This document provides instructions for land use mapping, editing spatial data, conducting spatial analysis, creating digital elevation models (DEMs) from Google Earth, and delineating watersheds in QGIS. Key steps include installing plugins, digitizing land use from satellite imagery, editing features by reshaping, deleting, splitting and merging them, running topology checks, clipping raster data, creating hillshades and slope maps, converting rasters to vectors, and delineating watersheds by filling sinks, assigning stream orders, creating outlets, and running upslope analysis. Watersheds can be delineated from topographic maps, GPS points, or DEMs.

1. 1 Landuse map preparation from QGIS/ Google earth
1. Install new plugin called HCMGIS
2. Click on HCMGIS
3. Select BaseMap
4. Click on Google Satellite
5. Create new polygon layer
6. Select the new Layer and click on
Toggle Editing button
7. Digitize Landuse type from the image
/Do not digitize wide Landuse type
8. To accept the digitized feature right click
and write ID number and LUC Type.
9. When you finish digitizing Union your
digitized landuse and your watershed.
10. After union there will be one empty row
on “Type” write the missing LUC type
If you use Google Earth followthe belowsteps
1. Open Google earth
2. Import your watershed
3. Right click on your watershed,select Add and click on Folder
4. Wright the folder name
5. Right click on the new folder, select Add and click on Path
6. Start to digitize each landuse with separate file, leave the common landuse
7. When you finish, right click on the folder and click on Save Please as and save the file to your
directory
8. Add the saved kml file to QGIS
9. Union your digitized landuse and your watershed.
10. After union there will be one empty row on “Type” write the missing LUC type

2. 2. Editing and Updating Spatial data
2.1 Edit exiting /Reshaping/ data
1. Click Vertex Tool
2. Click on the Layer Vertex will be shown
on the Layer
3. Click on one of the vertex
and move your curser where
you want to move and click,
then the shape of your Layer
will be changed.
2.2 Delete the existing features
1. Highlight / Select /the Layer you want to
edit
2. Click on Toggle Editing tool on the menu bar
3. Select part of the Layer you want to delete
4. Press Delete button on your keyboard
2.3 Split the existing features
 If the Split Tool is
not displayed on your menu
bar, right click on top of the
QGIS window and check on
Digitizing Tools. New tools
will be added to your menu
bar
 Click on Split
Feature tool from menu bar
 Click on the
boundary where you want to
split and digitize and finally right click when you reach to other boundary.
2.4 Merge features

3. 1. Select parts of the
Layer you want to merge /hold
shift key to select more than
one feature/
2. Click on Merge
Selected Features button from
menu bar, the selected features
will be merged and become one
feature.
3. TopologyChecker
Topologyisthe spatial relationof
futureswithrules.
Eg.
 Polygonsmustnotbe
overlapped,
 Polygonsmustnothave gap
 Polygonsmustnotduplicate
etc.
 Topology checker is plugin in qgis,
therefore install the plugin first
 Click on the topology checker icon
 Click on configure button
 Assign rules
 Click on validate all button
 You will error list on the topology checker
panel
 Alsoyouwill getredmarkson the map where
the eror existes.

4. 4. Spatial Analyst Tools
4.1 Clip Raster data
1. Search clip from search box
2. Click on Clip raster with polygon
under SAGA
3. Select the woreda DEM on Input
box
4. Select the selected watershed under
Polygons box
5. Save Clipped file
6. Click Run
4.2 Symbolize raster
1. Right click on clipped DEM

5. 2. Click on Symbology on the Layer Property window
3. Select Single band pseudo color under Render Type box
4. Click to classify
5. If you want to change the color, click on the arrow and click on new color Ramp
6. Select Catalog cpt city
7. Select Topography and select Elevation
8. Click ok
4.3 Creating Hillshade
1. Search hillshade from search box
2. Click on Hilshade from Raster terrain analysis option
3. Select DEM file under Elevation Layer box
4. For better visualization make 1.5 on Z factor
5. Leave the rest as default /Azimuth and Vertical angle/
6. Save Hillshed file
7. Click Run
N.B. For better visualization of hillshed and DEM, reduce the transparency of the DEM to 60 and put
the hillshade under DEM file.

6. 4.4 Create Slope
1. Search slope from search
box
2. Click on slope under
Raster analysis
3. Select DEM file under
Elevation Layer
4. Save Slope file
5. Click on Run
4.5 Reclassify Slope
1. Search reclassify in search box
2. Click Reclassify by Table under Raster
Analysis
3. Select Slope Layer under Raster Layer
box
4. Click on 3 dotes on Reclassification
Table.
5. Write minimum, maximum and value
for the respective rows in the table.
6. Click ok
7. Click Run
4.6 Convert to vector and dissolve based on attribute
4.6.1 Convert to vector
Follow the previous steps such as poligonize
/Raster to polygon/ function, after conversion it
is always better to fix geometry of the vector file.
Follow the following steps.
1. Search fix on search box

7. 2. Click on Fix geometry under Vector geometry
3. Select the converted file under Input Layer box
4. Save fix geometry file
5. Click Run
4.7 Create contour
1. Search contour in the search box
2. Click on Contour under Raster
Extraction
3. Select DEM file under Input Layer box
4. Write the contour interval
5. Save contour file
6. Click on Run
5. Creating DEM from Google earth
 Importyour WatershedtoGoogle
earth
 Draw Path aroundyourwatershed
and give name foryour path
 Rightclickon the name of your
path
 Clicksave Place Asoptionandsave
your pathwithfile extensionof
KML

8.  Open your Internet browser and
search for “gps visualizer
elevation”
 Click on Assign DEM elevation
data to coordinate – GPS
Visualizer
 Click on choose file button and
give your path file
 Click on Convert & add
elevation button
 Click on Download *.gpx file
 Open Qgis desktop
 Add point track from the
downloaded file
 Check the name of the column
where the elevation is added
 Interpolate the file using
elevation
 To interpolate:
o Open toolbox from qgis
o Search IDW
o Double click on IDW
o Give file name and then
field name with that have
elevation
o Finally you will get your
DEM in the map canvas.

9. 6. WatershedDelineation
What is a Watershed?
 Watershed is a topographically delineated area drained through a common
confluence point on a stream or river,
 An area that drains rainfall runoff water to a common outlet,
 Drainage system - The area upon which water fall & the network through which it
travels to an outlet.
 Pour Point - A location at which the rainfall runoff contributing area can be
determined.
6.1 Watershed Delineation Methods
Different methods have been devised and are used to delineate watersheds. The following are
some of the common watershed delineation methods: In this training we will see two of them in
detail (watershed Delineation using GPS and topographic map).
1. Watershed delineation using Topographic map (contour, Drainage
Patterns),
2. Watershed delineation using hand held GPS (Tracks,points),
3. Automatic watershed delineation from DEM.
6.1.1 Watershed delineationfrom Topographic map
Topographic map can be used as a data source to delineate a watershed. In this method contour
lines and drainage patterns/networks serve as starting points in delineating a watershed using QGIS
software. It is the easiest method of watershed delineation as compared with field delineation using
GPS. Before starting delineation watershed from topomaps, you should create new polygon shape
file in.

10. 6.1.2 Watershed delineationusing GPS points
This is another alternative to delineate a watershed. This method is accurate but it is very difficult
to do it and time taking. Mostly we can apply for verification /checking/ purpose and to delineate
small size community watersheds. To apply this method;
1. GPS points should be collected on the field using hand held GPS,
2. The collected GPS points can be directly transferred into computers using GPS
cables and software,
3. Add the transferred data to QGIS and edit errors, if any.
6.1.3 Delineating Watershed by using DEM
DEM is a main source of GIS data for watershed delineation. In QGIS some steps should follows
to delineate watershed, and these are described below.
1. Fill sinks
1. Add DEM data on qgis
2. Search fill on search box
3. Select fill sink in the
terrain analysis-hydrology.
4. On the new dialog box
select DEM file
5. Save fill DEM file and
leave the rest
6. Click run.

11. 2. Creating stream order
1. Search strahler from search box
2. Click on strahler order from
terrain analysis channel.
3. Select fill DEM in the elevation
box
4. Save the strahler file
5. Click run
3. Remove unnecessary small river braches
1. click on raster on menu
bar
2. click on raster calculator
3. double click on straler
order file
4. select straler order greater
than 5
5. click ok

12. 4. Create outlet file
Outlets are the point on river junctions where the water passes from the common confluence, it is
one of the determinant factors for watershed delineation and it affects the size of the watershed.
1. Click on layer
2. Click on create layer
3. Click on New shepfile
4. Write name and select geometry type point.
5. If you want add two field X and Y and calculate
values
5. Watershed delineation
1. search upslope from search box
2. Click upslope area from terrain
analysis
3. Copy and paste X-coordinate
and Y-coordinate on Target X
coordinate and Target Y coordinate.
4. Select Fill DEM on Elevation
box.
5. Select deterministic 8 from
Method box
6. Save watershed file
7. Click on Run
8. One watershed will be
delineated in raster format
6. Conversion
1. Click on Raster on menu bar
2. Click on conversion
3. Click on Polygonize ( Raster to
Polygon)
4. Remove the unwanted part by
selecting.

13. 7. Channel network and drainage basin. /to create
vector river channels/
1. Search channel on search box
2. Click on channel network and drainage
basin
3. Select Fill DEM for Elevation box
4. Write 5 on threshold box
5. Remove the tick mark except channels and
drainage basin
6. Save the channels and drainage basin files
7. Click Run
8. Clip the river channel
1. Search Clip from search box
2. Click on Clip under vector overlay
3. Select channels in input layer box
4. Select your watershed in overlay layer box
5. Save Clipped file
6. Click on Run
The final result looks like the below figure

14. If you want to delineate more than one watershed /the entire woreda/,collect from field or create outlet
point by the same stapes on the above. And install new plugin called point to catchment zip file.
1. Snap the outlet to the channels
1. Search snap on search box
2. Click on snap geometry to layer
3. Select outlet on input layer box
4. Select channel on Reference
layer
5. Write 50 and above on
Tolerance box
6. Save the snapped geometry
2. Watershed delineation
1. Expand IHE Delft
2. Click on Calculate
catchments from point
3. Select snapped point layer
on overflow point layer box
4. Select Fill DEM on DEM
Layer box
5. Select Output Folder
6. Click on Run

15. N.B Multiple watershed that is equal to your outlet point will be delineated in vector format. The files are
single layer to get all in one file you have to merge all files
3. Merge files
1. Search merge on
search box
2. Click on Merge
vector Layers under
Vector general
3. Click on the 3 dot
in front of Input Layer
box
4. Select all single
lyers and click ok
5. Define the
projection by clicking on
Destination CRS box
6. Save Merged file
7. Click Run
N.B Clip your river channels by the merged file
The final result looks like the above figure

16. 7. Base map and Developmental map preparation
7.1 Base Map Preparation
1. Prepare your
Landuse Map
2. Digitize
Road, River and
Infrastructure
Data
3. Prepare Map
Layout with
basic map
elements
4. Export map.
16.2 Location Map
Preparation
 Create the
first Data frame and
Check Lock Layers
and Lock Styles for
Layers.
 With the
same way create the
second and third data frames and lock it

17. 7.3 Developmental Map Preparation
Steps to prepare developmental map:
1. Prepare landuse map
2. Prepare slope map, reclassify and convert to vector
3. Clip soil map from the region soil data
4. Intersect the above three maps
5. Dissolve the intersected layer based on LUC type, slope value, soil type and rockiness.
6. Add field called Recommendation with text data type
7. Set criteria for each soil and water conservation technology
8. Open attribute table of the dissolved layer and click on select features using an
expressions tool
1.
9. Write the criteria for each SWC
technology on the Select by
Expressions box
10. Go to the table and write the name the
SWC technology for the selected rows
and do it for all technologies.
11. Dissolve the layer by using
Recommendation field
12. Add field called Area_ha and
calculate the area
13. Prepare Map Layout based on the
Recommendation Field with
appropriate symbology and map
layouts.
8. QField for spatial data collection

18. 9. Creating Map Layout
1. Click on Projects on top Left of the QGIS Window
2. Click on Layout manager
3. An empty Layout window will open
4. Click on Add Item Menu bar and Click on Add Map tools
5. Make rectangle on the empty layout for your map area,All Maps in QGIS window will appear on
the layout.
9.1 Adding map element in map layout
1. Adding a Title:Click on Add Label and Click
on the page to place the legend, and move it to
where you want it.
2. Adding a Legend: Click on Add legend and
Click on the page to place the legend, and
move it to where you want it.
Not everything on the legend is necessary,so let’s
remove some unwanted items.
 In the Item Properties tab,you’ll find the Legend
items panel.
 Check on show items
inside linked maps

19. 3. Adding Scale bar: Click on Add Scale Bar tool and Click on the page to place the legend, and
move it to where you want it.
4. Adding North Arrow: Click on Add North Arrow and Click on the page to place the legend, and
move it to where you want it.
5. Adding Net Line: Select Add shape and Click on Rectangle and Click on the page to place the
legend, and move it to where you want it. When it cover your Map change the order of the
rectangle below your Map in the Item property window.
6. Adding Grids: Click on the map on your layout or select Map in item property window and find
Grid in the item property window
6.1 Click Add
button
6.2 Click Modify
button
6.3 Edit grid type,
Projection, X,Y intervals, Line
style, Frame style and tick Draw
coordinate option and modify the
styles.
15.2 Exporting the Map Layout
Finally the map is ready for export! You’ll see the export buttons near the top left corner of
the Composer window:
The other three buttons allow you to export the map page to a file. There are three export formats to
choose from:
 Export as Image
 Export as SVG
 Export as PDF
 Select Layout menu
 Click Export as Image or
SVG or PDF. As recommendation it
is better to use export as image.
 Use JPEGformat for
saving.

20.  You can change the DPI and other extent or you can keep it
 Click on Save button
The Exported Map looks like this.