This course is based on the book QGIS for Hydrological Applications, 2nd Edition. This course is designed for professionals active in hydrology and water management, especially those involved in using simulation models for water management and performing GIS analysis. However, the course is also suitable for beginners in QGIS who want to learn GIS concepts and QGIS features in a problem based learning manner.
The course has 7 lessons. Each lesson introduces a case, followed by GIS theory with videos and quizzes. The lessons conclude with styling recipes introducing the many features that QGIS offers. These concluding styling sections provide a solid foundation in the robust cartographic capabilities found within QGIS. Topics such as inverted polygon shapeburst fills, advanced label settings, and blending modes are covered. After each lesson the knowledge is assessed through an assignment.
The first lesson covers georeferencing and digitizing of vectors, in the second lesson you will learn how to import spreadsheets, join and edit attribute tables, and interpolate point data to raster. Lesson 3 covers map algebra for spatial analysis. Different raster data types (Boolean, discrete, and continuous) are used in calculations, such as proximity analysis, reclassification, and Boolean logic. The Raster Calculator and functions in the Processing Toolbox are introduced.
The most common use of GIS for professionals in hydrology and water management is covered in Lesson 4 where you will be guided through the procedure to perform stream and catchment delineation. Lesson 5 proceeds with showing how to add open data to the delineated catchment. Lesson 6 you will learn to calculate the percentages of land cover for each subcatchment. While going through the steps this lesson will also introduce vector geoprocessing functions such as intersect and dissolve. The lesson concludes with using the Data Plotly plugin for making pie charts. The course concludes with designing a well crafted map in the print composer.
