QGIS

QGIS

QGIS 2.2 showing the redesigned menus.
Developer(s) QGIS Development Team
Initial release July 2002 (2002-07)
Stable release
2.18.11 (Las Palmas)[1] / July 22, 2017 (2017-07-22)
Repository github.com/qgis/QGIS
Written in C++, Python, Qt
Platform Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Android(beta)
Available in Multilingual
Type Geographic information system
License GNU GPL
Website qgis.org

QGIS (previously known as Quantum GIS) is a cross-platform free and open-source desktop geographic information system (GIS) application that supports viewing, editing, and analysis of geospatial data.[2]

Functionality

QGIS functions as geographic information system (GIS) software, allowing users to analyze and edit spatial information, in addition to composing and exporting graphical maps.[2] QGIS supports both raster and vector layers; vector data is stored as either point, line, or polygon features. Multiple formats of raster images are supported, and the software can georeference images.

QGIS supports shapefiles, coverages, personal geodatabases, dxf, MapInfo, PostGIS, and other formats.[3] Web services, including Web Map Service and Web Feature Service, are also supported to allow use of data from external sources.[4]

QGIS integrates with other open-source GIS packages, including PostGIS, GRASS GIS, and MapServer.[4] Plugins written in Python or C++ extend QGIS's capabilities. Plugins can geocode using the Google Geocoding API, perform geoprocessing functions, which are similar to the standard tools found in ArcGIS, and interface with PostgreSQL/PostGIS, SpatiaLite and MySQL databases.

Development

Gary Sherman began development of Quantum GIS in early 2002, and it became an incubator project of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation in 2007.[5] Version 1.0 was released in January 2009.[6]

Written in C++, QGIS makes extensive use of the Qt library.[4] In addition to Qt, required dependencies of QGIS include GEOS and SQLite. GDAL, GRASS GIS, PostGIS, and PostgreSQL are also recommended, as they provide access to additional data formats.[7]

A screenshot from QGIS-Android in 2014.

As of 2017, QGIS is available for multiple operating systems including Mac OS X, Linux, Unix, and Microsoft Windows.[8] A mobile version of QGIS was under development for Android as of 2014.[9]

For Mac users, the advantage of QGIS over GRASS GIS is that it does not require the X11 windowing system in order to run, and the interface is much cleaner and faster. QGIS can also be used as a graphical user interface to GRASS. QGIS has a small install footprint on the host file system compared to commercial GIS's and generally requires less RAM and processing power; hence it can be used on older hardware or running simultaneously with other applications where CPU power may be limited.

QGIS is maintained by volunteer developers who regularly release updates and bug fixes. As of 2012, developers have translated QGIS into 48 languages and the application is used internationally in academic and professional environments. Several companies offer support and feature development services.[10]

Licensing

As a free software application under the GNU GPL, QGIS can be freely modified to perform different or more specialized tasks. Two examples are the QGIS Browser and QGIS Server applications, which use the same code for data access and rendering, but present different front-end interfaces.

Adoption

A number of public and private organizations have adopted QGIS, including the Austrian state of Vorarlberg, and the Swiss cantons of Glarus and Solothurn.[11]

Releases

Version Codename Release date Significant changes
0.0.1-alpha July 2002 Import and view data from PostGIS[12]
0.0.3-alpha 10 August 2002 Added support for shapefiles and other vector formats.[12]
0.0.4-alpha 15 August 2002 Improvements in layers handling, colorize layers, and view properties in a dialog box.[12]
0.0.5-alpha 5 October 2002 Bug fixes and improved stability, ability to set line widths, and improved zoom in/out functionality.[12]
0.0.6 24 November 2002 Improvements to PostGIS connections, layer identify function added, and ability to view and sort attribute tables.[12]
0.0.7 30 November 2002
0.0.8 11 December 2002
0.0.9 25 January 2003
0.0.10 13 May 2003
0.0.11 10 June 2003
0.0.12 10 June 2003
0.0.13 8 December 2003
0.1pre1 14 February 2004 Added support for raster data; single, continuous, and graduated shading for vector data; ability to create buffers, implemented as a PostGIS plugin.[13][14]
0.1 Moroz 25 February 2004
0.2 Pumpkin 26 April 2004
0.3 Madison 28 May 2004
0.4 Baby 4 July 2004
0.5 Bandit 5 October 2004
0.6 Simon 19 December 2004
0.7 Seamus
0.7.3 11 October 2005
0.8 Joesephine 7 January 2007
0.8.1 Titan 15 June 2007
0.9.0 26 October 2007
0.9.1 Ganymede 6 January 2008
0.10 Io 3 May 2008
0.11 Metis 21 July 2008
1.0 Kore 5 January 2009
1.1 Pan 12 May 2009
1.2 Daphnis 1 September 2009
1.3 Mimas 20 September 2009
1.4 Enceladus 10 January 2010
1.5 Tethys 29 July 2010
1.6 Copiapó 27 November 2010
1.7 Wrocław 19 June 2011
1.8 Lisboa 21 June 2012 "Mojibake" in Japanese environment.
Old version, no longer supported: 2.0 Dufour 8 September 2013 New vector API, integration of SEXTANTE geoprocessor, symbology and labeling overhaul.
Old version, no longer supported: 2.2 Valmiera 22 February 2014 [15][16]
Old version, no longer supported: 2.4 Chugiak 27 June 2014 2.4.0 changelog
Old version, no longer supported: 2.6 Brighton 1 November 2014 2.6.0/ changelog
Old version, no longer supported: 2.8 Wien 20 February 2015
Old version, no longer supported: 2.10 Pisa 26 June 2015
Old version, no longer supported: 2.12 Lyon 23 October 2015
Older version, yet still supported: 2.14 LTR Essen 29 February 2016
Old version, no longer supported: 2.16 Nødebo 8 July 2016
Current stable version: 2.18 Las Palmas 21 October 2016 Final release in the 2.x series.[17]
Future release: 3.0 TBA Q4 of 2017 Based upon Qt5, PyQt5, and Python 3.[18]
Legend:
Old version
Older version, still supported
Latest version
Latest preview version
Future release

References

  1. ↑ "Releases - qgis/QGIS". Retrieved 25 July 2017 – via GitHub.
  2. 1 2 "QGIS Official Website". QGIS. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  3. ↑ Gray, James (2008-03-26). "Getting Started With Quantum GIS". Linux Journal.
  4. 1 2 3 Cavallini, Paolo (August 2007). "Free GIS desktop and analyses: QuantumGIS, the easy way". The Global Geospatial Magazine.
  5. ↑ OSGeo (February 2008). "OSGeo Annual Report 2007".
  6. ↑ Tim Sutton (January 23, 2009). "Announcing the release of QGIS 1.0 'Kore'". Retrieved 2009-01-26.
  7. ↑ "Project details for Quantum GIS - Quantum GIS 0.9.0". Freshmeat. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
  8. ↑ "Download QGIS". QGIS.org. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  9. ↑ "QGIS for Android". Retrieved 25 September 2014.
  10. ↑ "Commercial support". www.qgis.org. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
  11. ↑ "QuantumGIS (QGIS) – freie GIS-Software". Land Vorarlberg. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "QGIS Change Log". Open Source Geospatial Foundation. 2004-03-09. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
  13. ↑ "README for QGIS version 0.1pre1 'Moroz'". Open Source Geospatial Foundation. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
  14. ↑ "Quantum GIS 0.1pre1 (Development)". Freshmeat News. Freshmeat. 2004-02-14. Retrieved 2008-12-31.
  15. ↑ "QGIS Development - Road Map". Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  16. ↑ Fischer, Jürgen E. "Announcing the release of QGIS 2.2". OSGeo.org. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  17. ↑ "Changelog for QGIS 2.18". QQIS.org. October 21, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  18. ↑ Sutton, Tim (January 17, 2016). "Help us to plan for QGIS 3.0". QGIS.org. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
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