and OGR
    • Creating a Spatial Index for Shapefiles
    • PostGIS
  12. Getting the Most out of QGIS and GRASS Integration
    • Loading and Viewing Data
    • Editing GRASS Data with QGIS
    • Using Analysis and Conversion Tools
    • Summing it Up
  13. GIS Scripting
    • GRASS
    • QGIS
    • GDAL and OGR
    • PostGIS
  14. Writing Your Own GIS Applications
    • 14.1 Options for Writing Your Application
    • 14.2 Examples of Custom Applications
    • 14.3 How to Approach Your Own Project
  15. Survey Of Desktop Mapping Software
    • A.1 GUI Applications
    • A.2 Command Line Applications
    • A.3 Other Tools
  16. Installing Software
    • B.1 GRASS
    • B.2 OpenJump
    • B.3 Quantum GIS
    • B.4 uDig
    • B.5 GMT
    • B.6 GDAL/OGR
    • B.7 FWTools
  17. GRASS Basics
    • C.1 Location, Location, Location
    • C.2 Getting Some Data
    • C.3 Working With Data
    • C.4 Getting to Know the GUI
    • C.5 Digitizing and Editing
  18. Quantum GIS Basics
    • D.1 Vector Properties and Symbology Options
    • D.2 Project Properties
    • D.3 Map Navigation and Bookmarks
    • D.4 Plugins