GIS Shortcuts
Here are two ways to try to find the tool you're looking for in either QGIS or ArcGIS. Some tools are shown both descriptively and visually, but others are only in one section, so check both if you can't find what you're looking for.
Descriptive example:
I want to remove boundaries between features, like merging Washington and Oregon into one location. Tool: Dissolve
Visual example:
Find tool by description
What is your goal?
| I want to… | Example: | QGIS: | ArcGIS |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Crop one layer to another without losing layer data. |
Crop a map of all Oregon parks to be all park bounds that overlap the Portland area. |
Vector Selection: Extract by location |
Data Management Tools: Select Layer By Location |
|
Crop one layer to another and cut polygons if necessary. |
Crop a map of parks to only be within the bounds of Portland city limits and cut parks into parts if necessary. |
Vector Overlay: Intersection |
Analysis Tools: Intersect (keep attributes from both layers) Analysis Tools: Clip (keep first layer attributes only) |
|
Find features within a certain distance. |
Find all houses within a floodplain. |
Vector Selection: Extract within distance Vector Geometry: Buffer + Vector Selection: Extract by location |
Data Management Tools: Select Layer By Location > Relationship = Within a distance Analysis Tools: Buffer + Data Management Tools: Select Layer By Location |
|
Find the features closest to… |
Find the nearest school to each census tract. |
Vector Analysis: Shortest line between features (optional multiple features; always draws line) Vector Analysis: Distance to nearest hub (single feature; optional draw line) |
Analysis Tools: Near/Generate Near Table (optional multiple features; no line, just table) Generate Near Table + Data Management Tools: XY To Line (draws line) |
|
Find all features of a certain type. |
Get only single family homes. |
Vector Selection: Extract by attribute |
Analysis Tools: Select (add to Where field) |
|
Find features smaller/larger than… |
Find parks larger than 5 acres. |
Vector Selection: Extract by expression (add to Expression field) |
Analysis Tools: Select (add to Where field) |
|
Combine features based on a variable. |
Combine industrial and commercial zones. |
Vector General: Join attributes by field value (ex: county name) Vector General: Join attributes by location (ex: polygon location) |
Analysis Tools: Spatial Join (default is location, options to join by field or matching attribute) |
|
Remove boundaries between features. |
Merge Washington and Oregon into one location. |
Vector Geometry: Dissolve |
Data Management Tools: Dissolve |
|
Get statistics for my data. |
Find the average house price separated by race. |
Vector Analysis: Statistics by categories |
Analysis Tools: Summary Statistics |
|
Count points in an area. |
Count all the trees on a city map. |
Vector Analysis: Count points in polygon |
Analysis Tools: Summarize Within |
|
Calculate density from a raster picture. |
Find the percent forest coverage of an area based on aerial photograph. |
Raster Analysis: Zonal Statistics Optional: + Raster Analysis: Fill NoData Cells [to set zeroes] (change missing data to 0) |
Spatial Analyst Tools: Zonal Statistics Optional: + Spatial Analyst Tools: Raster Calculator with formula: |
|
Change the CRS. |
My points show up in the ocean! |
Vector General: Reproject Layer |
Data Management Tools: Project |
Find tool by visual
Visual Guide to Overlapping Layers
When you have multiple vector layers, there are a variety of ways separate or combine the information in each of them. Here are examples of things you can do with a layers of polygons (counties and eco-regions), lines (rivers), and points (cities).
Tool names are the same in QGIS and ArcGIS, except where noted.
Shape Files
Select Individual Features
Click individual features to select them and use the Clip tool to create a layer with just those features.
 |
 |
Combine Features
The Union tool will combine polygons of the same type.
ArcGIS: Merge
The Dissolve tool will turn individual polygons into a single combined polygon.
Remove Features
You can select things and filter them out or you can use the Difference tool to remove areas of overlap.
ArcGIS: Erase
 |
Select From Overlapping Areas
The Intersection tool will create a new layer from any portions of layers that overlap. The new layer will contain data and features from both previous layers.
|
|
The Extract Attribute by Location tool has a similar function of creating a layer from overlapping areas, but it only keeps the features from the first input layer.
ArcGIS: Select Layer by Location
Final layer is only the cities present in these eco-regions.
Final layer is only the eco-regions that overlap with the counties.
Final layer is all the counties that overlap with any part of the eco-regions.
Join Attributes from Different Layers
The Join Attributes by Location tool adds information from one layer to another layer based on their location.
ArcGIS: Spatial Join
Final layer includes county and data and new columns for the eco-region the county falls in.
Final layer includes all the river data with new columns that say which county the rivers are in.
Final layer includes all county data and new columns for river data. Since a county can have multiple rivers run through it, there are additional rows for counties with more than one river.
Find the Nearest Attribute
The Join Attributes by Nearest tool adds information from one layer to another layer based on location and adds columns to measure distance between them.
ArcGIS: Near
The final layer has a row for every city, new columns from the river file, and the distance between the city and the river.
Buffer
The Buffer tool adds polygon zone around a point, line, or other polygon.
You can set the width of the buffer by different units of measurement.
The buffer can be combined with dissolve to create regions around feature type.