Monitoring and Evaluating Programs and Projects Using GIS

GIS Software Installation and Test Drive for Windows PCTime to Complete: 10-20 minutes Depending on your download speed Step 1: Download the GIS software QGIS 1.8 from website: Note – Sp

How to use GIS to support M&E

systems for sustainable programs and projects

Robert Catherman

Director of Safe Water Development MEDRIX™

-June 2013 Edition E.2.12

Monitoring and Evaluating Programs and Projects Using

GIS

How to use GIS to support M&E systems for

sustainable programs and projects

Robert Catherman Director of Safe Water Development - MEDRIX™

June 2013 Edition E.2.12

The purpose of this handbook is to provide a standardized source of information for developing and operating a Monitoring and Evaluation System using Geographic

Information System outputs to display program and project outcomes

This handbook includes:

• Part One: General understanding of the principles of monitoring and evaluation

(M&E) systems

• Part Two: Instructions for creating GIS maps supporting an M&E system

• Part Three: Instructions for preparing M&E reports

• Annexes: Information and forms referenced in the main sections of the

including corrections and updates For example, the edition number “E.2.3” indicates this is the second English version released for publication with three levels of minor revisions The edition number “V.2.2” indicates this is the Vietnamese translation of the English version E.2.2

This handbook is designed to permit you, the user, to update pictures and information toreflect the realities in your part of the world Feel free to substitute your own digital pictures to make the information more relevant to readers in your region

Your feedback about this handbook is welcome Improving the quality of open source documents is the responsibility of all who use the information

Submit suggestions and recommended changes for this handbook to:

Director of Safe Water Development

MEDRIX

PO Box 178

Redmond, WA 98073 USA

office@medrix.org

Include the edition number of this handbook in any communications.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 License To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 543 Howard Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, California,

94105, USA

You are free:

• to Share to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work

• to Remix to make derivative works

Under the following conditions:

• Attribution You must attribute the work to MEDRIX as the original creator and refer

users to the MEDRIX website at www.medrix.org

• Share Alike If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the

resulting work only under a license identical to this one

• For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of thiswork

Any of these conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder

Disclaimer

This publication is based on the collective experience of MEDRIX in monitoring and evaluating the software, methods and procedures described herein While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this work, any judgments as to the suitability

of information for the reader’s purposes are the reader’s responsibility MEDRIX does not extend any warranties, and assumes no responsibility, for the suitability of this

information or the consequences of its use

Dr Joe Hannah, of faculty of Geography Department at University of Washington, my instructor in GEOG

360 who taught me principles of map making and how to effectively use GIS technology as well as shared frequent consultations over coffee during the development of this project.

Student Team A from University of Washington class GEOG 335, Service Learning Project, helped with the idea formulation and rough drafts of the first maps: students Geoffrey Morgan, Rahima Niyazova and Robert Sepler.

Student Team B from University of Washington class GEOG 469, Senior project, converted the ArcGIS instructions into instructions for using QGIS open source software: students Alyssa Knight, Duc Chi Du, Mike Ridgely, Pao Thao, and Thanh Nguyen And thanks to Dr Sarah Elwood and graduate student Joe Eckert for overseeing the 2011 Senior Project work.

Staff of Preventative Medicine department of Health Services, Thua Thien – Hue province, Vietnam, reviewed and critiqued the initial drafts and provided valuable input regarding data collection methods Special thanks to Dr Tu, Vice Director, for his enthusiastic support of the idea.

Mrs Phạm Thị Thu Hà of MEDRIX staff in Hanoi, Vietnam, who prepared and refined the data collection forms, translating the English into Vietnamese.

Ms Nguyễn Thị Tằm of IREB, Hue, Vietnam, provided translation help early in the project and

co-authored an article for a joint Vietnamese-Korean conference held in Hue, Vietnam when these ideas were first aired to the general public.

Ms Hoàng Ngọc Tường Vy, software engineer in Hue, Vietnam, who had no prior knowledge of GIS, carefully tested the accuracy and readability of the English instructions for creating the QGIS maps, corrected errors and made helpful suggestions for revisions

Dr Nguyễn Thụy Thị Hồng, while a PhD candidate at Washington State University, gave the instructions a thorough test, corrected some errors, and made numerous insightful suggestions for improving

readability She also began translation of the instructions from English into Vietnamese.

Mr Dewey Calfee, reviewer extraordinaire, painstakingly followed these instructions to the letter and uncovered omitted steps, clarified imprecise wording and rewrote the introduction, all after starting from ground zero in learning to use GIS.

Student Team C from University of Washington class of 2012 GEOG 469, capstone project, investigated the capabilities and limitations of converting from desktop-based GIS software to on-line cloud-based GIS software - students Thong Nguyen and Thảo Vũ Thanks to Dr Timothy Nyerges for overseeing the Senior Project work.

Ms Thảo Vũ, BA from UW in 2012, who worked as a summer intern at MEDRIX and completed the mapping case study included in Chapter 17.

Student Team D from University of Washington class of 2013 GEOG 469, capstone project, revised formatting to improve readability and added new material - students Anthony Caratao,

Dan Kim and Matt Peterson Thanks to Dr Timothy Nyerges for overseeing their work.

Chapter 1: Introduction 1

Part 1: General Principles of M&E 2

Chapter 2: About Monitoring and Evaluation Systems 3

Chapter 3 Integrating M&E and Geographic Information Systems 5

Chapter 4: Deciding if M&E-GIS is Appropriate for Your Situation 8

Chapter 5: Developing an M&E-GIS System for your Situation 9

Part 2: Creating Maps Supporting M&E Systems 13

13

Chapter 6: Selecting GIS Software 14

Chapter 7: GIS Terminology 16

Chapter 8: Locating GIS Maps 19

Chapter 9: Creating a Reference Map 21

Chapter 10: Defining the Data Requirements and Key Indicators 36

Chapter 11: Defining the Data Collection Process 38

Chapter 12: Designing and Creating the Data Input Table 43

Chapter 13: Training the Data Input Staff and Updating Field Reports 47

Chapter 14: Determining Latitude and Longitude Coordinates 49

Chapter 15: Creating the Thematic Map 54

Part 3: Preparing M&E Reports 84

Chapter 16: Preparing the Working Project Reporting Maps 85

Chapter 17: Case Study of M&E for a Medical Education Project 92

Chapter 18: Continuation of GIS Use 110

Part 4: ANNEX 111

Annex A: Installing Quantum GIS on Mac 112

Annex B: References 114

Annex C: Intermediate Outcome Measurement 115

Chapter 1:

Introduction

Maps are familiar to most of us – maps are like good friends that help us find our way and orient us to our surroundings On maps, we can easily see that “this is here and that is there” and we can gain a sense of the distance and direction between “here and there”

In this handbook, we will challenge you to take a slightly different view of maps We will

be asking maps to help us think – think about items that have a spatial component as

one of their many attributes Specifically, we want to think about how we can monitor and evaluate the activities of a specific project so we can document positive outcomes, increase sustainability and develop effective solutions to problems we discover For example, we want to think about finding some effective methods of keeping the water treatment systems in some rural schools in good working order, repairing the systems that are broken and planning preventative maintenance to complete in the future In this handbook, we will examine some ways we can use maps to define, measure and

display project outcomes

To reach our destination, we’ll explore the technical topic of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) methods that are used worldwide in many development projects And we’ll use the technical tools of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to help us reach our goals

This handbook is not intended to be a comprehensive text on either M&E or GIS

Excellent sources of information and instruction on both topics are referenced in each section of this handbook The intent of this handbook is to provide a step-by-step guide

to developing a combined M&E-GIS system and to emphasis some key points that apply to reaching this goal Some of the key points come from lessons learned from experience with this methodology and some points come from taking advantage of specific features of M&E and GIS that support the goal we are working toward

Let’s begin our journey

Chapter Objectives

• Understanding the approach of this Handbook

• Introducing Monitoring and Evaluation using GIS

Part 1:

General Principles of M&E

Chapter 2:

About Monitoring and Evaluation Systems

What is Monitoring and Evaluation?

Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is a powerful management tool that can be used to improve the way governments and organizations achieve results Just as governments and organizations need financial, human resource, and audit systems, they also need good performance feedback systems

Monitoring is the process of data collection and measurement of progress toward program objectives

Evaluation is the periodic assessment of changes in desired outcomes that can be

attributable to a program’s interventions

Recent history of M&E

Recent years have seen an evolution in the field of monitoring and evaluation These changes have involved a movement away from traditional implementation-based

approaches and toward new results-based approaches Governments and

organizations may successfully implement programs or policies but have they actually produced the intended results? Have government and organizations delivered on

promises made to their stakeholders? For example, it is not enough to simply implementhealth programs and assume that successful implementation is equivalent to actual improvements in public health It is important to examine if outcomes and impacts were achieved The introduction of a results-based M&E system takes decision makers one-step further in assessing if and how goals are being achieved over time These systems help to answer the all-important “so what” questions and respond to stakeholder’s growing demands for results

How does M&E work?

M&E is important tool targeting two key elements to any development project –

effectiveness and sustainability In the ideal situation, M&E should span the life cycle of the project providing a continuing stream of data and feedback In the initial stages of the project, M&E can aid in developing and clarifying the goals and objectives Once theproject reaches operational status, M&E can promote greater transparency and

Chapter Objectives

• Learning about Monitoring and Evaluation and its benefits

• Exploring the applications of M&E

accountability within organizations Feedback from M&E during project execution meansadjustments can be made to improve the prospect of sustaining successful outcomes And, finally, using M&E techniques means that determining a project’s success or failuredoes not have to wait until project completion and final reporting.

Some ideas for creating an effective M&E system

There is no consensus on how many steps are necessary to build an effective M&E system Kusek and Rist, in Ten Steps to a Results-based Monitoring and Evaluation System, 2004 describe a step-by-step approach that has been used in a number of developing countries in the design and construct of M&E systems

Step One: Conducting a Readiness Assessment

Step Two: Agreeing on Outcomes to Monitor and Evaluate

Step Three: Developing Key Indicators to Monitor Outcomes

Step Four: Gathering Baseline Data on Indicators.

Step Five: Planning for Improvements—Setting Realistic Targets

Step Six: Monitoring for Results

Step Seven: Evaluative Information to Support Decision-making

Step Eight: Analyzing and Reporting Findings

Step Nine: Using the Findings

Step Ten: Sustaining the M&E System within the Organization

GIS - A missing but useful tool

Step Eight of this ten-step approach addresses “reporting findings” and suggests the use of “visual presentations—charts, graphs, and maps” Examples of charts and

graphs are included; and although maps are mentioned, no examples of using maps to report M&E findings are included

This author’s experience is that using maps to present M&E results is one of the most effective methods of communicating outcomes in a way that is easily understood by many people from various backgrounds The purpose of this article is to address some ways to use GIS maps for effective communication in support of the M&E process

Summary

The Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) management tool can improve the prospects of achieving desired outcomes for any project Adding a GIS-based map output for the M&E results can improve the communications of results to management, stakeholders and end-users

Additional information about M&E

Ten Steps to a Results-based Monitoring and Evaluation System, Kusek and Rist,

Chapter 3

Integrating M&E and Geographic Information Systems

Why use maps to communicate a message?

Maps are a compact and elegant method of communicating information With a designed map, a reader should be able to quickly interpret the displayed information without assistance Today, the most efficient and effective method of producing maps that communicate your message is with a computer-based Geographic Information System

well-What is GIS?

A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a system designed to capture, store,

manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographically referenced data

In the simplest terms, GIS is the merging of cartography, statistical analysis, and

database technology

History of M&E-GIS development

Maps have been used in monitoring and evaluation systems long before computers andtechnical names for processes were developed One of the early adapters in 1854 was

Dr John Snow who depicted a cholera outbreak in London using points plotted on a map to represent the locations of individual deaths from cholera His study of the

distribution of cholera deaths led Dr Snow to propose that the source of the disease was a contaminated water pump, the Broad Street Pump, whose handle he had

removed in an effort to curtail the spread of the cholera outbreak

See Figure 3.1 for an example of the type of map Snow used in the 1850s.

While the basic elements of topography and theme existed previously in cartography, the John Snow map was unique, using cartographic methods not only to depict but also

to analyze clusters of geographically dependent phenomena Dr Snow’s use of a map

to display the data he had collected is similar to the method we are proposing in this handbook

The best book on the story of Dr Snow is named “The Ghost Map.”

The author of the book, Steven Johnson, has prepared an excellent video summarizing

Chapter Objectives

• Understanding how M&E integrates with GIS

• Exploring the applications of GIS

the message of his book, which you should watch This video is available on YouTube at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P8shnNEXb4

If the link is dead, search YouTube for “Steven Johnson The Ghost Map” and you

should be able to find a short video that provides a summary on the book

Figure 3.1 E W Gilbert's version (1958) of John Snow's 1855 map of the cholera outbreak

showing the clusters of cholera cases in the London epidemic of 1854.

Recent history of GIS

In the past several decades, most map making has moved from hand drawn maps to maps produced by computers using specialty software and taking advantage of

connected printers for output

How can M&E and GIS work together?

M&E and GIS have a fundamental difference: M&E is temporally focused – measuring changes and outcomes occurring over time and GIS is spatially oriented – identifying

into one tool that will display useful information in support of a successful outcome for the project How we accomplish this depends heavily on selecting appropriate,

meaningful data for monitoring the project

Summary

At this juncture, a good understanding of M&E is critical before deciding to proceed further GIS can be learned “on the way” if you decide to move forward The following chapters will help you build your knowledge and skills and offer guidance in developing

an M&E-GIS system

Chapter 4:

Deciding if M&E-GIS is Appropriate for Your Situation

Define your purpose:

After reading the introduction information in the previous chapters, it is now time to begin thinking if using an M&E-GIS approach to monitoring and evaluation is

appropriate for your situation

At this point, you should write a four or five sentence description of your project and your goals for monitoring and evaluation What benefits will your organization receive that will be a good return on your investment of time and effort?

Preliminary evaluation questions to ask

• Does the project to be monitored and evaluated have discrete geographic points

or areas where activities and outcomes are measured? In other words, does yourproject have a spatial orientation?

• Has an M&E system already been developed for this project? If yes, then does the data already collected have spatial parameters (coordinates) attached to each sampled data point? If not, would it be possible to determine the location ofeach data collection point?

• Is there support within your organization and user community for a map-based monitoring and evaluation reporting system?

• Is the use of GIS new to your organization?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then consider taking a test drive of the M&E-GIS method used in this book before you decide to continue

Chapter Objectives

• Defining the goals of your project

• Performing the initial evaluation process

Chapter 5:

Developing an M&E-GIS System for your Situation

Deciding whether to proceed:

At this point, you should have an elementary understanding of the principles of

monitoring and evaluation As stated earlier, this handbook is not designed to be a tutorial on M&E – excellent tutorials are available on the Internet in a variety of

languages In addition, you should now have some basic familiarity with GIS Again, thishandbook is not designed to be a GIS tutorial – such tutorials are prepared for the different computer-based GIS systems, e.g., ESRI, QGIS, MapInfo, etc

You will need a method for documenting the decisions you make related to this project and the data you decide to collect and analyze The following form is useful for

remembering all the questions to ask and recording your agreements on the answers before you launch into your project Each chapter that follows will contribute to your M&E - GIS project design

Now is a good time to fill in the first two sections of the form from the Project Name through Intended Audiences and Language blocks The remaining blocks will be filled in

as your work through the remainder of this handbook - we’ll remind you along the way

to preserve your answers, research and decisions at each step of the way

Chapter Objectives

• Deciding what method to document the project decisions

• Choosing a model or format that will best fit your situation

• Evaluating sources of data and collection process

Form 1: M&E - GIS Project Data

Project name: Organization Name: Your name:

Project due date: Key contacts: Key stakeholders:

Project description:

Benefits to organization:

Intended audience(s) and languages:

GIS software used: (6)

Map file sources: (7)

Key indicators: (9)

Data sources, responsible persons and frequency of collection: (9,10)

Project name:

Describe the outcome maps expected

including size of area covered: (12)

What question does this map answer?

Comments:

Developing an M&E system must involve cooperation between stakeholders in the project Keep in mind the M&E-GIS methodology and advocate for features that will be needed to create a successful M&E-GIS system Advocate for collecting spatial data such as location coordinates as an important attribute of the data collection task.

Have some examples of what M&E-GIS outputs that might be appropriate for your situation Do some work ahead so you’ll have some examples

One model to use in developing your own M&E-GIS system follows a “past, present, future” format

The M&E-GIS system package is a series of three maps:

• A “current” map showing the current status of each reporting entity e.g., school, health clinic, well, food distribution center, etc

• A “past” map, that illustrates the work completed since the last report

• A “future” map showing the work to be done before the next report is due, e.g., repairs, new installations, training, etc

This 3-stage model has many similarities to an accounting model:

• The current map is a balance sheet showing the current level of accounts at a specific moment in time

• The past map is similar to a financial statement of revenues and expenses for activities during the prior reporting period

• The future map is similar to a budget which is the plan for activity in the

upcoming accounting period

Persons who are familiar with standard accounting reports should find this model of an M&E-GIS map-based reporting system easy to understand

Other conceptual models may be a better fit for your project The most important

principle to remember is that you are using key indicators to map outcomes that tell a story the map model is only the method of displaying the outcomes You are free to create your own model mapping outcomes

The next step is to create your own conceptual model and make a rough sketch of outcome maps on paper

Summary

By now you should be having some ideas of what your project’s outcome maps will look like You should have some key information on the Project Form that will start the M&E -GIS design process that will work for your project

Part 2:

Creating Maps

Supporting M&E

Chapter 6:

Selecting GIS Software

If you have reached this point in the handbook, we’ll assume you have decided to

explore the details of how to create maps to support your M&E system Or maybe you want to focus only on creating maps – the following will help you work toward either goal

Geographic Information Systems

When evaluating which GIS software will work for your organization, some important factors to consider include: cost, ease of learning, as well as capabilities of the GIS software application to meet your needs

Developing a useful M&E-GIS system will require the services of a knowledgeable GIS technician Although is it possible for many people with some information technology experience to learn to use GIS, your time and availability requirements may require finding a person who already has well-developed GIS skills

Commercially available GIS software

Powerful commercially available GIS systems are available after paying a licensing fee, which can be quite expensive The most popular GIS software in the US is ArcGIS from Esri A down-loadable trial version is available for evaluation

In other regions of the world, different GIS software applications are “local favorites” Check with the geography department of a local college or university to see what

commercial GIS software is most commonly used in your area

Open-source GIS software

If high licensing costs are a barrier to an organization's use of GIS software, a variety of open-source (free) GIS software is available for download from the Internet One of the most popular, powerful and easy-to-learn open-source GIS applications is Quantum GIS(QGIS) which provides data viewing, editing, and analysis capabilities QGIS can be downloaded from the website http://www.qgis.org/

Chapter Objectives

• Evaluating suitable GIS software for your situation

• Learning to use GIS software

On-line GIS software

The field of on-line GIS software is presently undergoing significant development and advancement At this time, the two most prominent sources of free versions of online GIS (open systems) are both provided by commercial GIS software suppliers - probably introducing their product with a free version with limited capabilities in hopes that users will eventually upgrade to their fee-based versions with full capabilities The two

companies that offer free on-line GIS capabilities are:

• ESRI at http://www.arcgis.com/home/index.html

• GeoCommons at http://www.geocommons.com

Expect more vendors to provide free, limited capability versions of their on-line GIS software The expectation of open-source versions of on-line GIS software is limited because of the cost and support requirements of maintaining a cloud-computing

environment without an income revenue stream

Learning how to use GIS software

Most GIS software applications have a tutorial available online that will help the GIS technician learn to use the features of the application Look for a tutorial online

Attribute: A characteristic of a geographic feature, typically stored in tabular format and linked

to the feature in a relational database The attributes of a well-represented point might include

an identification number, address, and type.

VECTOR: A representation of the world using points, lines, and polygons Vector models are

useful for storing data that has discrete boundaries, such as district, province, and commune borders, land parcels, and streets.

RASTER: A representation of the world as a surface divided into a regular grid of cells Raster

models are useful for storing data that varies continuously, as in aerial photos, a satellite image, land cover, or an elevation surface Raster file formats include JPEG, TIF, GEOTIF, and BMP.

Figure 7.1: Comparison of Vector and Raster representations P = pine forest trees, S = spruce forest Chapter Objectives

• Getting familiar with common terms used in GIS

LAYER: A layer is a slice or portion of the geographic reality in a particular area and is more or

less equivalent to a legend item on a paper map On a road map, for example, roads, national parks, political boundaries, and rivers might be considered different layers.

Figure 7.2: This image shows the different layers as slices of a geographic feature that can be laid atop

one another for viewing or spatial analysis.

COORDINATE SYSTEM: A reference framework consisting of a set of points, lines, and/or

surfaces, and a set of rules, used to define the positions of points in space in either two or three dimensions The Cartesian coordinate system and the geographic coordinate system used on

the earth's surface are common examples of coordinate systems In the exercises found in this

handbook, we use the WGS84 coordinate system

MAP SCALE: The ratio or relationship between a distance or area on a map and the

corresponding distance or area on the ground, commonly expressed as a fraction or ratio A map scale of 1/100,000 or 1:100,000 means that one unit of measure on the map equals

100,000 of the same unit on the earth

RESOLUTION: The detail with which a map depicts the location and shape of geographic

features The larger the map scale, the higher the possible resolution As scale decreases, resolution diminishes and feature boundaries must be smoothed, simplified, or not shown at all; for example, small areas may have to be represented as points

SHAPEFILE: A vector data storage format for storing the location, shape, and attributes of

geographic features A shapefile is stored in a set of related files and contains one feature class.

BUFFER: A zone around a map feature measured in units of distance or time A buffer is useful

for proximity analysis.

CLIP: A command that extracts features from one feature class that reside entirely within a

boundary defined by features in another feature class.

REFERENCE MAP: A map designed to show where geographic features are in relation to each

other

THEMATIC MAP: A map designed to convey information about a single topic or theme, such as

population density or geology

CHOROPLETH MAP: A thematic map in which areas are distinctly colored or shaded to

represent classed values of a particular phenomenon.

DOT DENSITY MAP: A quantitative, thematic map on which dots of the same size are randomly

placed in proportion to a numeric attribute associated with an area Dot density maps convey the intensity of an attribute.

INSET MAP: A small map set within a larger map An inset map might show a detailed part of

the map at a larger scale or be the extent of the existing map drawn at smaller scale within the context of a larger area

Chapter 8:

Locating GIS Maps

After you select an appropriate GIS software application and a person to be the GIS technician, the next step is to locate digital maps for the project area of interest to you and your organization

One useful source of digital maps for M&E-GIS systems is the website for GADM

Database of Global Administrative Areas which can be accessed at

http://www.gadm.org/ Another useful site containing data for roads, rivers, population data, etc is http://www.diva-gis.org/gdata

GADM is a spatial database of the location of the world's administrative areas (or

administrative boundaries) for use in GIS software The coordinate reference system is latitude/longitude and the WGS84 datum These maps contain up to 5 levels of

5: Urban districts (quận) are subdivided into wards (phường).

Digital maps can be downloaded from the GADM website by country

Chapter Objectives

• Learning where to find appropriate GIS maps

Locate a source of digital maps that fit your purpose

At this point, fill in your map source choices on the Project Form in the box titled “Map file sources” on page 10

The size of the area covered by a reference map is defined by the area covered by the project being monitored Include enough area so the reader can orient to the area but not so much area that data points will become “lost” on a map that covers too large a region

Tips

Exercise care in selecting how many detailed features to include on the reference map Features should be included that will assist the user in interpreting the main topic of the map – the theme of the map Features that do not add to the user’s understanding should be omitted The simpler the map, the better; maps cluttered with too much detail can detract from the message you want to communicate

More details will be added to the map in Chapter 15 when we create the Thematic Map layer; at that time we will add the unique data related to the specific project you are monitoring

References:

The GADM website is an excellent source of digital reference maps of regional

boundaries (also called administrative areas) and was described in Chapter 8

Detailed instructions for creating a reference map can be found in Exercise 3 of this

Chapter Objectives

• Installing QGIS software

• Downloading digital maps

• Load maps into QGIS

Example: A base reference map for one province might look like this:

Figure 9.1: Base Map of Thua-Thien Hue province with counties

Take a test drive

Now is a good time for you to try a quick “test drive” of a GIS application to get a feel forthe difficulty level, power of the software, amount of effort required and the usefulness ofwhat you can produce The following instructions will help you download the software, set the program to read Vietnamese accent marks, and create a province-level

reference map

Exercise 1:

GIS Software Installation and Test Drive for Windows PC

Time to Complete: 10-20 minutes (Depending on your download speed)

Step 1: Download the GIS software QGIS 1.8 from website:

Note – Special instructions for Mac users can be found in Annex A

http://www.qgis.org/wiki/Download (Choose Stand Alone Installer)

Install the QGIS program by following the instructions on the website

Step 2: Select Plug-ins

Start QGIS

Select from menu option Plug-ins > Manage plug-ins > Clear All

Check the box for Add Delimited Text Label Check the box for fTools

Click OK Select from menu option File > Exit

Step 3: Adjusting the Batch File to read Special Characters

Start Notepad

Click Start > Programs > Accessories

Right click on Notepad > Select Run as Administrator > Click Yes Select menu option File > Open > Browse to the folder >

Program Files\Quantum GIS Lisboa\bin

Change the file extension search from “Text Documents” to “All Files”

Open the Windows Batch File named “qgis”

Now add the following line to the batch file in the third line to set an environment

variable:

TIP: Once you get further along and you look at Vietnamese label names in shapefiles,

you will see many question marks where accented letters should be QGIS does not store data with correct Vietnamese accent marks unless a change is made to the batchfile that launches QGIS To have all the text attributes in shapefiles encoded as UTF-8,

do the following:

Exercise Objectives

• Learn how to download QGIS

• Create a reference map of Thua Thien-Hua Province

SET SHAPE_ENCODING=UTF-8

When done the batch file should look like this:

Select from menu option File > Save > Exit

Now you can save text strings stored correctly without the question marks

Step 4: Changing the language

Start QGIS

Choose menu option Settings > Options

Select the Locale tab > Settings >

Click Override System Locale

locale select an alternate language to use

Select File > Exit Start QGIS again

You should now see QGIS is the new language you selected

Step 5: Download administrative maps

Create a new folder on your computer for this project– name the new folder

“TT-Hue-Province”

Create a sub-folder in this new project folder named VN-Maps

TIP: It is possible to change the language of QGIS from English to another language

such as Vietnamese However, since translation is the work of volunteers, the

translation may be one or two versions behind the current version of QGIS New

commands and options that have not yet been translated will still appear but in

English

Download the administrative maps from the GADM website at

After the download finishes, copy and paste the ZIP file into the folder

named VN-Maps that you created earlier Extract the compressed ZIP files into the folder named VN-Maps

(Note: If you need help with this step, a reliable open-source program for uncompressing files is 7-Zip you can download at http://www.7-zip.org/)

Step 6: Add a layer for provinces

Start QGIS

Select menu option File > New project Select Add Vector Layer icon

Browse folder VN-Maps for file VNM_adm3.shp

Select Open > Open

Right click on the layer named VNM_adm3

Select Rename

Change the name to Province

Step 7: Adjust province layer properties to select one province of interest

Right click the Province layer and select Properties

Select General tab Click Query Builder button

Double click ID_2 in Fields box

Click “=” button

Click All button in Values box Double Click 48

Click OK > Apply > OK

Step 8: Zoom to province level

Right click the Province layer

Select Zoom to Layer Extent

Step 9: Change the fill color and add the names of the districts

Right click the Province layer and select Properties

Select Style tab Click color Change button Choose a color you like > OK Apply > OK

Select main menu option Layer > Labeling

Check “X” in box on left of Label this Layer with

Choose Label this layer with = VARNAME_3 Select Size = 12

Apply > OK

Step 10: Save your project

Select menu option File > Save Project As

Name your project “Test-Drive”

Save your project to your “TT-Hue-Province” folder

Select menu option File > Exit

These few instructions should produce a simple reference map of Thua Thien-Hue province that looks similar to the following map:

Questions to ask yourself after your test drive

• Does this GIS application fit within the existing capabilities of your organization? Too complex? Too time-consuming?

• When you compare the purpose statement you wrote earlier with your

experience with the “test drive”, did you envision some ways an M&E-GIS systemwould be useful in monitoring and evaluation the outcomes of your project?

• Does this look like something your organization is already doing?

• Will presenting information using map-based outputs add value to your project?

Summary

You may feel like a need to learn more about GIS before going further If this is the case, you can download a GIS tutorial from the Internet or read an introduction to GIS book and learn more about this topic A good place to begin to locate available

resources is use an on-line search

You have reached an important point in evaluating this proposed M&E-GIS system solution – the point where you decide to go ahead or to stop

Exercise 2:

How to take a screenshot

Time to Complete: 10 Minutes

This quick exercise will teach you how to create a screenshot on your computer runningWindows Software Taking a screenshot can be helpful because it allows you to save, annotate, or share an image of whatever appears on your computer screen For

example, if you’re having an issue with software operation or errors, it can be helpful to take a screenshot of the situation and email it to your instructor for help You could also take a screenshot of your completed assignments to share with your instructor for

approval

For Windows XP or older

Step 1: Press the “Print Screen” key on your keyboard It may be labeled “PrtScn”

Step 2: Start Microsoft Paint

Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > Paint

Step 3: (Optional) Crop out unnecessary portions of the image

If your image contains unnecessary portions you wish to omit, you may crop those portions out of your image before you save your screenshot

Click the “Select Tool” from the left sidebar It looks like a dotted-line rectangle and drag the tool on the image to select your desired area

TIP: Some keyboards or mobile PC’s that don’t have the “Print Screen” button might use

other keyboard combinations, such as FN+INSERT, to take a screen capture Check the information that came with your computer or the manufacturer’s website for more

information

Exercise Objectives

• Learning how to create a screenshot with Windows software

Step 4: Save your Screenshot

Select from menu option File > Save As

Name your Screenshot “Test Screenshot”

Choose a file type you want to save your screenshot as

Save your project to your “TT-Hue-Province” folder

For Windows Vista or Newer

Windows Vista and newer versions of Windows come with a program called the

“Snipping Tool” which allows you to snip different portions of your computer screen Step 1: Start “Snipping Tool”

Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > Snipping Tool

Step 2: Select the Type of Snip

Click on the arrow next to the New button and choose

Free-Form Snip – Take snips of irregular shapes like triangles or circles Rectangular Snip – Allows you to make a clean rectangular snip of an area

Window Snip – Captures your current browser window or dialog box in a snip

Full-Screen Snip – Takes a snip of whatever is displayed on your computer screen

Step 3: Capture the Snip

Step 4: Save, Annotate, and Share the Image

Click the Save Snip button

Enter a name for the Snip

TIP: Generally the GIF or JPG format works best when saving screen shots of

applications windows The JPEG format can make screen shots blurry, blotchy, and

discolored Also, holding down the “Alt” key while pressing “PrtScn” to only capture the

active window

Choose a Location to save the SnipChoose a File type to save the Snip as

Click Save

Step 5: Share a Snip

Click the arrow on the Send Snip button

Select an option from the list

Now you should be able to take a screenshot of anything on your computer screen and share it with whomever you want This should be used to submit completed

assignments to your instructor and to ask for help

Exercise 3:

Creating Province-Level Reference Map

Time to Complete: 20-30 minutes (depends on your download speed)

Two different types of map layers are needed for this project:

1 REFERENCE map layers that show the topology for the country, province, district and commune levels, and

2 a THEMATIC map layer that contains the data to be analyzed and displayed on the REFERENCE map

In this exercise, you will create the REFERENCE map layers and in the next exercise, you will create the THEMATIC map layer

Step 1: Run QGIS program

Start QGIS

Choose menu option File > New project

Step 2: Add a layer for the country

On the menu bar select Add Vector Layer icon

For Dataset, browse to folder “VN-Maps” and find file: VNM_adm1.shp

Open > Open

Right click on the layer named VNM_adm1 > Rename > “Country”

Step 3: Add a layer for provinces

On the menu bar select Add Vector Layer icon

For Dataset, browse to folder VN-Maps and find file: VNM_adm2.shp

Open > Open

Right click on the layer named VNM_adm1 > Rename > Province

Step 4: Add a layer for districts

On the menu bar select Add Vector Layer icon

For Dataset, browse to folder VN-Maps and find file: VNM_adm3.shp

Open > Open

Exercise Objectives

• Learn how to create a Province-Level Reference Map

• Learn how to “Clip” layers

Right click on the layer named VNM_adm3 > Rename > Districts

Step 5: Add layer for communes

On the menu bar select Add Vector Layer icon

For Dataset, browse to folder VN-Maps and find file: VNM_adm4.shp

Open > Open

Right click on the layer named VNM_adm4 > Rename > Communes

Step 6: Identify map projection

Choose menu option Setting > Project Properties

Select Coordinate Reference System tab Choose WGS 84 > Apply > OK

Step 7: Save Project

Choose menu option File > Save Project As > TT-Hue-Map in the project folder named TT-Hue-Province that you created in Exercise 1 > Save

Step 8: Clip layers to remove all data except data for the province of TT-Hue This will make the project file load and redraw much, much faster

Figure 9.2: The process of clipping a smaller area from a larger area is shown If you only need to focus

on a certain area, you can discard the unnecessary spatial information with no loss to the core data The first frame depicts the original image, followed by the same image with the area to be clipped selected by the circle Finally, the last image shows the new layer, clipped from the original.

Right click Province layer > Properties

Select General tab Select Query Builder button

Double click VARNAME_2 in Fields box to insert in SQL where clause

box

Single click Operator “=” to insert in SQL where clause box

Choose “All” in Values box Double click Thua Thien-Hue Province to insert in SQL where clause box

OK > Apply > OK

Choose Input vector layer = Province Choose Clip layer = Province

Browse to folder named TT-Hue-Province

In File Name box type Province-clipped > Save > OK Choose Yes for question Would you like to add the new layer to the

TOC?

Close

Right click Province layer > Remove Right click Province-clipped layer > Rename > Province

Choose menu option Vector > Geoprocessing Tools > Clip

Choose Input vector layer = Districts Choose Clip layer = Province

Browse to folder named TT-Hue-Province

In File Name box type Districts-clipped > Save > OK Choose Yes for question Would you like to add the new layer to the

TOC?

Close

Right click Districts layer > Remove Right click Districts-clipped layer > Rename > Districts Right click Districts layer > Open Attribute Table

You will see several districts are included in the clipped layer that are NOT

in TT-Hue province However, these districts are adjacent to TT-Hue province and that is how the “clip” function works For now, these additional districts are not causing any problems, so we will leave them in the Attribute Table

Click “X” in upper right corner of the Attribute Table

Choose menu option Vector

On the drop down sub-menu select Geoprocessing Tools > Clip

Choose Input vector layer = Communes Choose Clip layer = Province

Browse to folder named “TT-Hue-Province”

In File Name box type Communes-clipped > Save > OK Choose Yes for question Would you like to add the new layer to the

TOC?

Close

Right click Communes layer > Remove Right click Communes-clipped layer > Rename > Communes

Again, if you open the Attribute Table of the Communes layer, you will see

numerous communes are included in the clipped layer that are NOT in TT-Hue province