EXERCISE:03

CLEANING UP DATA, ERROR REMOVAL, TOPOLOGY

BUILDING , GEOREFERENCING AND MAP PROJECTION FOR
A STUDY AREA USING QGIS
ANIL KUMAR.S
20MK02
3.1:ERROR REMOVAL:
The most apparent sources of errors arise due to several factors. These consist of data
source and lack of either technical (lack of proper skill) or logical i.e. conceptual clarity on
digitizers’ part, etc.
Errors arising out of positional accuracy can be distinguished by way of
superimposition of existing data on other correct data sources or by taking the help of
ground control points (GCPs). Errors of height values can be corrected and then compared
by making use of either well known bench marks of known points or by using repeat
Differential GPS readings. Likewise, absolute and relative accuracies can also be checked
and verified.
The error of logical inconsistency can be detected in terms of topological errors.
These topological errors can be removed by checking the conceptual part first, and then
through corrections right from the level of data acquisition.

3.2: GEOREFERENCING:
Georeferencing means fixing a map to the earth. Georeferencing is the process of assigning
real-world coordinates to each pixel of the raster. Many times these coordinates are
obtained by doing field surveys - collecting coordinates with a GPS device for few easily
identifiable features in the image or map.
In some cases, where you are looking to digitize scanned maps, you can obtain the
coordinates from the markings on the map image itself. Using these sample coordinates or
GCPs ( Ground Control Points ), the image is warped and made to fit within the chosen
coordinate system.

3.2.1: PROCEDURE FOR GEO REFERENCING FROM OPEN STREET

MAP

The procedure for Geo referencing a raster dataset are as follows :

STEP 1:
Open plugin > Manage and install plugin > click QuickMapServices > the plugin is added
Open web > click on the installed plugin QuickMapServices > OSM Standard
 FIG 3.1: Adding OpenStreetMap into QGIS

STEP 2: Click on Raster > Georeferencer > to open the plugin.

The plugin window is divided into 2 sections. The top section where the raster will be
displayed and the bottom section where a table showing your GCPs will appear.
Now we will open our JPG image. Go to File ‣ Open Raster. Browse to the downloaded image
of the scanned map and click Open. You will see the image will be loaded on the top section.

FIG 3.2: Georeferencer

STEP 3: Click on Add points > add a point which we need to georeference > Select the
Ground Control Points in both Raster image and OpenStreetMap > Click From Map Canvas.
Once the process finishes, we will see the georeferenced layer loaded in QGIS.
Hence Georeferencing will be done.

FIG 3.3: GCP Table datas

STEP 4 : Click on settings in Georeferencer > Transformation Settings > Transformation

type as Linear > Resampling method as Nearest Neighbour > Target SRS as EPSG:4326 –
WGS 84 > Mark on Save GCP Points and also mark on Load in QGIS when done > click ok.

FIG 3.4: Transformation settings box

STEP 5: Start Georeferencing > close Georeferencer > the georeferenced map will be fixed
to the open street map

FIG 3.5: Georeferenced map in OSM

STEP 6: Click on Project tool box > SAVE AS > save the file name Coimbatore city QGZ files
(qgz.)

Note: This image will never need to be georeferenced again. Every time you open the tif file
(not the original file, which is still just an image) in QGIS, the satellite photo will appear in
its correct location.

3.2.2: GEOREFERENCING USING TOPOSHEET :

STEP 1: The plugin is installed in the Raster menu. Click on Raster > Georeferencer

STEP 2: Now open the JPG image which we need to georeference. Go to File>Open Raster.
Browse to the downloaded image of the scanned map and click Open.

STEP 3:In the pop-up window, enter the coordinates.where X is longitude and Y is latitude.
 FIG 3.6: Enter map coordinates
GCP table now has a row with details of your first GCP, click OK.

STEP 4: Similarly, add at least 4 GCPs covering the entire image. The more points we have
the image will be also more accurate and the image is registered to the target coordinates.

FIG 3.7: Added coordinates in GCP

STEP 5: Go to Settings -> Transformation settings.

In the Transformation settings dialog,
choose the Transformation type as Linear
Name your output raster.
Choose EPSG:4326 in target SRS dialog box.
Save GCP Points.
Load in QGIS when done.
Click OK.
Back in the Georeferencer window, go to File > Start georeferencing.
This will start the process of warping the image using the GCPs and creating the target
raster.
Now the georeferenced layer loaded in QGIS.
The georeferencing using toposheet is now completed.

3.3: ERROR REMOVAL:

3.3.1:HOW TO SNAP AND TRACE DURING DIGITISATAION:

In the Snapping section you can configure:-

 how you wish to snap to features - e.g. vertex only or vertex and segments
 the snapping tolerance – the greater the value the less accurate you need to be when
selecting a feature to snap to
 the snapping marker colour – which defines the colour of the icon in the map when you
are hovered over a snapping feature

choose to open the Snapping Toolbar and select the Enable Snapping tool (magnet).

From the Digitising Toolbar choose the Add Polygon (point or line) feature
Now hover your cursor in the map to snap to a feature to start digitising.
The cursor will change colour based on the snapping marker colour (e.g. magenta) which
means that you will be snapping to a feature in a chosen layer.
Now left click at the edges of the shape to snap around your chosen object.

If the object you are snapping to is complex, then you can use the TRACE tool to
automatically capture the vertices, instead of manually clicking to snap. From the Snapping
Toolbar choose the Enable Tracing button.

Start the new feature by choosing a vertex to snap to and then simply move the cursor
around your object and the TRACE tool will automatically select the vertices between
the start point and your current location. If the feature you are tracing is very complex, then
choose to snap and add a vertex manually at key points around the object.

On the Snapping Toolbar, use the Edit Advanced Configuration tool to configure which
layers you are able to snap to, the tolerance and the snapping options (vertex only, vertex
and segment) for each of those layers.

FIG 3.8 : Snapping tool and layer option

Also, using the Offset tool on the Snapping Toolbar, you can choose to TRACE around
an object and offset your new feature from the traced feature.

FIG 3.9: Tracing polygon using Offset tool

3.4 CLEANUP DATA

STEP 1: first open OSM Standard map or use a raster map image.

STEP 2: Navigate to and click on the menu entry Layer > Create Layer > New Shapefile
Layer. Next we will be presented with the New Shapefile Layer dialog, which will allow you
to define a new layer

STEP 3: Click … for the File name field. Select geometry type as line .A save dialog will
appear.Use the default CRS associated with this project, which is WGS84.

STEP 4: Save the new layer.

STEP 5: Next by using the line or point or polygon tool draw required things and save it.

STEP 6: To clean topology error for dangles (undershoot and overshoot). To clean this
error we use v.clean tool. The tool can be found in the toolbox. If the toolbox menu does not
show up. At the top menu click Processing > Toolbox.

FIG 3.10: Processing Tool Box

STEP 7: Then the processing toolbox will appear. Type clean, the v.clean tool will appear
under commands tool.

STEP 8: Click on the Run button to start cleaning process

FIG 3.11: V.Clean in Processing toolbox

Then the process takes place

FIG 3.12: V.Clean log report

STEP 9: click on the cleaned box in layer box,

then we can right click on the cleaned and the select attribute table it appears like this.

This is how the datas are cleaned.

Now let's see the result. I captured some parts of the result and compare them before and
after the cleaning to see the difference. In fig 3.13 can be seen there is a gap between two
road segments that can be considered as undershoot error. The error was fixed as in left
picture. The two segments were joined together.

FIG 3.13: Road gap (undershoot) and the clean result

In figure 3.14 can be seen also undershoot error where a road segment does not connect to
another road segment. The error was fixed as in the right picture. Both the error in figure
3.13 and 3.14 were fixed with snap process.

FIG 3.14: Undershoot error and the cleaning result

Figure 3.15 shows the overshoot error, where a segment road passes another segment with
a length 5 meter or less (because we set the threshold 5, remember :)). The result of
cleaning is shown in the right picture, which the overpass segment was cut with break
process then the remain part was removed with remove dangle.

FIG 3.15: Overshoot error and the cleaning result

3.5: TOPOLOGY BUILDING:

Topology expresses the spatial relationships between connecting or adjacent vector

features (points, polylines and polygons) in a GIS. Topological or topology-based data are
useful for detecting and correcting digitising errors (e.g. two lines in a roads vector layer
that do not meet perfectly at an intersection). Topology is necessary for carrying out some
types of spatial analysis, such as network analysis.

3.5.1:TOPOLOGY ERRORS

There are different types of topological errors and they can be grouped according to
whether the vector feature types are polygons or polylines.
 Topological errors with polygon features can include unclosed polygons, gaps
between polygon borders or overlapping polygon borders.
  A common topological error with polyline features is that they do not meet perfectly
at a point (node). This type of error is called an undershoot if a gap exists between
the lines, and an overshoot if a line ends beyond the line it should connect to
 Undershoots (1) occur when digitised vector lines that should connect to each other
don’t quite touch.
 Overshoots (2) happen if a line ends beyond the line it should connect to.
 Slivers (3) occur when the vertices of two polygons do not match up on their borders.

The result of overshoot and undershoot errors are so-called ‘dangling nodes’ at the end of
the lines. Dangling nodes are acceptable in special cases, for example if they are attached to
dead-end Streets.

3.5.2: TOPOLOGICAL TOOLS:

Many GIS applications provide tools for topological editing. For example in QGIS you
can enable topological editing to improve editing and maintaining common boundaries in
polygon layers. A GIS such as QGIS ‘detects’ a shared boundary in a polygon map so you
only have to move the edge vertex of one polygon boundary and QGIS will ensure the
updating of the other polygon boundaries as shown in Fig 3.16 (1).

Another topological option allows you to prevent polygon overlaps during digitising
(see Fig 3.16 (2)). If you already have one polygon, it is possible with this option to digitise
a second adjacent polygon so that both polygons overlap and QGIS then clips the second
polygon to the common boundary.

FIG:3.16 (1):-Topological editing to detect shared boundaries, when moving vertices. When
moving a vertex, all features that share that vertex are updated.

FIG:3.16 (2):- To avoid polygon overlaps, when a new polygon is digitised (shown in red)
it is clipped to avoid overlapping neighbouring areas.