[R-sig-Geo] newbie questions

[Dan Putler]

Tom,

Er, what exactly is your data? Do you have data that is linked to zip
codes and you want to do a "thematic" (choropleth) map of the data? Do
you have point data (say a lat/lon values), and want to plot the points?
Given what you've said, hard to figure out how to get you going in the
right direction.

Dan

On Sun, 2009-11-15 at 22:30 -0500, tom sgouros wrote:
> Raphael Saldanha <saldanha.plangeo at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > Hi Tom!
> > 
> > I'm a geographer and R enthusiast too, but what I can say is: R is a great
> > software to statistics. The final production of maps, although it's
> > possible, it's simple and faster made with GIS softwares, like GRASS,
> > Quantum GIS or ArcGIS.
> 
> This is exactly my quandary.  I have some data I want to map, and I have
> no idea how to do it and none of the introductions I've found speak to
> what I thought was a pretty simple task.
> 
> I first thought maybe I should use a GIS, since it's geographic data,
> but all the GIS documentation I can find is about how to analyze data
> that's already available.  There are no end of Grass examples using this
> North Carolina dataset that comes with the installation, but I don't
> live in North Carolina and I don't want to analyze their data.  I want
> to analyze mine, but I can't figure out how to get it in, and that's
> what I'm using R for.
> 
> If you are telling me there is a simpler way to do this, I am all ears
> (eyes), especially if it uses grass or qgis which I can afford, and not
> Arc, which I can't.
> 
> Queries of GIS guys told me that what I need to do is to get my data
> into a shape file first and then a GIS can help me display it, so I
> turned to R for that.  Was I wrong there, too?
> 
> Most of the data I want to map is not currently in any format at all.
> It's just numbers I have.  I have shape files for the geography and I
> want to apply my numbers to those shapes and draw maps in color, and I
> also would very much like to draw the 3d kind where the geographic area
> is raised up according to some value.  (I don't know if there's a name
> for this.)  I tried to use a spreadsheet to get my data attached to the
> shapes, but as soon as I realized I needed to do a join of my data and
> the shape file data I began to look for alternatives.
> 
> I know that I'm working at a very low level here, but in addition to
> Roger's advice before about how to get R to cooperate, I would be
> grateful for any advice such as you've provided about what exactly R is
> good for in my task and what a GIS is good for.  Your note advances me
> down the field quite a bit, but if there's more, I'd be interested to
> know it.
> 
> Many thanks,
> 
>  -tom
> 
> 
> 
> > 
> > My tip is: organize data with spreadsheet and GIS softwares, import (as
> > shapefile, if possible) in R and make your statistical analysis and
> > statistical columns of data, export to another shapefile and manipulate the
> > final map in GIS softwares.
> > 
> > I repeat, it's possible make all these steps in R, and generate great maps,
> > but the most simple way is above. Personally, I use R to make the final maps
> > only when I have to produce a long series of simple maps.
> > 
> > I think the best way is the integration of GIS software with R, each one
> > with his specialty.
> > 
> > 
> > King regards,
> > 
> > Raphael Saldanha
> > BRAZIL
> > saldanha.plangeo at gmail.com
> > 
> > 	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
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> > R-sig-Geo at stat.math.ethz.ch
> > https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-sig-geo
> > 
> 
> 
-- 
Dan Putler
Sauder School of Business
University of British Columbia