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Posted by rcarmo 19 hours ago

QGIS is a free, open-source, cross platform geographical information system(github.com)
433 points | 104 commentspage 3
bobosola 13 hours ago|
Fabulous software. I used it to create LIDAR map tiles from free UK government LIDAR data of my local area (Hampshire, UK) at https://solentmaps.uk. When used as a layer placed under standard map tiles, you can see all sorts of long-hidden historical artefacts under modern deep foliage. The ruins of a long-forgotten WW1 hospital near me can be clearly seen under the modern day trees. Fun stuff to play with.
bongard 1 hour ago|
This is great and inspiring. Well done. Thanks!
atonse 14 hours ago||
One of the coolest things to do in QGIS is to add a layer from Postgres (PostGIS) directly and just plot an entire table as a layer, live.

It’s made for some really streamlined analysis.

UrineSqueegee 3 hours ago|
my guy, i have been using it for years and didnt know it could do that, you are a life saver
aduffy 18 hours ago||
QGIS is the shit. I absolutely love it, great for visualizing GeoJSON, GeoTIFF files, open data feeds, etc. My one gripe is that their macOS installers have been out of date for ages now, the best way I've found is to actually install from Conda Forge directly:

> brew install micromamba

> mamba install qgis

It's really crazy the number of open geospatial data feeds that exist out there from NASA, NOAA, and ESA. If you're interested in checking any of this stuff out, I highly encourage following Mark Litwinchik's blog, this guy is a legend and he does most of his work with open tools like QGIS and DuckDB

https://tech.marksblogg.com/

aanet 15 hours ago||
Thanks...

Do you absolutely need `mamba` / `conda`??

Can you use `uv` instead to install QGIS? Any experiences to share?

Thanks!!

vincnetas 18 hours ago||
brew install --cask qgis
perrygeo 18 hours ago||
Unfortunately the homebrew cask is still Intel-only so it requires Rosetta, whereas the conda/mamba version has an osx-arm64 build. There are other workarounds discussed here: https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/46299 and here https://geo.malagis.com/native-qgis-on-apple-silicon-solutio...
steve-atx-7600 7 hours ago||
Strongly recommend apple silicon Mac (if using a Mac) and the Mac ports path. I have an m4 MacBook Pro and the Rosetta powered binary was almost unusable. Mac ports wasn’t too hard for me to figure out though the install (mostly compiling) took several hours. I have had no issues with coexistence of Mac ports and homebrew. Don’t attempt this is you are using beta builds of tahoe - Mac ports isn’t released for Tahoe yet.
4ndrewl 18 hours ago||
I have nothing but good things to say about QGIS.
blu3h4t 11 hours ago||
I’ve recently had a certificate related error on mine.
jokoon 17 hours ago||
I had geo data to find a new city to move out, with lat lon, population, price, etc

I just used leaflet, it was fine

spatialite is also good enough as a spatial database

unless you are doing complex stuff with GIS data, I don't see the point of using such a large software

rcarmo 17 hours ago|
leaflet is a tile rendering library. You can't edit or massage the data in any way, and most GIS work is not that complex--but it does require handling paths and other things that leaflet cannot really do.
stevenhubertron 13 hours ago||
Qgis is powerful and free but it’s slow, has the steepest learning curve and gets in your way. I am happy it exists but it’s not great.
steve-atx-7600 7 hours ago|
If using an Apple silicon Mac, it will be way faster after if you install (compile from source) via Mac ports.

As far as learning curve, I agree, but I have had a lot of luck as a beginner asking ChatGPT how to use qgis to do specific tasks and it walked me through them in detail correctly.

funnyenough 13 hours ago||
Is there a web version?
UrineSqueegee 3 hours ago|
no you cant do a web version of QGIs but there are alternatives with web versions (that do not do nearly as much and are paid)
throwawayqgis 16 hours ago||
I’ve worked in the GIS space for a while, developed mapping services on the backend and frontend, the whole thing.

And yet I’ve never been able to get into QGIS. I’ve used the ogr libraries, I know that there’s an incredible amount of smart work behind these tools. 100% all due respect to everyone involved.

But I’ve found the ui so daunting that I’ve never been able to use it.

I want to be proven wrong. Are there gentle/great tutorials/guides?

I know this isn’t a “vpn software before tailscale” kind of situation. But, you know?

michaelhoney 14 hours ago||
I recommend asking ChatGPT for help. Tell it what you’re trying to do, and don’t be afraid to ask the dumbest questions.
driggs 12 hours ago||
I hate to tell you to RTFM, but the QGIS team has put a lot of effort into the User Guide and very practical Training Manual.

If you're already familiar with typical GIS workflows, you'll breeze through them, and they'll help you wrap your head around the QGIS way of doing things.

https://docs.qgis.org/3.40/en/docs/user_manual/

https://docs.qgis.org/3.40/en/docs/training_manual/

And if you're into books, Locate Press is run by some of the original QGIS authors, and many of their books are very QGIS centric.

https://locatepress.com/books

fithisux 18 hours ago|
I have used it in the past, it is excellent.
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