desktopgis

An Overview of Free & Open Source Desktop GIS (FOS-GIS)

Below you can find links to two tables that should give an overview of free Desktop GIS and projects. Desktop GIS means thereby that we did not inlcude map web server tools or basic GIS libraries. Please be aware that this listing is probably not comprehensive.




accept
 OS Desktop GIS - general overview table


html_projects html


word_projects word-doc
add
 OS Desktop GIS - functionality table


html_detail hmtl


word_detail word-doc
no
 GIS software that does not qualify for the tables above


nondgisfos html




The tables can be altered on request. Please write to sstein[-at-]geo.uzh.ch - and preferably add the
tables with your changes (use for instance word doc + track changes mode)




We also wrote an article that provides some more information on the desktop GIS projects and additionally contains an introduction on open source licenses and FOSGIS organizations.

pdf_fossgis
An Overview on Current Free and Open Source Desktop GIS  Developments.
(this is a revised version from Sept. 2008; final 2009 version doi: XXX)




Notes
  • I also got some comments from Gianni with a vendor perspective on the article and the tables
  • The GISVM project offers a Linux distribution (Ubuntu) that contains several of the FOSS Desktop GIS above (e.g. QGIS, gvSIG, OpenJUMP, UDig,..), on one CD for download.
Other FOS-GIS related comparisons:
. Atle Frenvik Sveen wrote a n interesting thesis on how to evaluate and select a FOS (desktop) GIS for companies/projects called: "Use of Free and Open Source GIS in Commercial Firms" (it's from Dec. 2008)
. I came across this thesis arcgrass by Todd R. Buchanan (2005) that compares the desktop GIS GRASS 6.0 and ArcGIS 9.0
. The Boston GIS Blog compared the following database systems SQL Server 2008 Spatial, PostgreSQL/PostGIS 1.3-1.4 and MySQL 5-6 (in May 2008)  




Websites with listings of free GIS software (projects):

nondgisfos  www.freegis.org

nondgisfos www.opensourcegis.org




Related

nondgisfos If you ever wanted to know what the OpenStreetMap project is, then
I recommend to watch this video presentation by Richard Weait.
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Acknowledgments:
I have to thank numerous people of the different projects for contributing information: GRASS & QGIS: Markus Neteler, Otto Dassau, Marco Hugentobler and Stefan Holl; KOSMO: Manuel Navarro; MapWindow: Daniel Ames, uDig: Jody Garnet and Jesse Eichar, SAGA: Olaf Conrad; ILWIS: Martin Schouwenburg; OpenJUMP: Michaël Michaud, DeeJUMP: Andreas Schmitz; PirolJUMP: Arnd Kielhorn; SkyJUMP: Larry Becker; gvSIG: Mario Carrera; and OrbisGIS: Erwan Bocher.  I would like to thank Ralf Tauscher, Jan-Oliver Wagner and others for comments and suggestions on foregoing presentation slides and first manuscript versions. The icons used on this page are from FAMFAMFAM. Finally many thanks to Gary Sherman for hosting this page.




last change: 26 May 2009 - added link to OSM video
Stefan S.