Getting nerdy with the maps

[kuzinva]

I give QGIS the nod, especially for anyone that wants to do a bit more query based GIS. QGIS can read, write to ESRI shapefile, Google Earth kmz, and many other formats, such as postgres spatial objects. One can even call in Google Earth imagery within QGIS as long as you have an Internet connection and follow steps online think two sites that provide this information are:

How to Add Google Satellite Layer to QGIS 3 - GIS Tutorial

I am working on a project that requires the use of satellite imagery. Most of the time, Google Satellite is the best free satellite imagery resources. I would like to integrate Google Satellite to my QGIS3. But, how to do that? Fortunately, there is a simple and easy way to add Google Satellite...

freegistutorial.com

How to Add Google Satellite Imagery and Google Maps to QGIS – OpenSourceOptions

opensourceoptions.com

I use the GE imagery as background and discovered my county GIS publishes land parcels so I pulled the land parcels in ontop of the imagery and they line up very well! Now thinking about how to use this information to possible find new hunting areas.

 

[BTaylor]

I give QGIS the nod, especially for anyone that wants to do a bit more query based GIS. QGIS can read, write to ESRI shapefile, Google Earth kmz, and many other formats, such as postgres spatial objects. One can even call in Google Earth imagery within QGIS as long as you have an Internet connection and follow steps online think two sites that provide this information are:

How to Add Google Satellite Layer to QGIS 3 - GIS Tutorial

I am working on a project that requires the use of satellite imagery. Most of the time, Google Satellite is the best free satellite imagery resources. I would like to integrate Google Satellite to my QGIS3. But, how to do that? Fortunately, there is a simple and easy way to add Google Satellite...

freegistutorial.com

How to Add Google Satellite Imagery and Google Maps to QGIS – OpenSourceOptions

opensourceoptions.com

I use the GE imagery as background and discovered my county GIS publishes land parcels so I pulled the land parcels in ontop of the imagery and they line up very well! Now thinking about how to use this information to possible find new hunting areas.

Do you speak human?

 

[Iron_llama]

Do you speak human?

He's speaking map geek. Yo entiendo.

 

[BTaylor]

He's speaking map geek. Yo entiendo.

Well make him stop already. I mean WTH is a postgres spatula object?

 

[Fuse Dude]

Well make him stop already. I mean WTH is a postgres spatula object?

FYI these things aren't as hard as they seem and people make money off of aggregating the public databases into , for example OnX. It's time consuming to learn but easy to leverage once it's understood.

 

[BTaylor]

FYI these things aren't as hard as they seem and people make money off of aggregating the public databases into , for example OnX. It's time consuming to learn but easy to leverage once it's understood.

Is there a reason to rebuild stuff that already exist or is there some combo of features that would give a more functional map for hunting application? I dont need or really want to know how to build a map, I want to know how to better decipher what is already available.

 

[Iron_llama]

Well make him stop already. I mean WTH is a postgres spatula object?

It's a typo for PostGIS spatial objects. PostGIS is a software suite similar ESRI ArcMap or QGIS. He's saying that QGIS can "digest" geodata from ArcMap or Google Earth or Garmin or PostGIS or take your pick. You might remember the late '90s, when you needed RealPlayer and Quicktime and Windows Media Player and Flash and WinAmp and DivX and whatever else to watch videos or listen to music because everything was in proprietary formats; now you can get VLC or WMP for free and watch whatever, because these players can handle proprietary formats. When I was working with ArcMap, I didn't have the software to ingest Garmin data, so I'd have to import it into Google Earth, then convert it to .kmz, then import it to ArcMap; not so with QGIS.

Really, if you're just using OnX or Google Earth, this is sort of pointless. But if you own land, or want to show potential development, food plots, shifts in animal behavior, etc., you'll have better luck moving to a more capable system. There is a learning curve to these tools, but it's not overly onerous.

 

[Fuse Dude]

It's a typo for PostGIS spatial objects. PostGIS is a software suite similar ESRI ArcMap or QGIS. He's saying that QGIS can "digest" geodata from ArcMap or Google Earth or Garmin or PostGIS or take your pick. You might remember the late '90s, when you needed RealPlayer and Quicktime and Windows Media Player and Flash and WinAmp and DivX and whatever else to watch videos or listen to music because everything was in proprietary formats; now you can get VLC or WMP for free and watch whatever, because these players can handle proprietary formats. When I was working with ArcMap, I didn't have the software to ingest Garmin data, so I'd have to import it into Google Earth, then convert it to .kmz, then import it to ArcMap; not so with QGIS.

Really, if you're just using OnX or Google Earth, this is sort of pointless. But if you own land, or want to show potential development, food plots, shifts in animal behavior, etc., you'll have better luck moving to a more capable system. There is a learning curve to these tools, but it's not overly onerous.

What he said X2.

 

[BTaylor]

What he said X2.

You killin me

 

[BTaylor]

What he said X2.

I remember a compass in the 70's. Didnt even have a paper map just a compass. I literally own a t-shirt that says Analog, lol. So if you dont mind go a little deeper into how it is better for the things you mentioned. I have been doing all of that with onX and laying tracks. I assume you mean you can build your own layers that can be added to a map without the hiking, correct? That is sorta what I am getting from what you posted.

Edit: quoted the wrong post, the question was for @Iron_llama

 

[wmahunterfl]

I am learning to use QGIS to put mbtiles on my garmin. It use to be free on caltopo but not anymore. With QGIS I can layer contours and waypoints to make the mbtile custom maps for the garmin. I cannot believe how easy it is once you learn it. QGIS 3.28 is much easier to use than the earlier versions. You should give it a try. There are some good youtube videos that you can use for instructional purposes as well.

 

[Fuse Dude]

You killin me

The skinny on some of these topics is that, you or I, one could generate higher resolution / improved data that OnX never verified with boots on the ground. Example being contour data, some LiDar is only accurate to 3m, and that could be a hell of a fall in the morning hours.

Conversely, I could do stuff in QGis, however it is far too time consuming at this point in my life to not get paid for it.

 

[BTaylor]

The skinny on some of these topics is that, you or I, one could generate higher resolution / improved data that OnX never verified with boots on the ground. Example being contour data, some LiDar is only accurate to 3m, and that could be a hell of a fall in the morning hours.

Conversely, I could do stuff in QGis, however it is far too time consuming at this point in my life to not get paid for it.

I could see where building out specific high detail map layers could be beneficial if you were intensely managing a sizable piece of ground, esp if that ground has much terrain to it. Just not sure I see the benefit in many other applications. One place and type of layer that I think could be super beneficial for duck and deer hunting would be a set of rising water layers for river bottoms or tidal influenced areas. Being able to see water coverage and water levels rise on map could be uber beneficial. I wouldnt really want that available to the public though. Just want it for me, lol.

 

[Fuse Dude]

I could see where building out specific high detail map layers could be beneficial if you were intensely managing a sizable piece of ground, esp if that ground has much terrain to it. Just not sure I see the benefit in many other applications. One place and type of layer that I think could be super beneficial for duck and deer hunting would be a set of rising water layers for river bottoms or tidal influenced areas. Being able to see water coverage and water levels rise on map could be uber beneficial. I wouldnt really want that available to the public though. Just want it for me, lol.

Fema maps are good spitballs and coastal CRMS stations are good, additionally USGS has river gauge data. Get an excel spreadsheet setup and define the 80th and 20th percentiles. Getting that data to be realtime would be special, I ve met with a mapping group from the northeast who want to make in roads on bridge inspection with such data. It's out there.

 

[gettingstarted]

I could see where building out specific high detail map layers could be beneficial if you were intensely managing a sizable piece of ground, esp if that ground has much terrain to it. Just not sure I see the benefit in many other applications. One place and type of layer that I think could be super beneficial for duck and deer hunting would be a set of rising water layers for river bottoms or tidal influenced areas. Being able to see water coverage and water levels rise on map could be uber beneficial. I wouldnt really want that available to the public though. Just want it for me, lol.

Would mind sharing some background on how it affects the deer ? And what to look for in such areas when scouting?




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[BTaylor]

Would mind sharing some background on how it affects the deer ? And what to look for in such areas when scouting?
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In the river bottoms where I hunt the terrain at least on a topo is flat, basically no terrain lines because the changes for the most part are less than 5 feet. there are however shallow sloughs and drainages. In a rising water situation, deer are going to move towards higher ground. I also think they will use that higher ground without the rising water aspect. Being able to look at a map where you could add water layers in say 6" to 1 foot increments would highlight those just slightly higher areas that you cant really even see while walking the woods because the grade is so shallow it isnt apparent. In other words there can be say a 30 yard wide ridge, if you will, that is a couple feet higher than the surrounding area but the grade of that rise spreads out over 100-150 yards or more. It can be hard to see that difference in open woods much less in woods that are mostly cutover like where I hunt. In terrain like that water filling layers would highlight the highways animals are going to use in an otherwise terrainless landscape. Nobody really needs that, just me.

 

[BackSpasm]

I did QGIS, LiDAR, all that stuff on the main properties I hunt a few years back. It was cool and I liked making slope angle shadings and wind maps and all that…. However, at the end of the day no extra deer died as a result and boots on the ground was superior 10/10 times. Still have those maps but with new technologies like ONX terrain and 10ft contours on spartan forge with multiple different aerials built it with a swipe of the thumb, I think it’s a lot of work for a little return to teach yourself the advanced mapping unless you are just playing around fun. Just my 2 cents

 

[Iron_llama]

I remember a compass in the 70's. Didnt even have a paper map just a compass. I literally own a t-shirt that says Analog, lol. So if you dont mind go a little deeper into how it is better for the things you mentioned. I have been doing all of that with onX and laying tracks. I assume you mean you can build your own layers that can be added to a map without the hiking, correct? That is sorta what I am getting from what you posted.

Edit: quoted the wrong post, the question was for @Iron_llama

I carry a map and compass as well.

GIS tools are probably more of a pro-level thing that most users probably won't need. Let's assume that everything you see on OnX was probably developed using tools like ArcMap; QGIS is a freeware competitor of ArcMap, and kinda sits between the user-level tools and pro-level tools. You'd use GIS tools to make custom maps, or do more intricate analysis. I'm not trying to convince anybody that all hunters should use these tools; but some of us are interested in diving down this rabbit hole.

I've only ever used OnX in my GPS, off a chip; I'd imagine most people have it on their phones. So my experience is probably somewhat more limited than yours. It comes pre-loaded with a couple of base maps (topo and imagery), and different layers - political subdivisions (townships, counties, etc.), roads, property lines, property ownership, etc. You can toggle these layers on and off, depending on what you're interested in looking at. Suppose I'm hunting two public parcels a few miles apart. On OnX, I can see the terrain (at whatever level of detail the contour lines are, probably 1/3/5/10 yards, I can't recall offhand), vegetation, water, property lines, neighbors, etc.

With QGIS, I can import whatever imagery I can find. Maybe a false-color infrared will show the health of vegetation better that true-color. Maybe I want to use historical imagery to understand changes or shifts in animal behavior. Maybe I want to use historical census data to track shifts in population; if the neighborhood has blown up since the last census maybe I need to find other hunting land. Maybe I'm interested in terrain, and want to turn the basemap completely off. I can download a Digital Elevation Module (DEM) with sub-meter evolution and identify all south-facing slopes, or set fine contour lines and visualize small depressions that might hold more water. Maybe I can get data for proposed or pending new construction. I can download the roads dataset from the state DOT, and sort out paved roads from unpaved roads from minimum-maintenance roads, etc. I can download the wetlands dataset from the DNR and look at the documented details of various waters. I can use the DEM file to do viewsheds when contemplating placing cameras; I've used viewsheds to plan out potential cell cam deployments in remote areas where I had to link several together to get connectivity. Maybe I want to download the Line 3 pipeline data from the protesters who "acquired" it and see how close I am to easements.

Your surveyor, your home builder, developer, landscaper, county tax assessor, sheriff's office, park service, etc. all use GIS tools for various parts of their jobs. Essentially, I can do more detailed analysis using GIS tools than I can with user tools, even if the user tools are impressively badass. Whether or not that sort of analysis is something you want to do at all, or contract out vs learning to do it yourself, are other questions.

 

[gettingstarted]

In the river bottoms where I hunt the terrain at least on a topo is flat, basically no terrain lines because the changes for the most part are less than 5 feet. there are however shallow sloughs and drainages. In a rising water situation, deer are going to move towards higher ground. I also think they will use that higher ground without the rising water aspect. Being able to look at a map where you could add water layers in say 6" to 1 foot increments would highlight those just slightly higher areas that you cant really even see while walking the woods because the grade is so shallow it isnt apparent. In other words there can be say a 30 yard wide ridge, if you will, that is a couple feet higher than the surrounding area but the grade of that rise spreads out over 100-150 yards or more. It can be hard to see that difference in open woods much less in woods that are mostly cutover like where I hunt. In terrain like that water filling layers would highlight the highways animals are going to use in an otherwise terrainless landscape. Nobody really needs that, just me.

Hehe. I see what you mean.
Makes sense now .
Thanks

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