Data & Preparation

Overview

This tutorial is centered around a QGIS project designed to manage a layer representing a collection of buildings within a specific geographic area.

Beyond spatial data, the project also handles a wide range of attribute information, including maintenance records, using a 1:n relational structure to allow each building to be associated with multiple maintenance entries.

Throughout the tutorial, you will gain practical skills in:

1. Customizing the graphic and functional elements of the base QGIS project.
2. Publishing the project as a WebGIS service using G3W-SUITE.
3. Creating custom search tools for efficient data exploration.
4. Integrating interactive charts using the DataPlotly plugin.

5. Enabling online editing, including:

   • Custom form layouts
   • Specialized widgets for improved user interaction

   
   

   

Note: This tutorial aims to demonstrate how a real-world GIS project can be fully managed through G3W-SUITE and QGIS.

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Data Preperation

This tutorial is based on a modified dataset and QGIS 3.34.x LTR project from the official G3W-SUITE documentation website. Download the Tutorial Data using the link below:

• Tutorial_Data_G3WSUITE.zip Download

Note: You can download the original data from the Download Demo Data section of the G3W-SUITE Documentation

Data Preperation Overview

The Tutorial_Data_G3WSUITE folder contains images and the following three subdirectories:

📁 projects/

• Contains the QGIS project file: g3w_tutorial.qgs
• The project is fully optimized for this tutorial.

📁 plots/

• Contains plot definitions created using the DataPlotly plugin, saved in .xml format.

📁 project_data/spatialite/

• Contains the SpatiaLite database: g3w_tutorial.sqlite
• This database stores the core data used in the project.

Inside the g3w_tutorial.sqlite file, you’ll find the following layers:

Layer Name	Type	Description
buildings	Polygon	Main reference layer for editing building features
maintenance_works	Table	Records of maintenance activities linked to individual buildings
buildings_rating	Table	Annual ratings or assessments of buildings
roads	Line	Road network used to assign addresses to buildings
work_areas	Polygon	Work zone boundaries used to define geo-constraints
type_subtype	Table	Lookup table for building type and subtype values

The QGIS project (based on QGIS 3.34.x LTR) is pre-configured with the following features:

1. Categorized symbology for the:

   • buildings layer based on the type field.

   
   

2. 1:n relationships defined between:

   • buildings ↔ maintenance_works
   • buildings ↔ buildings_rating

   
   

3. Pre-built query forms for:

   • buildings layer
   • maintenance_works table

   
   

4. Predefined editing widgets for:

   • buildings, maintenance_works, and buildings_rating attributes

   
   

5. Four print layouts:

   • Two standard layout templates
   • Two atlas layout templates using features from the buildings layer

Image credit: QGIS

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Data Preperation Exercise

Before you can publish your QGIS project to the WebGIS platform, there are two essential steps you MUST complete:

1. Update the Project Title

   This title will be used as the WebGIS service ID. If not updated, your service may be misidentified or conflict with existing services.

   
   

2. Upload the SpatiaLite database to the File Manager

   This ensures that G3W-SUITE can access the data sources used in your QGIS project. Without it, layers may not display correctly.

   
   

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Steps to update the project title:

1. Open your QGIS project.

2. Go to the Project menu.

3. Select Properties...

4. Under the General tab, locate the Project Title field.

5. Enter a unique and descriptive title for your project.

6. Click OK to apply the changes.

   
   

   Make sure the title:

   • Reflects the content or purpose of your project.
   • Does not contain special characters or excessive spacing.
   • Is short but specific enough to identify the service in the WebGIS environment.

Image credit: QGIS

Note: For more details, refer to the QGIS: project settings section of the official G3W documentation.