Course 1A - Downloading and Installing Free QGIS software
QGIS Background
To work with spatial data properly you need true GIS software installed on a computer. If you need true GIS software, there is more than one free version available - GIS Ag Maps prefers QGIS software (QGIS homepage; opens in new tab). QGIS has an estimated hundreds of thousands of users and contributers around the world other users (QGIS, 2016). You can download a 64-bit and 32-bit version of QGIS from this website through the link below - both had clean scans with Webroot SecureAnywhere 9.0.23.32 Anti-Virus software. To check if a computer's operating system is 32-bit or 64-bit (most recent to fairly recent versions are 64-bit) in windows, try right-clicking on the lower left hand corner of the screen, then click system; if this does not work, simply look up the process for your computer on-line.
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS PAGE ON THIS WEBSITE TO DOWNLOAD QGIS
* THE GRAPHICS BELOW SHOW VERSION 2.18.2-1; WE NOW RECOMMEND VERSION 2.18.25-1 AND INCLUDE IT ON THE DOWNLOAD PAGE. FOLLOW THE SAME STEPS BELOW TO DOWNLOAD VERSION 2.18.25-1. WE STILL RECOMMEND THE VERSION 2 SERIES (RATHER THAN VERSION 3, WHICH IS NOW AVAILABLE FROM QGIS), BECAUSE THE QGIS USER GUIDE AND TRAINING MANUAL IS DESIGNED FOR THE VERSION 2 SERIES *
DOWNLOADING STEPS
Steps to download the QGIS 64-bit version that can be downloaded from this website are shown first; steps to download the latest version from the QGIS website will be shown after.
1) Open the GIS Software folder in the Free section, and access the QGIS (user-friendly) page.
2) Click the link highlighted in green below to access QGIS download website page.
3) Click the QGIS download link (highlighted green) to start the download process.
4) Click the Save File button. It is important to set your web browser to asked you where you want to save a file. Make sure your browser is set this way. Imagery dataset can be quite large, so you will want them to download directly into a proper folder. This is a simple task; for example, in Mozilla Firefox, simply click the three parallel bars at the top right, then click Options the click the button for Always ask me where to save files.
5) Click "Yes" when this appears.
6) Click "Next" here.
7) Click "I Agree" on this one.
8) And click "Next" on this one.
9) Click "Install".
10) Click "Finish".
11) This folder will appear on your screen. Double-click it.
12) Then double-click QGIS Desktop 2.18.2 to open the software.
This will appear when the program is opening.
Then the QGIS window will open. You can view the "QGIS Tips!" or close it. The yellow banner at the bottom will go when you add data.
DOWNLOADING STEPS FROM QGIS WEBSITE (THE MOST RECENT VERSION IS DIFFERENT THAN SHOWN IN GRAPHIC BELOW)
1) Click the QGIS link (highlighted green) to access QGIS webiste (opens in new tab).
2) QGIS homepage is shown below. You may have to scroll down a small amount to access download buttons.
3) Scrolled down to access "Download Now" button - click button.
4) Download the 32 bit or 64 bit version (check your computer system to determine if you system is 32 or 64 bit, as explained in the second paragraph near the top). Repeat Step 1-12 above.
References
QGIS. 2016. QGIS website blog posted in 2016; cited at: http://blog.qgis.org/2016/04/23/promoting-and-using-qgis-for-the-enterprise/