Setting Up Your Environment

The development of open source GIS technologies has reached a state where they can seamlessly replace proprietary software in the recent years. They are convenient, capable tools for analyzing geospatial data. They offer solutions from basic analysis to more advanced, even scientific, workflows. Moreover, there are tons of open geographical data out there, and some of them can even be used for commercial purposes. In this chapter, we will acquaint ourselves with the open source software used in this book, install and configure them with an emphasis on typical pitfalls, and learn about some of the most popular sources of open data out there.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

• Installing the required software
• Configuring the software
• Free geographical data sources
• Software and data licenses