QGIS
QGIS is a desktop geographic information system, or GIS. It allows the user to create geospatial information, such as maps. The software is developed by OSGeo, which stands for the Open Source Geospatial Foundation, and as their name implies, all of their projects' source code is available for forking and modification.
- Powerful map creation tools
- Ability to share maps with others, preserving the exact way they look on screen
- Advanced geolocation services
- The software is free, but users can donate to support the development
- Open source
- Runs on Linux, Mac OS, Unix, Android (via the QField app) and Windows
- Supports various vector, database and raster formats and functionalities
- Lack of support for iOS devices
The purpose of QGIS is simple: It's a free and open source software designed to help users create really great looking maps and other geographical/geospacial media. The company behind the software, OSGeo, has an obvious passion for all things involving mapping and exploring in real and virtual settings. They have an active community, and their members and sponsors can be viewed online. OSGeo even has local chapters all over the world. Having such a large and passionate community has contributed largely to the success and capabilities of the software, and many of those community members have donated their time as programmers. This demonstrates the beauty of open source in action and teaches a valuable lesson in collaboration. The GQIS software is quite broad in its design and can be used in virtually any setting, be it architectural planning or a classroom. The software can be downloaded on a variety of platforms and is also available online as an OGC Web Server application or web browser client. There are plenty of developer libraries available for integration into programming languages and projects. It supports major file formats associated with mapping data and is written primarily in C++ with Python support.