GIS Training with QGIS - Exercise 4: Understanding Coordinate Reference Systems

1. Landsat imagery
a) From the directory Geodata\raster\landsat load one of the tiff images.
b) Check the MetaData tab in the Properties window for this raster to determine what is the
Spatial Reference System for this raster.
c) In Settings->Project Properties choose the CRS UTM33N EPSG:32633.
2. Vector layers
a) From the directory Geodata\vector\VMAP0, load all the layers.
b) From the directory Geodata\vector\naturalearthdata.com, load the only the
countries layer. Set it's symbology to no fill color (outlines only).
c) Do the vector layers appear? Why not? Right-click on one of the vectors and choose Zoom
to layer. What happens?
d) Open the Project Properties->General tab and check “Enable on the fly projection”
e) Do the vector layer overlay in the correct location now? Set transparency to 60% for both
the veg_trees and veg_cropland layers so that the Landsat image is visible beneath
them.
f) Move the mouse around the map and examine the coordinates that appear in the status bar.
3. ASTER Digital Elevation Model
a) From the Geodata\raster\ASTER directory load the ASTGDM_dem.tif digital
elevation model layer. Open the Properties window, Metadata tab and check the CRS for
this layer.
b) Switch to the Symbology tab, and select Pseudocolor for the colormap. Also move this
layer in the Table of Contents below the vector layers.
c) Now right-click on the layer and choose Zoom to layer extent. Does it appear
correctly? Why not?
d) Open the Project Properties and change the project CRS back to WGS84 (EPSG:4326).
Again right-click on the ASTGDM_dem layer and again select Zoom to layer extent.
What happens? Do the vector layers overlay correctly? Can both rasters, in different CRS,
appear together? Click the Zoom full button to examine the results. Examine the
coordinates in the status bar while moving the mouse around the map.
e) Again open the Project Properties windows and revert back to the UTM33N coordinate
reference system (EPSG:32633). Click the Zoom full button again to examine the results.
What displays? What does not?