Mapping for One-Place Studies - a forum

I know of two ways to georeference a map for free:

1. On your computer using QGIS Open source software.
There is a lot of information about QGIS, including:

• in this forum
• my own working instructions for georeferencing
• the official tutorial on georeferencing
• this tutorial from QGIS tutorials on georeferencing

QGIS is very powerful and has many functions besides georeferencing but may be daunting for someone just wanting something simple.

2. Online using the free Map Warper Georeferencing application from Tim Waters
There is a brief Map Warper Guide, but it is a fairly simple process. I have not tried this fully yet.

Bear in mind that once a map has been georeferenced it still needs to be tiled before uploading to the web for use. I have MapTiler software that can do this.

To create a Modifiable Feature Layer (MFL) go to your OPS in M4OPS and then:

• under Advanced Options click on the MFL tab
• click on New - this will create a new blank Modifiable Feature Layer (MFL), and open some more buttons
• click in the MFL name box and enter a name by which this Modifiable Feature Layer (MFL) will be known
• in most cases leave the Fields dropdown as "Minimal Fields" (explained later)
• now for each feature you want to create:
  • depending on the feature you want to create, click on the Point, Line or Polygon button (the only difference between a Line and Polygon is that the first and last points of a Polygon are joined up
  • (note you can change everything later, so it is much better to start with just an approximate Point, or a simple Line or Polygon, in approximately the right area)
  • on the map, click where you want your first point
  • for a Line or Polygon, you now need to:
    • click on further places on the map to create vertices (points on the Line or Polygon which are automatically joined up)
    • double click to create the last vertex and indicate you have finished
  • having finished the "geometry" of the feature, you will be shown a little form where you can enter its "short text" and "description" (these are  the Minimal Fields mentioned above) - use this to name and describe the feature
  • click on Save to save these fields, then Close to close the little form
• click where you want your next feature etc, again enter its  "short text", Save and Close the little form
• repeat as often as you want (but bearing in mind that this is a prototype, do not spend too long entering large amounts of data as it might all disappear)
• at any point click on the main Save button to save this Modifiable Feature Layer (MFL) in M4OPS (you can do this as many times as you want)
• later, if you wish to move the positions of any of the points (or vertices on a Line or Polygon) then click on Move, and then click and drag the points to exactly where you want them
• if you click and drag any point on a Line or Polygon this creates a new vertex - and they can therefore be made as complex as you wish
• to delete any point (or vertex on a Line or Polygon) then click on Move, and double-click on the point
• if you wish to enter, or change, the properties (fields) of any points, or to change the type of geometry (point, line, polygon) of any of the features, then click on Alter and fill in the form - remembering to Save the form before you Close it
• when you have finished with this MFL click on the Close button, and all the extra buttons will disappear
• to look at, add to, or modify your MFL simply click on the MFL tab and select your saved MFL from the dropdown - and then continue as above, making sure you save the MFL when you have down any changes

When you are happy with the details of your features (particularly their "geometry" ie where they are and their shapes) discuss with Peter what to do with it.

OpenDroneMap is "an open source toolkit for processing aerial drone imagery. Typical drones use simple point-and-shoot cameras, so the images from drones, while from a different perspective, are similar to any pictures taken from point-and-shoot cameras, i.e. non-metric imagery. OpenDroneMap turns those simple images into three dimensional geographic data that can be used in combination with other geographic datasets."

Another example is the canton of Zurich which made its geodata available to the public free of charge from January 2018 onwards. The information should enable the development of business ideas. The authorities expect a lot of potential for the economy and society.