From QGIS to iGIS

From QGIS to iGIS

In this post I will discuss how to take files from QGIS (from a computer) and move them into iGIS (to a iPhone).

The plant of focus today will be Polygala lutea L. Known as candy root or orange milkwort. I've heard it called candy root because if you pull up the plant and smell the root, it can smell like root beer. Mmmhhhh.

I downloaded point location data for Polygala lutea from iNaturalist (see my iNaturalist post).

I opened this point data in QGIS (see my QGIS post).

On the left side of the screen, I right clicked on the layer Polygalalutea8, selected Export, then selected Save Feature as...

In the resulting pop-up window, I selected ... at File Name (see #1). This allowed me to chose a save location. I named the file PolygalaLutea9.
For CRS, I selected WGS 84 (see #2).
In the Geometry section, I selected the drop down to change the file type to Point (see #3). Note: if this had been a line or polygon feature, I would have selected line or polygon rather than point.
I then clicked ok to save the file.

Once saved, the new saved layer was added to the map as PolygalaLutea9.

I then opened the file location of where I saved the PolygalaLutea9 shapefile. The shapefile utilizes 6 different files. I selected all 6 of the related file (see #1), right clicked them, then selected Send to, and finally Compessed (zipped) folder (see #3).
This created a compressed file: PolygalaLutea9.zip (see #2)

I then opened iTunes on my computer. I connected my iPhone to the computer using a USB cable. Once the phone was connected, an iPhone icon appeared in iTunes. I clicked that icon.

After selecting the iPhone icon, on the left side I selected File Sharing (see #1). I then selected the iGIS application (see #2). From there is a list of files listed within the iGIS application. I dragged and dropped the PolygalaLutea9.zip into this documents area and it appeared in the list (see #3).

At this point I close iTunes and disconnect the phone from the computer. I then selected the iGIS application on the iPhone. At application start, I selected the file with the gear icon.

From there I selected the"+" icon to add a new file.

I then selected the USB option.

 

Then I selected PolygalaLutea9.zip.

 

From there I click the import (top right of the picture below).

  

I then waited for the "Extracting Complete" to appear, and it goes away on its own.

 

Now the file has been loaded onto the iPhone. Go back to the start screen of the iGIS application. Click the "+" at the bottom left to create a new project.

 

Then I followed the prompts to add the PolygalaLutea9. I clicked "Add New Layer" (see #1). Then "Point" (see #2). Then selected the layer "PolygalaLutea9." I'll go into extra detail here, I changed the color and size of the point through "Style/Color" (see #4). Then I changed the color and size (see #5). Then I selected "Done."

I kind of breezed through that. I went back to the start screen and selected the new project I just created with the PolygalaLutea9 layer in it.

The project is initially zoomed out to see most of the world.

 

I zoomed into the Southeastern United States.

 

It seems a lot of people in Florida posted their Polygala lutea locations on iNaturalist. Maybe I will find some more.

 

Thank you for viewing. If this helps you let me know. I plan to show additional instructions for the use of this great app for GIS data collection. QGIS and iGIS are free to use.

Have a Great day!

Post if you would like!

Building A Computer 2018

2018 Building a Computer

Completed Computer Build

I did my research and picked out the pieces for building a computer. PC Part Picker is a website that helped me out. The site lists all the parts on the market, their prices, and if they are compatible. Very Helpful. They also have posts from people with similar builds.

Boxed Computer Components (commonly shown this way as a way to brag by the computer building community)

To build a computer, first determine what you want out of it. I wanted the power to play games at the highest setting level. Always in the past I have to choose low settings so that I could play games. Some of the computer games I play are complex and slow down the longer you play them. In addition, if the computer can play games, then it is probably powerful enough to process statistics and geographic information systems (GIS). My old computer was going slow after 5 years, time for an upgrade. Also I noticed some new computer parts have LEDs and light up. This could be cool, so I went for the LED computer build. I also wanted a machine powerful enough for virtual reality devices. I spared no expense.

For power in processing advanced programs, I needed a powerful processor, CPU. This is where I started. I chose the Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor. This is newer than the 7700 processors, more powerful, and wasn't as pricey. I also thought the newer stuff could have bugs.

With the processor in mind, I need a motherboard to put the processor on. I wanted a gaming processor that had Ethernet, other hookups, HDMI hookups, and USB hookups. Motherboards are what all the pieces connect to. I chose the Asus - ROG STRIX Z370-E GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard. It seemed designed for gaming and it had LEDs, it had flashy lights. From a few models I looked at, this one had the most USB ports. Motherboards and processors much be compatible as they are specific to each other. Video that helped me.

Although the processor is the brain, the muscle is the GPU, the graphics processing unit, the video card. This processor determines how detailed the graphics or looks can be. This is the main part if I want the best details that are possible for gaming. Currently the best of the best is the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti. I went with the top of the line for the 1080Ti, they are all the same, but this one had flashy LED lights on it: Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING OC Video Card. The OC stands for overclocked, which explains the processor has been tuned to exceed the power it was designed for... I guess. This graphics card is bigger than others, so I need a case big enough case for it. Graphics cards can usually fit into most slots for them. Video with some information on this card.

The processor needs a cooling unit put onto it. Often this is a fan that blows air onto the processor microchip keeping it cool. There are other ways to dispense heat from the chip. The processor can heat up when it is put to work. I went with a water cooler. The water cooler fits onto the processor with a film of liquid metal to fill it the cracks to make the most contact at a microscopic level. This has metal on metal. The composition for this metal is a type that will absorb and dissipate heat. The metal extends into the cooler and it in contact with liquid. Yes liquid inside a computer. You don't want it to leak on the circuits, and as long as everything is handled normally, then no liquid will come out. The composition of the liquid is the type that will absorb heat. This water then makes contact with metal on another end, sort of like a radiator. This radiator absorbs heat. Two fans then blow air on this radiator to remove heat. This keeps the CPU cool. If a CPU gets too hot, it can be damage, or shut down the computer. I went with the NZXT - Kraken X62 Rev 2 98.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler. I went with this model because I wanted a water cooler and because it had LED flashy lights. Video/Site helped me.

Memory or RAM is important to open multiple programs and keep them running at the same time. All games now a days run well within 16 gigabytes of ram. My research on the technology explained anything above 16 is probably overkill and needed only if I am doing video processing or some high level complex computer processing. The statistics and GIS stuff I do isn't that high-tech. So I stuck with the 16 gigabytes. I chose the Corsair - Vengeance RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory. The RGB stands for red green blue, colors. This is in references to LED flashy lights. The DDR4 is the model of RAM. Older ram uses DDR3. A DDR4 will not fit in a DDR3 slot, so you have to make sure the components will fit and that the motherboard can fit the ram. The 3200 is a speed stuff can be processed through the RAM, it doesn't really make a noticeable difference, but I spared no expense. I went with a high number, 3200, for the price.

Next I determined how much storage space the computer will have. I went with both a solid state drive and a traditional hard drive. When your computer or phone fills up with pictures or other files, it is because you ran out of space. The difference between the solid state drive and the traditional hard drive is how they store stuff. The solid state drive is just microchip stuff that can store information. The traditional hard drive spins a little disk, cd like looking things to write information on and office. The spinning disk and moving parts can wear down over time leading to hard drive failure. The spinning disk makes it slower than the solid state version of storage. Files stored on the solid state drive such as the operating system or games can be loaded fast. For my old computer, it takes minutes from pushing the on button to until I can surf the internet. Solid state drives can reduce that time, and I wanted to test just that. Since solid state can be considered the better technology, it cost more. I went with a Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive and a Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive. The solid state drive was a good price and a good enough amount of space, 500 GB (gigabytes) of space to store stuff such as the operating system and games, for fast load times. The hard drive was a good price, good amount of space at 2 terabytes (4 times that of the solid state drive), and the 7200RPM (rotations per minute, for the spinning disk) it is fast. The 2.5" and the 3.5" are the size of the drives, and this is important for the case, the box all the computer components will fit into. With 2.5 terabytes of storage, I think that will be enough for now. I can always add more later if I need it. My current computer uses 750 GB, but it appears it has another drive with 1 terabyte... that I've never used? Guess I didn't know what I had until I started building my computer. I bought an external hard drive to store pictures. Now with my new computer, I hope to have enough space for a long time with these two storage devices, and with the solid state drives for programs, I hope the programs will run fast. SDD: Video that helped me 1. Video that helped me 2. Video that helped me 3. HDD: Video that helped me 1.

Computers now a days are moving away from CD ROM drives. I remember when floppy disks were getting phased out. Although often no longer included on many computers that can be purchased prebuilt now, I wanted a CD Rom drive for music CDs, movie DVDs, etc. I went with a Asus - DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer. It had good reviews, was cheap at around $20.00, and I hope will serve the purpose. Video that helped me.

Many of the computer components requires a direct connection to the power supply Unit. The power of each component can be added up, but I utilized PC Part Picker's estimated wattage. Here is the report of the parts I have mentioned above:
Wattage Breakdown

Note: Wattages are estimates only. Actual power draw may differ from listed values.

Component	Estimated Wattage
Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor	11W - 95W
NZXT - Kraken X62 Rev 2 98.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	10W - 15W
Asus - ROG STRIX Z370-E GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	17W - 70W
Corsair - Vengeance RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	14W - 14W
Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	4W - 20W
Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	2W - 10W
Asus - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB STRIX GAMING OC Video Card	62W - 250W
Total:	120W - 474W

This was very convenient to be calculated for me. Because, I spared no expense, I thought to get something like 1000+ watts for a power source. Researching, they mentioned that too much of an overkill on a power-source watts could be a bad thing. I went with: Corsair - 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply. 760 is well over the estimated 474. It is good to have enough, more than the estimated, just in case. The 80+ Platinum is a rating on the efficiency of utilizing power from the wall. There are bronze, silver, Platinum, and Titanium. I didn't get the top of the line as that got pricier, but I got something good. Electricity not used is lost as heat. Platinum should be good to keep heat down and save on power costs. This Power Supply also has detachable cables, modular, so I can add what I need. Video that helped me.

All of these components go into a computer case, the box, the shape of the tower of the computer. I chose the Thermaltake - Core X9 Snow Edition ATX Desktop Case. I chose this case because it was large. I wanted to make sure everything would fit. It was also modular, meaning I could move parts around if I wanted to. It also has a glass panel so I can view inside at the components. Looking at the components is important because I got multiple parts with LED flashy lights. I went with the Snow Edition because it was white, not the usual black. I thought white would be neater with lights inside than a dark black case. This case is big and yeah it was overkill. It does come with 2 fans to keep the components cool. Video that helped me.

No computer is complete without an operating system, the software. This isn't a computer components, but you want to make sure the operating system will work. I chose the Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit. This is Windows 10, industry standard stuff. The Pro is the upgraded normal office edition with a few extra protections, and cost a little extra. The 64-bit is what computers are now, in the past they may have been 32 bit, but I don't live in that old world any more. Video that helped me. To buy this, I went to the Microsoft website, not any other place. I did this because, I spared no expense. I could have bought this from another party and saved a few bucks, but I think it would have come with 'bloatware' or other programs and advertisements. Buying from the source omitted all that junk. Also I read that buying keys from other sources sometimes doesn't work, the key from Microsoft had no problem. When making the purchase, my credit card wouldn't take and my phone rang asking about it. I did make a few phone calls to confirm the purchase was legitimate. Interesting, buying something from Microsoft set off the credit card warning, but other part sites didn't. I recieved a nice email from Microsoft from the person that helped me and everything worked out fine. It wasn't too inconvenience and I was perfectly fine with the experience.

To put this all together, I bought a computer tool set that came with a screw driver, a static risk strap, and a few other items.

Boxed computer components labeled

To get all these parts in a prebuilt PC, or even some of these parts, would have extra costs. The 1080Ti (a standard edition, not the fancy lit, over clocked version), i7-8700 processor, with 500Gb solid state drive had the cheapest version pre-manufactured computer on Newegg for a little over $2300.00 dollars. I probably got all my parts for under $2500.00. I got to pick out the pieces with the bells and whistles and the quality parts rather than any run of the mill components such as storage and the power supply. Fish always tastes better when you catch it and cook it that just buying it at the store. So does the satisfaction of building my own computer! I also learned a lot about computers, and a lot more about myself.

Overall, I think it took 6 hours (under 8 at least). I researched and watched many YouTube videos on how to hook up the different components. During the build I stayed grounded with the static risk strap.

Airflow for the completed Computer Build. The orange circle is for the PSU only; cold air enters the bottom of the Case (blue arrows); cools the PSU (light blue arrows); and warmer air is exhausted out (red arrows). For the rest of the case not in the orange circle, cold air enters from the front of the case (blue arrows); the air flows through the case cooling various computer components (light blue arrows); and is exhausted out the back by another fan and the top from the two radiator fans (red arrows). The yellow-green arrows are screen holes that air can enter into the case from the bottom, the top, and the sides of the case; the only area that does not have air holes is this glass portion that allows viewing of the components.

I first started by placing the power supply into the case and fastening with screws that came with the power supply.

To the back of the motherboard I added the piece for the water cooler for the processor; the cooler mount, with screws that came with it. I then placed the i7-8700 processor onto the motherboard with the plastic mount piece that came with the motherboard. This motherboard came with a plastic piece the processor had to be placed on before being attached. This was easy to put together.

I then attached the motherboard to the case. I kept the case with the same setup it came with, I didn't move the modular parts around. The motherboard was attached with 9 screws.

Once the motherboard was in place, I then added the rest of the water cooler to the motherboard. I mounted the radiator and fans of the water cooler to the top of the case with screws. There is a power cable that goes from the water cooler to the motherboard. This is a safety feature so that if the water cooler fails due to lack of power, the computer won't boot so that the processor just won't burn up. This had a few other cables to hook up.

I then added the RAM (memory), which was easy just placing the components into the slots, no cables.

I then attached the GPU. This was a big item. I had to remove some of the case components, standard operation, to make an opening for the case.

Next I hooked up the CD ROM drive into the slot on the case.

Following I placed the solid state drive (SSD) and the hard drive (HD) into 3.5" drive slots of the case. This is storage for files like pictures, programs, etc. The 3.5" slot was larger than the 2.5" solid state drive, but I was still able to mount the component although it was bigger.

During adding each component, I hooked up wires for the power supply, but of course I did not have it connected to the wall and no one ever should as you can get shocked. I had to pay special detail to what cable went to what. I may include detail about this later. From the power supply I connected cords to each component.

The case has what the call the I/O, which is USB connections and buttons, and I had to hook these wires to the motherboard. I had to go by the motherboard manual to identify each I/O cable to the correct spot.

I tied up wires and hooked the computer to a monitor and plugged it in. I got so lucky because it worked! I then purchased and downloaded Windows and went through that process to install the operating system. Before I knew it, I was looking at the new desktop! It appears I had succeeded!

Final Computer Build

After a while of enjoying the fact the computer turned on, I noticed the computer would randomly restart. This was a problem. I looked up this issue and found it out to be the power supply was using one cord for the GPU. Rather than using one cord with 2 plugs, I used two cords each with 1 plug. This resolved the problem. I then backed up the computer onto a jump drive. I installed an antivirus. I then began to load programs.

Final Computer Build with Components Labeled

The CD Rom is hard to see, but it is in that box. There are two other boxes for other stuff below it, but they are empty. The Radiation is on top and has two fans that are blowing air up and out of the case; from the radiation are water tubes; the water tubes connect to the Water Cooler which has lights at this section but it is hard to see. Under the water cooler is the processor which cannot be seen as it is covered by the cooler, but it is in that location. The area with the lights, RAM, GPU, Water Cooler, and Processor is the Motherboard; most parts are set on the Motherboard; the Motherboard has lights on the right side. The RAM is two sticks, has LED lights, and is set on the Motherboard. The GPU is the big piece at the back on the Motherboard and it has lights. Cords from many of the components lead to the Power Supply Unit (PSU); the PSU is where the power cord attached to and that leads to the wall; and the PSU has a built in fan that sucks air from the bottom of the case through the PSU and out the back near the power cord (power cord and cables were included with the PSU). The case is the big box, which is bigger than a microwave (yes overkill, I spared no expense); it has a large intake fan on the front and an exhaust fan in the back to cycle air through the case to keep all the components cool so they can work efficiently and not burn up. Hard to see, but below the Motherboard on the other side of the PSU is a box area that has 6 compartments for storage units; and this is where the SSD and HD storage units are located. The Maintance (I shorten for Maintenance because I felt like that was a good idea due to the space) Crew are Spyrius lego figures and their flagship Robot! They are for looks, but in my mind they keep the computer running (warning losing touch with reality "Muhahaha Muhahaha").

I tested some games, and now after a week, the computer runs great. It is so good, it is almost anti-climatic as it is just a computer. I can play all my games I've tested so far on the highest setting. I admit I haven't noticed a difference other than being able to use full screen rather than a smaller screen, boxed version of game windows.

Building the computer was fun. I did sweat building it, it was work. I was nervous, yet due to all the research and videos I watched, I put everything together pretty much straight forward. I am proud of the computer and I think it looks really cool. It was almost like a puzzle figuring out the build, but it was generally straight forward. Again I think I got lucky and had an easy time of it. I'll never look at computers the same again, and if anyone is going to throw a computer away, I would know how to harvest parts from it. The Gamers Nexus group is awesome, I watched many of their videos, and I found them entertaining. They explain computer technology, marketing, and the science. Here is one video by Gamers Nexus. I think they are cool dudes, and I love the science, graphs, statistics for the technology. They helped inspire and build the confidence to spend thousands on computer parts and make the dream happen.

I learned a lot about computers, and a lot more about myself. The experience was rewarding. I did not call or ask anyone for help during this project. Watching YouTube videos really helped. I read through every manual that came with every component, for every component, and that helped. Again, I think I got lucky and the computer worked out for me. I took my time and built it over a few days because I was doing other stuff. I was nervous and worried because I'd never built a computer or installed one component before, but I did it!

Could it be better? Always. The Motherboard can with a few extra parts, I think one component tracks temperature of a computer component, but its an extra component and not required, and I didn't use this part. I wanted LED lighting, but each component uses its own lighting controls and color scheme don't match any other part. Even the ASUS ROG STRIX Motherboard won't sync with the ASUS ROG 1080TI GPU. I believe it is possible to sync these two, but it wasn't just a quick to do. I may fix this later. The Water Cooler and RAM are made by different companies and their lighting probably can't be used by the Aura Sync program. I don't care too much about all that, but maybe if I were to do it all again, I would choose Aura compatible parts, but that would be choosing looks over function and definitely price. Again I probably would not buy parts just for that, and so I wouldn't care. This issues aren't even an issue. This computer is Great!

Completed Computer Build (Repeat of the first photo shown at very top)

Overall about $2600.00 maybe a little less or more. It didn't matter, I spared no expense.

Thank you for reading!
Comment if you would like!
Have a Great day!

Shelf Planting and Light Intensity

Shelf Planting and Light Intensity
5/26/2018
Looking at the cups of plants of my 2018 planting, I again question the intensity of light on the different areas of the shelf.

2018 planting seed cups.

 

The cups of plants in the middle are getting more of a dose of light.

The cups of plants on the edge aren't getting light from the reflective curve portion of the light apparatus.

I had these thoughts for last year's 2017 Planting. It seems the plants on the edge of the shelf are green and grow tall. They may be taller because they are reaching for light. They may be green in order to process as much light that does hit them.

Sarracenia flava var rugelii x Sarracenia flava var atropurpurea variety Waccamaw seedling positioned to get less of the light from the grow lights.

The plants in the middle, under more light, seem to remain dwarf, are more red rather than green, and don't grow as tall. Maybe not having to reach for light, no need to grow tall. Maybe since they are getting a lot of light, no need to produce as much chlorophyll (green) to process as much light that does hit the plant.

Sarracenia flava var rugelii x Sarracenia flava var atropurpurea variety Waccamaw seedling positioned to get a lot of light from the grow lights.

 Although smaller, the plants in the middle seemed to have more pitchers.

Removing the affect of positioning of the 2017 not pictured here: Cups of plants the 2017 Planting were placed randomly on the shelf, a system that required a random number generator (this is different from me just hap haphazardly picking a cup and putting it where I felt like). The random placement was chosen to remove differences that could be caused by positioning. For the Portulaca Planting, I randomly moved plants every week in order to prevent any affects of their area on the shelf. I did not remove the affect of position in reference to the light in this 2018 planting, light I believe has an influence.

Different species: Last year I had so many different species. Different species will grow differently. This time I have the same type of seeds in all cups being tested.

Last year (2017) I cross pollinated one of my most vigorous plants, a Sarracenia flava var rugelii (purchased from Meadowview Biological Research Station on March 19, 2016) with a Sarracenia flava var atropurpurea variety Waccamaw (purchased from Meizzwang on February 15, 2017). I bought the Waccamaw plant as a flowering size plant, and for the cost, it came with a flower. Since my Rugelii had flowers, why not? Lets see what happens. From the Waccamaw flower, the pod was recently transplanted and may not have been 100% giving me just 36 seeds. From the Rugelii flower, it grew well under the conditions of a grow-light, inside an apartment, and I obtained 263 seeds. Note this was in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania. Light is poor and temperatures get cold. Haha, being so high on the mountain you might think well I was closer to the sun it should be warmer and sunnier, hahaha I joke because it doesn't work that way.

2017 Partial Plant Collection Grown Inside an Apartment. R = Rugelii. W = Waccamaw. Flowers are circled. Cross pollinated sweet plant love~

Fast forward to the 2018 planting (Planted February 25, 2018), I planted all the seeds from the cross. From the Waccamaw flower (Waccamaw the mother, Rugelii the father), 1 of 36 (3%) seeds germinated. That 1 seedling later died. From the Rugelii flower (Rugelii the mother, Waccamaw the father), 127 of 260 (49%) seeds planted germinated. Of the 127, 86 survived (68%)  to the end of Week 13.

Back to the question of light intensity, since I had so many seeds and planted so many cups, and the cups not shuffled or randomly placed to avoid the affect of positioning, I can then analyze cup positioning related to light.

Cup positioning. Numbers represent plants. The yellow rectangle represents the positioning of the light apparatus.

I counted the plants, the numbers of pitchers on the plants, and decided my own light intensity categorization on the plants. The light intensity categorization ranged from 1 to 4. 4 being directly under the lights. 3 getting some direct and some neglect. 2 on the edge of the shelf away from the light. 1 being on the corner... I felt like it.

Light intensity under grow lights base on cup positioning on the shelf keeping in mind the edge, edge of darkness.

Then I made a table. "Number" is the cup number, a label rather than a measurement. "Plants" are the number of plants in the cup. "Pitchers" are the total count of pitchers on the plants in the cup. "Pitcher/Plant" is the number of pitcher divided by the number of plants in a cup. "Light Intensity" is a light assignment number I chose based on positioning of cups to the shelf in reference to the light and the edge of the shelf, 1 is the least light, 4 is the most light.

Then I do what I do for most of my analyses:

Data Analysis

Light category represents the light intensity. The numbers in the light blue represent the samples. Count is the number of samples for the light intensity. Average is the average of the samples for each light intensity. StDev is the standard deviation and StdError is the standard error for each of the light intensity categories. StdDev is calculated using the =stdev function in Excel. StdError is calculated by dividing the StDev by the square root of the count, example: =StDev/(SQRT(count)). Note the blue text is not part of the function, rather the cell selection.

This now reduced table is all I need to make a graph. The category is there, the average for the bar, the StdError for the standard error bars.

The graph on the x-axis represents the light categories from 1 to 4. The y-axis indicates the average number of pitchers per plant. The number inside the bar are the number of samples used for the bar average. The error bars are 1 standard error of the samples for each category. Note the error bar for light intensity 1 is 0 because both samples were 2, no error... variation/noise to say. The graph reveals the potential for more light intensity may cause the seedlings to grow more pitchers. The bigger bar of light category 4 has no overlap in error bars with the other light intensity categories. It averages nearly half a pitcher more than the other category nearest category. I need to run a statistical test to confirm what I see in the graph, but I am too lazy today and might do it later. When I do, I will lists the instructions on how to do it. The graph was easier to see than reading the positioning chart:

Are more pitchers a good thing? Is more light a good thing? I like the more pitchers because I think it is the plant struggling for nutrients from insects.

Thanks for reading!
Questions or comments let me know!
 Have a Great Holiday Weekend!

iNaturalist Species Mapping

iNaturalist data, Google Tile Set, and QGIS mapping of Asimina species observations of the viewed part of the United States.

4/23/2018 Been a while since a post, here is a good one for mapping.

iNaturalist is a site, a movement to map the organisms of the world. I think through an app on smart phones, you can take pictures and record GPS coordinates, then upload what you find to the web. Others review your post and can help identify what you found. Then people can see what and where you found the organism.

So for example, if you want to see all the locations of zebras, species Equus zebra, you can search and it will give you a map. This is an screen shot part of the iNaturalist site looking at Equus zebra.

Map generated through iNaturalist for Equus zebra. iNaturalist.org web application at http://www.inaturalist.org. Accessed 23 April 2018. https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/43330-Equus-zebra.

This can be done for all kinds of organisms, animals, plants, etc. I think this is very neat. Even neater than an anteater is you can download the data! That is right you can download the points of any species and map them!

Since I am all about plants, I will focus on the Paw-Paw, Asimina species. No I am not talking about the 1985-1986 cartoon with native American bears fighting off the Dark Paw, I am talking about a plant. There are a few species of Paw-Paw. People eat the fruit of the most widespread species, Asimina triloba. But let us practice with an example:

Go to https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search.
 On the left side, begin to open the taxonomic tree by clicking:
Scientific Name
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliales
Annona
Asimina
Then you can click the number of observation beside the text "Asimina." yesterday it was 4,513. Today it is 4,530. So more observations are being added all the time, even for this plant.

Example from gbif.org part of the iNaturalist stuff showing observations for Asimina, Paw-Paw.

To get the data, I had to have a registered account with the website. Then I navigated back to the asimina page.
From here I clicked download.
Click the button for the download of the csv file. Click Understood.
Then I waited for an email. A minute or two, I received the email. I clicked the link provided in the email for the download of the data and saved it.
The saved file was a zip file, I just right clicked and unzipped it.

I then opened Excel. In Excel I clicked the "Data" tab. Then I clicked the "From Text" option. I navigated to the unzipped file and selected the csv file. Within the "Text Import Wizard" for file origin I selected Unicode (UTF-9). I clicked next, next, finish. This imported the information into the Excel spreadsheet. I then saved the file as a .csv (comma deliminated). I closed Excel.

I opened QGIS:
From the top, I selected "Layer."
Then I clicked "Add Layer"
Then "Add Deliminated Text Layer."
I browsed to the csv file I had just saved from Excel and doubled clicked it. The QGIS program loaded the information and auto filled the X and Y fields. The Encoding was automatically selected to UTF-8. I then clicked the button to Add the layer. This added points, the location of Asimina plants.

Within the QGIS Brower, I selected the XYZ Tiles option, then doubled clicked Google. I discussed setting this up in a previous post. The instruction listed again:
1.Within the "Browser" section, scroll down to "XYZ Tiles."
2.Right click "XYZ Tiles" and select new connection.
3.In the pop-up window, for Name you can type Google. in the URL enter: http://www.google.cn/maps/vt?lyrs=s@189&gl=cn&x={x}&y={y}&z={z}. Set Max. Zoom Level to 19. Click ok.
4.Might have to expand the "XYZ Tiles" menus to see what is in it. Then double click the new Google option to add it to the map.
I then added the picture of the world and refreshed to that the points would go to the correct place.

iNatural data and Google tiles within QGIS showing locations of Asimina plants observed and recorded throughout the world.

 Now I thought this was cool. This is an Eastern North American genus. But it is neat to see it has been taken and observed in Europe, South America, Africa, Australia, and Japan. All continents besides the Iceberg in the south.

I zoomed into Eastern North America. Ont he left side of QGIS, I double clicked the symbol of the points, I changed the symbol from Single to Categorized. For Column I selected Species. I clicked apply, then I clicked Classify and unchecked the very bottom symbol.

iNaturalist data, Google Tile Set, and QGIS mapping of Asimina species observations of Eastern North America.

This shows all the species colored in different points. Most of the points are of Asimina triloba. Asimina diversity, different species, are mostly found in the southeastern United States.

iNaturalist data, Google Tile Set, and QGIS mapping of Asimina species observations of the viewed part of the United States.

Using the key at the left, you can look at the map to view where different species are located.

The Paw-Paw, Asimina, is one of my favorite plants! Everyone should "get a hit of" the smell of leaves of plants of this genus.

It is nice to see the work of many people to obtain these points and the work of others to make this data available! This could be done for countless other species. The website has statistics on how many species and observations, and it is growing every day. I hope this material will be around for a long time as this has the potential to be powerful information. This type of data goes beyond government, scientists, and industry. This is open and free for anyone!

I don't personally contribute to iNaturalist, but it could be cool for others.

Thanks for reading!
Comment if you would like!
Ask questions if you have any.
If you made a map using QGIS and iNaturalist, take a picture and contact me and I will post it on a future blog!
Thank you and have a Great day!

QGIS - Free Powerful Home Mapping Program

Today I plan to obtain and use QGIS so that I can work at home. If you are familiar with ArcGIS, QGIS is supposedly a good alternative, if not better. 
Objectives:
1. Obtain the program and get it functional
2. Add files such as:
-Add points
-Aerial Imagery

Obtaining the Program and Get it Functional
Download the program at https://www.qgis.org/en/site/. I selected the QGIS standalone installer. OSGeo4W is for more advance stuff that I haven't investigated fully.

This is about a 450 megabyte file, so it took a few moments to download. Once finished I doubled clicked it and installed the program. Installation took a few moments. Once complete I opened the program.

Adding Points
This is the program without any data added to it. I have some point data I collected (I plan to make a post to show how to collect data later). At the top I selected Layer, Add Data, Add Vector Layer as shown.

I then browsed to the file that contained my point shapefile, and I just double clicked that .shp file, then clicked add. A pop-up then comes up about Coordinate reference systems stuff. From my experience, most GPS units use WGS 84. That seems to be the standard, the program already had it selected for me, and I used that by clicking OK.Success! There isn't any real references, just points.
Adding Aerial Imagery
I tested a few ways to add aerial imagery. I would like to download the file, then add it to the map, but these files are large. I also had trouble finding them.

Instead I am using the built in XYZ Tiles option with instruction I found at another blog called GEODOSE. They do show pictures. I won't repeat their work, but I will list the instructions:
1.Within the "Browser" section, scroll down to "XYZ Tiles."
2.Right click "XYZ Tiles" and select new connection.
3.In the pop-up window, for Name you can type Google. in the URL enter: http://www.google.cn/maps/vt?lyrs=s@189&gl=cn&x={x}&y={y}&z={z}. Set Max. Zoom Level to 19. Click ok.
4.Might have to expand the "XYZ Tiles" menus to see what is in it. Then double click the new Google option to add it to the map.
The map may look a little funky based on projection or something. Zoom in and out a few times.
Here is my result for the points I had previously:


At this stage I completed my objectives to point you in the direction to get you going making your own maps at home. 

Saving Imagery Files
I mentioned it earlier, so I now go into getting the aerial imagery files onto your computer. Here is a government site available to all by the USDA.

Click either NAIP Download or Direct Download - I think they go to the same place.


Next look up the FIPs code of the area you wan the image of, by clicking #1 pictured. Click the drop down and select the state you would like. I used Georgia as an example.
Once the state is selected, a list will appear with numbers for each county.
I wanted Wayne County, so I noted the numbers GA, 13,305,H1.

Then I returned to the Geospatial Data Gateway and selected #2.

A list of folders with dates are shown. The most recent date may be 2017, but not all 50 states are available. I found and clicked 2013.

Another list of folders with state abbreviations were shown, I didn't take a picture. I clicked "ga" for Georgia. Then a list of files are shown. I clicked name to sort the files. I then looked for the ga305:

I clicked that file, click download, then save the file. These files are large, many over hundreds of megabytes, so it might take a few moments to download the file. Once completed, exact the zip file to a folder you put all your map layers. In QGIS go to "Layer" found at the top, Add Layer, Add Raster Layer... Then navigate to the file and select the .sid file of the file set. Add it to the map.
When zoomed in I compared the USDA imagery:
To the Google imagery:The Google imagery is of sharper quality, and is more up to date. On the other side, if you lose the internet, I think you lose these capabilities. The USDA site allows you to save the file on your computer.

Thank you for viewing!
Comment if you would like!
Have a Great day!