Practical Manual - Malareo

It is important to note that although layers may represent the same general area, they may be collected
at different scales and by different people and as a result may not match each other.
When working with data you need to have a good understanding of what each layer represents. The first
thing to do when examining data is to gain an understanding of what is being represented. What do the
points lines and polygons represent This can be done by examining the layer name and then by
examining the attribute table of the layer to see what the layer contains. Some data contains meta-data
which is information about the layer and what it contains, its accuracy, date, file type etc.
Open the attribute table for the Health facilities layer. (Right click on the layer and select open Attribute
table.) Notice the 2 columns Longitude and Latitude. Notice the format of the information. Look at the
various column headings. You can gain a better understanding of the data by looking at the attribute
information.
Name 5 of the types of facilities in this layer
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Close the attribute table. Now right click on the Layer Power_lines and select zoom to layer extent. The
map view zooms to show the layer at the maximum possible extent while still fitting the whole layer into
the view.
QGIS for Malaria Page 13