Chobe Open-LUCIS (COL) Workshop: Land-Use Suitability Analysis with QGIS Tools#

Instructor: Dr. Changjie Chen (chj.chen@ufl.edu).    Date: November 22-24, 2023

Co-authors: Mogae Makonyela (mogaetkpp@gmail.com), Lynn Fanikiso (lynntkpp@gmail.com), and Silas Achidago (s.achidago@ufl.edu)

Goal#

This workshop aims to lay a foundation for core concepts and techniques used in land-use suitability analysis, of which the output will help inform land use decision-making. Using QGIS, an open-source Geographic Information System (GIS) software application, and the PyLUSATQ plugin developed by the GALUP team, at the conclusion of the workshop, trainees should be able to independently (1) visualize GIS data, (2) conduct geospatial analysis, and (3) identify suitable areas for different land uses.

Objectives#

  • Understand key concepts in land use analysis

  • Be familiar with the QGIS software

  • Use LUCIS-Open Tools for QGIS to perform geospatial analysis

  • Create models for suitability analysis using Graphical Modeler

  • Interpret the result of land-use suitability analysis

  • Making decisions when different purposes of land use are in conflict

About the Land Use Planning Framework#

The planning framework COL proposed is based on the Land-Use Identification Strategy (LUCIS) developed by two professors, Margaret Carr and Paul Zwick, at the University of Florida. LUCIS, at its core, is a GIS-based land-use suitability modeling framework. LUCIS models were originally developed using ModelBuilder in ArcMap™. The GALUP team developed the LUCIS-OPEN Tools for QGIS by using PyLUSAT—Python for Land-Use Suitability Analysis Tools—and the QGIS Python API. These tools enable land-use planners to perform suitability analysis on QGIS, an open-source GIS software application.

lucis_open

1. Modules#

  1. Module 1 - Software and Data Preparation

  2. Module 2 - Introduction to OPEN-LUCIS Tools for QGIS

  3. Module 3 - Create Suitability Models with QGIS Graphical Modeler

  4. Module 4 - Making Land-Use Decisions using the LUCIS Framework

2. Schedule#

Date/week

Time

Type

Agenda

Oct. 30

2 hours

in-person

Kick-off meeting

Oct. 30 - Nov. 10

2 hr/week

asynchronous

Module 1 contd.

Nov. 22

8 hours

in-person

Module 2, 3 & 4

Nov. 23

8 hours

in-person

Module 2, 3 & 4

Nov. 24

8 hours

in-person

Completion of modules & conclusion

3. Delivery Method#

The training will be delivered through the GALUP GitHub repository, including software package, training materials, and exercises. So, we ask every participant to get a GitHub Account which is completely free.

training_workflow

3.1. Create a GitHub Account#

  1. Go to the GitHub website: https://github.com/ and click Sign up.

  2. Type in a (1) Username, (2) Email address, and (3) Password to set up your account.

  3. Finish the verification step and click Create account.

  4. You should receive an email from GitHub in the email account you used above. Follow the instruction in the email to complete the “sign-up” process.

3.2. Turn in the Exercises#

At the end of every Module, a dedicated link is provided for you to submit the completed exercise files. In addition, we ask you to complete a post-training survey for you to provide us feedbacks and comments to help us improve the training materials so that we can adjust our materials in the future that better suit your preferences.

3.3. Have an Issue?#

GitHub allows user to Create an Issue to get in touch with the developers. So, if you encounter an issue during the training, please don’t hesitate to let us know by submitting an issue here. This link will direct you to submit a blank new issue to GALUP repository without any template. You can report anything from:

  1. Error in installing software,

  2. Trouble in using the LUCIS-OPEN Tools for QGIS,

  3. Report bugs of the tools,

  4. Problems with the modules and the exercises, or

  5. General comments and/or suggestions.