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- Tools for ENC marine map projects in QGis
This article completes the series of articles on creating a geopackage database to manage ENC nautical charts in QGis and the symbology of the various data layers. Working with a small number of maps presents no… - ENC Geopackage maps in QGis Final version: part two
The project to integrate ENC maps into QGis in the form of Geopackage is now complete. This article completes the two previously published articles on ENC symbology in the Geopackage database. Adding symbology to Geopackage The… - ENC Geopackage maps in QGis Final version: part one
The project to integrate ENC maps into QGis in the form of Geopackage is now complete. This article completes the two previously published articles on setting up and managing the Geopackage database. In the first article:… - Update(2): ENC Symbology with Geopackage in QGis
Following the publication of the first part of our work on Geopackages, our work with PostgreSQL/Postgis has enabled us to make a number of further advances. In this article, you’ll find an update to the QGis… - Update(1) :ENC database with Geopackage under QGis
Following the publication of the first part of our work on Geopackages, our work with PostgreSQL/Postgis has enabled us to make a series of further advances. In this article, you’ll find an updated procedure for importing… - Creation of a Geopackage database for ENC maps (part 2: add symbology)
The first part of the Collaborative Financing for the Integration of Marine Data in QGIS project has been completed, thanks to contributions from ORANGE Marine, Geoconceptos Uruguay, Janez Avzec and Gaetan Mas. Our warmest thanks to… - Creation of a Geopackage database for ENC maps (Part 1: building the database)The first part of the Collaborative Financing for the Integration of Marine Data in QGIS project has been completed, thanks to contributions from ORANGE Marine, Geoconceptos Uruguay, Janez Avzec and Gaetan Mas. Our warmest thanks to…
- Collaborative Funding for Marine Data Integration in QGIS
Dear friends of the marine community and GIS enthusiasts, We’re delighted to present an exciting project aimed at improving the visualization of marine data in QGIS. Our goal is to make this information more accessible, understandable… - Lidar with QGis: Interpolation of the Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
In this article you’ll find out how to apply two types of interpolation (TLI and IDW) simultaneously to a LIDAR point cloud, having segmented the cloud into two types of zone. Tutorial HD LIDAR data processing…
Why do we prefer Open Source software?
Geomatics is a discipline at the crossroads of geography and computer science, which involves using software tools to collect, store, analyze and represent spatial data. In this field, the use of open source software offers many advantages.
First of all, what is open source software? It’s software whose source code is publicly available and can therefore be modified and distributed by anyone. It also means that the software is often free, in the sense that it can be used without license fees. The open source movement was born in the 1990s with the emergence of Linux, an open source operating system based on the Unix kernel. Since then, many other open source software products have emerged, covering a wide range of fields, including geomatics. Licenses play an essential role in the operation of open source software. The GPL. General Public License is one of the most common in the open source world. It guarantees fundamental freedoms for users, including the freedom to use, modify and redistribute the software. Many libraries, frameworks and open source tools used in geomatics are distributed under the GPL license.
One of the major advantages of open source geomatics software is its flexibility. Developers have access to the software’s source code, enabling them to adapt it to their specific needs. For example, if you’re using open source geospatial data visualization software and want to add a specific feature, you can modify the source code to implement it.
Another important feature of open source software is the community of developers that surrounds it. These communities are made up of volunteer programmers who actively contribute to the development and improvement of open source software. They share their knowledge, resolve bugs and provide support to users. This ensures the software’s longevity and scalability, as new versions and features are continually developed.
Among the most popular open source geomatics software are GIS-based geographic information systems such as QGIS, which offer a user-friendly graphical interface and powerful spatial analysis functions. There are also libraries such as GDAL and proj, which can be used to manipulate geospatial data in a wide range of formats. As far as geospatial databases are concerned, PostgreSQL with the PostGIS extension is a popular open source solution. It enables efficient storage and processing of spatial data. In addition, open source tools such as Geoserver or MapServer can be used to publish this data on the web. In the field of cartography, the free and open source Mapnik software offers a powerful solution for custom map creation and tile generation. In addition to geomatics-specific software, more general open source solutions such as Python, R and Java can also be used to analyze and manipulate geospatial data.
In conclusion, using open source software in geomatics offers many advantages. They are flexible, scalable and benefit from an active community of developers. What’s more, they offer genuine interoperability with other software and can be used in a variety of environments, including Windows, MacOS and Linux. However, it should be remembered that the use of open source software does not mean that all software used in a geomatics project must be open source. It is common practice to integrate proprietary software into an open source environment, using open protocols and data formats to ensure greater interoperability.
In short, the open source world offers a multitude of solutions for geomatics, allowing users to access, modify and redistribute software source code according to their specific needs. This fosters freedom, innovation and collaboration within the community of open source geomatics software users and developers.