QGIS Tutorial: Creating and Orienting Vector Grids in QGIS 2.18
- By Lloyd Bosworth
- In GIS QGIS
- With 6 Comments
- Tagged with qgis add shapefile qgis archaeology qgis basics qgis create polygon qgis shapefile to csv qgis tutorial qgis x y coordinates
- On 14 Mar | '2017
Creating and Orienting Vector Grids in QGIS 2.18
In this QGIS tutorial I will use a real-life geophysical survey to detail how I use QGIS to create polygon grids, how I orientate them to fit the area of interest and how I export the grid as points to use with a GPS or Total Station system.
In archaeology, laying out a grid before a survey or excavation is an essential part of keeping a fieldwork project organised. Grids can be aligned to real-world coordinates, such the British National Grid here in the UK, or can be on an arbitrary alignment, called a site grid, chosen to best fit the terrain or landscape. A site grid will commonly use a field boundary, verge, fence line or other linear feature as a baseline from which to measure out the grid.
Gridding out, as it’s called, can be done quickly in the field by one or two people using surveyor’s tapes. I’m fortunate to have access to a GPS Rover which can achieve the same result as using hand tapes, but much more quickly and with millimetre accuracy. The other benefit of using a GPS is that the grid can be created in QGIS in the office and transferred precisely onto the field.