QGIS is a desktop geographic information system that lets you work with maps the way professionals do: layer vector and raster data, style it, query it, edit it and turn it into print-ready maps or web services. It is community driven and has grown into one of the most capable free GIS tools available.

What you can do with it

Load data from files, spatial databases and online map services, reproject it on the fly, and combine dozens of layers in one project. A large processing toolbox covers everything from buffering and clipping to terrain analysis, and the built-in Python console plus a plugin repository let you extend it for specialised work such as survey, ecology or urban planning.

• Open and convert most common GIS formats
• Digitise and edit features with snapping and topology checks
• Design cartographic layouts with legends, scale bars and atlases
• Automate repetitive analysis with models and scripts

Because it needs no licence fees, it is popular with universities, municipalities, NGOs and independent analysts who want serious mapping power on any operating system.