Dave Murray presented on QGIS, an open source desktop GIS. He discussed why users should consider QGIS, its benefits, and limitations compared to commercial GIS software. Training materials and resources for learning QGIS were provided, including online courses, tutorials, and documentation. While QGIS is limited in some areas like advanced editing and cartography, it was positioned as a valuable free tool worth learning to expand one's GIS skills and have an alternative to expensive commercial software.

1. GISCO – Spring, 2015
QGIS Open Source
Desktop GIS
Dave Murray, GISP
GIS Coordinator
City of Westminster

2. 2
Introduction
• Scope of Presentation
• Why consider QGIS
• Benefits
• Obstacles
• Training materials
• Next steps

3. 3
GISCO – Spring, 2015

4. 4
QGIS Use
• Who has used QGIS?
• I’m here to learn from YOU!

5. 5
QGIS?
• Not trying to sell you anything

6. 6
QGIS?
• More Tools In our Toolbox

7. 7
QGIS?
• Linkedin Discussion Kevin Hone
– we typically use the tool to learn the
concepts instead of the other way
around
– I may know how to create a convex
hull polygon with one tool, but if I had
to do it with a different tool, I wouldn't
know where to start because I didn't
learn to do it with this other tool.
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/what-is-best-GIS-software-
49657.S.5994554822773272579?view=&item=5994554822773272579&type=member&gid
=49657&trk=eml-b2_anet_digest-hero-1-hero-disc-disc-
0&midToken=AQFqIVLI2OXPRQ&fromEmail=fromEmail&ut=25qGCidJBNzmI1

8. 8
QGIS
• Limits

9. 9
Disclaimer
• We are currently not using QGIS at the
City of Westminster
Why?
• Many reasons but the business case does
not demand it at this time
• May change in the future?
• Data lock-up is one reason
• Training is another big issue –I’m working
on it

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Why Consider QGIS?
• Even with an Enterprise Licensing
Agreement (ELA) there are limits

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How to Approach FOSS4G
• Commercial Vendors

12. 12
How to Approach FOSS4G
• Commercial Vendors

13. 13
How to Approach FOSS4G
• Open Source

14. 14
Rob Pitts of Newlight Tech
• What is

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How to Approach FOSS4G
• Import Revolution of the 60s

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How to Approach FOSS4G

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My Story
• Began using workstation ArcInfo on DG
UNIX in 1993
• Have only used commercial products
during my career
• Instructed GIS courses in commercial
technology for 12 years at the University
of Colorado at Denver
• Currently instructing a FOSS4G course at
UCD

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My Story

19. 19
My Story
• Attended my first FOSS4G conference in
2007 – Victoria, B.C.
– Still focused on the code

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FOSS4G Ecosystem
• Initial investigations

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My Story
• Just too much of a headache

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My Story
• Limits

23. 23
My Story
• 2011 – FOSS4G International in Denver
• 2013 – FOSS4G NA – Minneapolis
• 2014 – FOSS4G International in Portland

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My Story
• A new opinion of FOSS4G

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My Story
• Not one source for solutions

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QGIS
• Limits

27. 27
QGIS Journey

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What I am?
• A mapper
• I remember the moment when I knew
• I like to map while on Vacations
• Mapping when the internet is not available

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QGIS the Obvious Answer
• An opportunity to develop new skills

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What is QGIS?
http://www.qgisforum.org/qgis-tutorial/introduction
– QGIS (formerly known as Quantum GIS) is a
free, opensource desktop GIS program
– The project started in 2002. It has more than
35 developers and an estimated 300,000+
users around the world today
Gary Sherman
QGIS Creator

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What s QGIS?
• Community Driven Project
– The work of the QGIS project is managed by a
Project Steering Committee (PSC) made up of
an international team of developers and GIS
users who each have a specific area of
responsibility.
– The steering committee is divided into four
basic roles: Development, Release
Management, Community Resources and
Finance & Marketing.

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Who Supports QGIS?

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QGIS
QGIS is Free software and you are under no obligation
to pay anything to use it - in fact we want to
encourage people far and wide to use it regardless of
what your financial or social status is - we believe
empowering people with spatial decision making tools
will result in a better society for all of humanity.
http://qgis.org/en/site/forusers/visualchangelog28/index.html

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What is QGIS?
• QGIS runs on:
– Windows, Mac
– Android (smartphone and pad)
– Linux and Unix
– QGIS reads and writes e.g. ESRI, AutoCAD
MapInfo and MicroStation files
– Reads ArcGIS GDBs … but not the indexes

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What is QGIS?
• QGIS latest version @ www.qgis.org

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What is QGIS?
• QGIS License
– QGIS is open source software available
under the terms of the GNU General
Public License
– This guarantees end users (individuals,
organizations, companies) the
freedoms to use, study, share (copy),
and modify the software.
– The GPL is a “copyleft” license, which
means that derived works can only be
distributed under the same license
terms.

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Who Is Using QGIS?

38. 38
Who is using QGIS?

39. 39
3D Plug-in to QGIS?

40. 40
Who is Using QGIS?

41. 41
Who is Using QGIS?

42. 42
Who is Using QGIS?

43. 43
Who Is Using QGIS?

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GIS Requirments?
• Display and symbolize geographic features
• Save symbology for other maps
• Query databases
• Join Tables
• Create custom map products in electronic
formats
• Create Web map services
• Conduct spatial analysis in vector or raster
format
• Hyperlinking

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GIS Requirments?
• Edit geospatial data using topology
• Versioned database editing (POSTGIS)
• Display 3D data
• Use standard scripting languages (Python)
to automate processes
• Visual scripting tools
• Consume web mapping services
• Use Plug-ins to extend the range of
capabilities
• Mobile application

46. 46
QGIS Interface

47. 47
QGIS Toolbars

48. 48
Vector Tools in QGIS
A Subset to Vector Tools

49. 49
Raster in QGIS
• Raster Analysis is built in.
Geographic
Resources
Analysis
Support
System

50. 50
Raster in QGIS

51. 51
Raster in QGIS

52. 52
QGIS Plugins

53. 53
QGIS Plugins

54. 54
QGIS Data Sources
• QGIS uses the OGR library to read and write
vector data formats
– ESRI shapefile
– Mapinfo File
– ArcInfo Binary Coverage
– Delimited text file
– OpenStreetMap Vectors
– PostGIS layers
– SpatiaLite database
– MSSQL Spatial data
– Oracle Spatial Layers
– GPX

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Raster QGIS Data Sources

56. 56
OGC Data Sources
• Important OGC specifications supported by QGIS
are:
– WMS — Web Map Service (WMS/WMTS Client)
– WMTS — Web Map Tile Service (WMS/WMTS
Client)
– WFS — Web Feature Service (WFS and WFS-T
Client)
– WFS-T — Web Feature Service - Transactional
(WFS and WFS-T Client)
– WCS — Web Coverage Service (WCS Client)
– SFS — Simple Features for SQL (PostGIS Layers)
– GML — Geography Markup Language

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QGIS Graphic Modeler

58. 58
Limits to QGIS
• Text and annotation are not advanced
• 3D interfaces is not tightly integrated
• Editing is not as advanced as commercial
products
• Cartographic refinement, making a pretty
map is much harder
• Finding the right tool
• Non-USA centric - Foreign

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Limits to QGIS
•HELP!!!
•Coders Code
&
Helpers Help

60. 60
QGIS Help Resources
• Desktop Help
– http://www.qgis.org/en/docs/index.html
• Planet QGIS
– http://plugins.qgis.org/planet/
• GIS Stack Exchange
– http://gis.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/qgis
• Digital Geography –
– http://www.digital-geography.com/
• QGIS Mailing Lists
– http://www2.qgis.org/en/site/getinvolved/mailinglists.html#qgis-mailinglists
– http://boundlessgeo.com/solutions/solutions-software/qgis/
• Boundless
– http://boundlessgeo.com/solutions/solutions-software/qgis

61. 61
QGIS Training Resources
• You tube Search - About 20,900 result
• QGIS 2.6 intro -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QIYZmysDNM

62. 62
QGIS Training Resources
• FOSS4G Academy
• https://foss4geo.wordpress.com/
• The five courses were derived from a two year long effort, that
engaged 50 geospatial educators from US colleges and
universities nationwide who reviewed the GTCM (KSAs). These
KSAs were all ranked upon importance and sequenced into a
coherent curriculum that includes these five GIS courses:
• GST 101 Introduction to Geospatial Technology Using QGIS 2.8
• GST 102 Spatial Analysis Using QGIS 2.8
• GST 103 Data Acquisition Using QGIS 2.8
• GST 104 Cartography Using QGIS 2.8 & Inkscape
• GST 105 Remote Sensing Using QGIS 2.8 & GRASS 7.0
– $49.00 per class

63. 63
QGIS Training Resources
• FOSS4G Academy
• https://foss4geo.wordpress.com/
• The five courses were derived from a two year long effort, that
engaged 50 geospatial educators from US colleges and
universities nationwide who reviewed the GTCM (KSAs). These
KSAs were all ranked upon importance and sequenced into a
coherent curriculum that includes these five GIS courses:
• GST 101 Introduction to Geospatial Technology Using QGIS 2.8
• GST 102 Spatial Analysis Using QGIS 2.8
• GST 103 Data Acquisition Using QGIS 2.8
• GST 104 Cartography Using QGIS 2.8 & Inkscape
• GST 105 Remote Sensing Using QGIS 2.8 & GRASS 7.0
– $49.00 per class

64. 64
QGIS Training Resources
• FOSS4G Academy on Github
• https://github.com/FOSS4GAcademy
• GST 101 Intro to Geospatial Technology using
QGIS 2.8
• GST 102 Spatial Analysis Using QGIS 2.8
• GST 103 Data Acquisition Using QGIS 2.8
• GST 104 Cartography Using QGIS 2.8 & Inkscape
• GST 105 Remote Sensing Using QGIS 2.8 & GRASS
7.0
– Free tutorials

65. 65
QGIS Training Resources
• https://www.packtpub.com/application-development/learning-qgis-20

66. 66
QGIS Training Resources
• https://www.packtpub.com/application-development/mastering-qgis

67. 67
QGIS Training Resources
• QGIS Tutorials http://www.qgistutorials.com/en/ Ujaval Gandhi

68. 68
QGIS Training Resources
• http://www.qgis.org/en/site/about/case_studies/antarctica.html

69. 69
QGIS Training Resources
• http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/geoportal/practicum/

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QGIS
• Limits

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QGIS
• Limits

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QGIS

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GEOG 4091/5091 - FOSS4G
Thank you
Dave Murray, GISP
dmurray@cityofwestminster.us
(303) 658-2140

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QGIS
• Limits

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QGIS
• Limits

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QGIS
• Limits

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QGIS
• Limits

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QGIS
• Limits

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QGIS
• Limits

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QGIS Abstract
• QGIS is a popular Open Source desktop GIS program that is
rapidly gaining popularity across the globe.
• Many GIS professionals are using this program but many others
have shied away thinking it is too difficult or doesn’t have the
functions they need.
• This presentation will run through a number of arguments why
you should consider learning GIS and applying it in your work or
outside activities.
• The program will be evaluated for the strengths and weaknesses
to the ArcGIS suite of software.
• Attendees will get a good idea if it makes sense for them to try it
out as well as spend time learning a “New” GIS program.