QGIS Basics for Beginners¶
The world's most popular open-source GIS software — make professional maps without writing a single line of code.
Software
QGIS 3.x (Long Term Release recommended)
Download
Cost
🟢 100% Free and Open Source
OS Support
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android
Skill Level
Beginner — No coding needed
Documentation
Installing QGIS¶
Windows¶
- Go to qgis.org/download
- Click "Download for Windows" → Choose the Long Term Release (LTR) — most stable
- Download the installer (~450 MB) → Run it → Follow setup wizard
- Select QGIS Desktop (tick the box)
- Installation takes about 5 minutes
On your bookenv (Python) — QGIS Python console¶
QGIS comes with a built-in Python console. But for this chapter, we focus on the GUI.
QGIS Interface Overview¶
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Menu Bar: Project | Edit | View | Layer | Vector | Raster │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Toolbars: Zoom | Pan | Select | Identify | Measure │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Layers Panel │ │
│ ┌───────────┐ │ MAP CANVAS │
│ │ ✅ Layer 1│ │ (Your map appears here) │
│ │ ✅ Layer 2│ │ │
│ │ ❌ Layer 3│ │ │
│ └───────────┘ │ │
├────────────────┴─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Status Bar: CRS | Scale | Coordinates | Rotation │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Loading Your First Shapefile¶
- Download a shapefile — e.g., GADM India Level 2 from gadm.org
- Open QGIS
- Drag and drop the
.shpfile onto the map canvas - The districts appear on screen!
Alternatively: Layer → Add Layer → Add Vector Layer → Browse to your .shp file
Styling: Graduated Colours (Choropleth Map)¶
Coming soon...