<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:dt="uuid:C2F41010-65B3-11d1-A29F-00AA00C14882" xmlns:st1="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta name="Microsoft Theme 2.00" content="blends 011">
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium)">
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="Street"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="address"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="City" downloadurl="http://www.5iamas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="country-region" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"/>
<o:SmartTagType namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
name="place" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"/>
<!--[if !mso]>
<style>
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }
</style>
<![endif]-->
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Trebuchet MS";
panose-1:2 11 6 3 2 2 2 2 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Trebuchet MS";
color:black;}
h1
{margin-top:12.0pt;
margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;
margin-left:0cm;
page-break-after:avoid;
font-size:16.0pt;
font-family:Arial;
color:black;}
h2
{margin-top:12.0pt;
margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;
margin-left:0cm;
page-break-after:avoid;
font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:Arial;
color:black;
font-weight:normal;}
h3
{margin-top:12.0pt;
margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;
margin-left:0cm;
page-break-after:avoid;
font-size:13.0pt;
font-family:Arial;
color:black;
font-weight:normal;}
h4
{margin-top:12.0pt;
margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;
margin-left:0cm;
page-break-after:avoid;
font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:"Trebuchet MS";
color:black;
font-weight:normal;}
h5
{margin-top:12.0pt;
margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;
margin-left:0cm;
font-size:13.0pt;
font-family:"Trebuchet MS";
color:black;
font-weight:normal;}
h6
{margin-top:12.0pt;
margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;
margin-left:0cm;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Trebuchet MS";
color:black;
font-weight:normal;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:#993300;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.MsoAutoSig, li.MsoAutoSig, div.MsoAutoSig
{margin:0cm;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
color:black;}
@page Section1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body bgcolor=white background="cid:image001.gif@01C5FF06.BB2FB600" lang=EN-US
link="#993300" vlink=blue>
<img src="cid:image001.gif@01C5FF06.BB2FB600"
v:src="cid:image001.gif@01C5FF06.BB2FB600" v:shapes="_x0000_Mail" width=0
height=0 class=shape style='display:none;width:0;height:0'><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<v:background id="_x0000_s1025" o:bwmode="white" o:targetscreensize="800,600">
<v:fill src="cid:image001.gif@01C5FF06.BB2FB600" o:title="blegtext" type="frame" />
</v:background></xml><![endif]-->
<div class=Section1>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>I am using the packages shapefiles, and maptools in R
to visualize data from shapefiles, dbf files, and census data.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>My question is this, is it possible once a shapefile
is read into R, to edit the contents of the shapefile?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Let me give a practical example.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>I am using a shapefile of electoral wards in <st1:country-region
w:st="on">England</st1:country-region> and I would like to be able to remove
some of the wards from the shapefile in order to have a smaller shapefile of
wards, for example, <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:City>
wards only. After reading susbstantial amounts of documentation and related
articles and numerous web searches I have so far been unable to find an answer.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Responses would be greatly appreciated.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Malcolm Campbell<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Economic Research Institute of <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Northern Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>2nd Floor, Floral Buildings<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on"><font size=3
color=black face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>2-14
East Bridge Street</span></font></st1:address></st1:Street><font color=black><span
style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><font size=3
color=black face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>BELFAST</span></font></st1:place></st1:City><font
color=black><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>BT1 3NQ<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Tel: 028 9072 7370<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><font size=3 color=black face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>M.Campbell@erini.ac.uk<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face="Trebuchet MS"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>