Here is a detailed English summary of the presentation **“GIS Software
Installation and First Steps”** by **Thomas Bauer and Franz Suppan**, from the
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU):

This is Part 1.2 of the Geodata Management Course.

### **1. Overview of GIS Software**

The presentation begins with a comparison of **commercial** and **open-source
GIS software** options:

#### **Commercial GIS Software (Selection):**

-   **ESRI ArcGIS** – Widely used in the industry.

-   **Hexagon GeoMedia**

-   **MapInfo**

-   **Manifold**

-   **TNTgis (MicroImages)**

-   **GE Smallworld**

Additional resources for exploring GIS software:

-   [GIS Lounge](https://www.gislounge.com/gis-software-applications/)

-   [Geo-IT Database (German)](https://www.geobranchen.de/geo-it-datenbank)

#### **Open Source GIS Software:**

-   **QGIS** – Most popular and well-supported.

-   **GRASS GIS** – Advanced geoprocessing.

-   **SAGA GIS** – Specializes in terrain analysis.

-   Supported and promoted by [OSGeo](http://www.osgeo.org/)

#### **WebGIS Platforms (simplified tools):**

Examples include Google Earth, Bing Maps, and OpenStreetMap. These platforms
allow basic operations like data editing and map creation.

### **2. Advantages and Disadvantages of Open Source GIS**

#### **Advantages:**

-   **Free**: No license fees or registration.

-   Cross-platform compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android.

-   Open source: Users can create custom functions.

-   Growing user community and plugin support.

-   High compatibility with different data formats.

-   Interfaces to other tools like GRASS or SAGA.

#### **Disadvantages:**

-   **Instability/Bugs** in some applications.

-   Too many versions can lead to compatibility issues.

-   Documentation often outdated.

-   Complex database setup.

-   Some standard tools need additional plugins.

-   Limited tools for quality control and data repair.

-   Minimal 3D support.

### **3. Focus on QGIS**

**QGIS** is highlighted as the main open-source GIS platform:

-   Licensed under the **GNU General Public License**.

-   Developed by a global community.

-   Website: [www.qgis.org](http://www.qgis.org/)

#### **Versions:**

-   **Long Term Release (LTR)** – Stable, suited for enterprise use.

-   **Current version** – Includes latest features and experimental tools.

### **4. Installation & Setup Instructions**

-   QGIS can be downloaded from the official website.

-   Users are encouraged to seek support via the **BOKUlearn discussion forum**.

-   Geodata needed for exercises should be downloaded and extracted (e.g., on
    BOKU lab computers: `D:\SmartCropFarming2020`).

### **5. QGIS User Interface and First Steps**

#### **Graphical User Interface (GUI) Elements:**

1.  **Menu Bar**

2.  **Toolbars**

3.  **Layer Panel**

4.  **Map Window**

5.  **Status Bar**

GUI customization is possible via the **View** menu.

### **6. Working with Data in QGIS**

#### **Loading Vector Data:**

-   Data might have encoding issues; users may need to experiment with encodings
    to correctly display text attributes.

#### **Attribute Table:**

-   Stores all non-spatial data (e.g., names, IDs).

-   Used for visual representation (symbols, labels).

#### **Coordinate Reference System (CRS):**

-   The first dataset loaded determines the project’s CRS.

-   EPSG codes (e.g., EPSG:4326) are used to define CRS.

-   CRS can be changed later if necessary.

### **7. Map Navigation and Layer Handling**

#### **Toolbars:**

-   Include zooming, panning, measurement tools, and information queries.

#### **Layer Context Menu (Right-Click):**

Options include:

-   Zoom to Layer

-   Remove Layer

-   Set CRS

-   Open Attribute Table

-   Toggle Editing Mode

-   Save as (export)

-   Filter data

-   Layer Properties

### **8. Layer Properties**

Accessible via right-click \> **Properties**:

-   **Source**: Change name or CRS, restrict by attribute queries.

-   **Symbology**: Define symbols, colors, and rendering styles.

-   **Labels**: Automatically display names or values using attribute fields.

-   **Fields**: Add, delete, or edit columns in the attribute table.

-   **Joins**: Combine tables based on a key field.

-   **Diagrams**: Create visual representations of attribute values.

-   **Metadata**: Documentation for datasets.

Special options:

-   Graduated rendering (e.g., population levels).

-   Symbol selector with multi-level symbols.

### **9. Saving Work in QGIS**

-   All project settings are saved in a `.QGS` file.

-   Geodata files remain unchanged on the disk.

-   Maps can be exported in image formats (TIFF, JPEG, etc.) for reports and
    presentations.

### **Contact Information:**

**Institute of Geomatics, BOKU Vienna**  
Peter-Jordan-Straße 82, 1190 Vienna  
Email: <geomatics@boku.ac.at>  
Website:
[rali.boku.ac.at/geomatics.html](http://www.rali.boku.ac.at/geomatics.html)

Let me know if you'd like this summary formatted as a Word document or adapted
into slides.
