On Thu, 2012-04-26 at 18:10 -0700, Roger Luedecke wrote:

Most counties I have had to research have their own web-based GIS systems that are easy to use. San Bernardino instead has an FTP site that has the data. I downloaded QGIS, but have no clue how to use it. All I need is to be able to view a GIS map and look up an Assesors Parcel Number. I'm totally lost, and this is all greek to me.

GIS is not a data format. It is a technique. QGIS is a good tool to start with. The first question is: what data is it that is available from San Bernardino? I am guessing "shape files". They usually have an extension like .shp. There can be other files as well. The .shp file may refer to those. After we know the type of files, we can see how to proceed in QGIS. I am betting that the files are shape files? In addition to the information needed to draw something, the shape files can contain a database with properties. Any properties can be provided. I am guessing that the shape files contain the Assessor's Parcel Number" for each relevant item in the shape files. Yours sincerely, Roger Oberholtzer OPQ Systems / Ramböll RST Office: Int +46 10-615 60 20 Mobile: Int +46 70-815 1696 roger.oberholtzer@ramboll.se ________________________________________ Ramböll Sverige AB Krukmakargatan 21 P.O. Box 17009 SE-104 62 Stockholm, Sweden www.rambollrst.se -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org