Ask HN: Getting Started with (Q)GIS?

[voakbasda]

I am interested in creating a GIS database for my farm. Layers for plumbing, electrical, fencing, and more. What is the best was to get started on such a project?

I have looked at QGIS, but it is somewhat overwhelming to consider bootstrapping what I want. There seem to be far too many ways to go wrong, unless you already know the basics of the tools and surveying.

What is the best path for a SWE to accomplish this kind of task?

[vgeek]

It may seem overwhelming at first, but once you get adjusted to the terms/menus, it isn't that bad. Maybe start using a WMS (there are plugins that add mappacks like https://plugins.qgis.org/plugins/openlayers_plugin/, or you can find free servers like https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/tigerwebmain/TIGERweb_wms.ht...) to provide the tiles.

From there, you can zoom in to your applicable scale then start adding features (https://docs.qgis.org/3.22/en/docs/user_manual/working_with_... or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDFgP7msjP4) like points and then polylines/etc. for boundaries/shapes. There are lots of rabbit holes to go down, but if you stay in 2D mode and just look up things as you go, it isn't as bad as trying to learn _everything_ from the get go.