QGIS Marks Its 20th Anniversary
What you'll learn
- The history of QGIS
Recommended for
- Anyone interested in how QGIS has developed so far
- Anyone interested in open-source software development
Introduction
This article gives a brief history of QGIS, the open-source geographic information system, from version 1.0 to the present (version 3.X).
The birth of open-source GIS
QGIS began in February 2002, when Gary Sherman, a developer in Anchorage, Alaska, started building a GIS application as a hobby. He wanted to visualize geospatial data stored in PostGIS, a database for geospatial information. Drawing on what he had learned at work, he built the open-source geographic information system by himself, using the C++ programming language and the Qt GUI development framework.
He then published it on the web through SourceForge, a software version control system, and in July 2002 the first version of QGIS, “Quantum GIS 0.0.1-alpha,” was released. That release could display vector layers on screen but reportedly could do little else.
People around the world soon became interested in the Quantum GIS he had put on the web. Some of them wanted a more useful GIS with more features than it had at the time, and they gradually became contributors. Development of Quantum GIS shifted from his solo work to a team of contributors, and various features and tools were introduced step by step. From there, Quantum GIS (QGIS) grew little by little.
Release of version 1.0 (January 2009)
About seven years after the first release, version 1.0 was released in January 2009. Each QGIS release has a code name, and at that time the code names were the names of moons. The code name of the first 1.X release was “Kore,” the name of Jupiter's 49th moon.
The version 1.X interface
Along with basic GIS editing features such as color-coding of layers, attribute table editing, and spatial analysis, QGIS now supported raster data as well as vector data. Plugins had reportedly been developed in C++ until then, but plugin development in Python became possible. Python is now the main language for QGIS plugin development, and many plugins are available to meet the needs of a wide range of fields.
The version 1.X icon design
The icon at the time was a yellow “Q” with a green arrow.
Release of version 2.0 (September 2013)
About 11 years after the first release, version 2.0 was released in September 2013. The code name of the first 2.X release was “Dufour.” It is reportedly the name of the highest peak of the Monte Rosa massif, on the border between Switzerland and Italy.
Around this time, code names began to be the names of cities and other places. Some were also the names of places that hosted a QGIS Developer Meeting. The splash screen background began to show the place named in the code name.
Starting with version 2.0, the name officially changed to “QGIS.” The two names “Quantum GIS” and “QGIS” had originally been in use, and to avoid confusion the project reportedly unified the name as “QGIS.”
The version 2.X interface
The icon design changed along with the update of Qt, the GUI framework. The release also introduced the Field Calculator, which handles many tasks, such as calculating feature areas, filtering, and adding attribute fields, and the Plugin Manager, which makes it easier to manage and install plugins. QField, a QGIS for Android, also appeared, and QGIS expanded onto mobile platforms that support fieldwork.
From version 2.0 onward, the QGIS.org website has also included a Visual Changelog, which summarizes the changes and new features in each update in an easy-to-follow way. The page still introduces the new features each time QGIS is updated, so it is worth checking.
The version 2.X icon design
The icon design shifted slightly from the previous one, with a softer look and less of a three-dimensional feel.
Release of version 3.0 (February 2018)
About 18 years after the first release, version 3.0 was released in February 2018. This is the current version. The code name of the 3.0 release was “Girona.” It is a city in Catalonia, Spain, and the venue of the 15th “QGIS Developer Meeting”.
The version 3.X interface
Map data on the screen is now loaded asynchronously (the XYZ method), which improved rendering and made movement smoother. The UI also improved significantly: dockable panels can be arranged freely on the screen, and color wheels and sliders make styling more intuitive. In addition, the 3D view, which was previously possible only through plugins, is now built in. Features and base maps can be shown in three dimensions, and time-series animation is possible, so the range of map expression has widened as well.
The version 3.X icon design
The icon design changed completely. It keeps the yellow and green of the previous logo and adds a touch of orange, for a combination of three colors. The three-color scheme is also said to be a nod to version 3.
Conclusion
QGIS started as a solo project by its founder, Gary Sherman, and over 20 years of evolution it has become the most popular open-source GIS in the world. This is thanks to the many dedicated users who took part in the QGIS development project and kept contributing to open source. The QGIS source code is available from the GitHub repository, and anyone can contribute freely by helping fix bugs or add new features to the application. MIERUNE, as an official sponsor of QGIS, will also continue its efforts to support the QGIS community.
Happy 20th anniversary, QGIS!
References
-
Founder of QGIS: Gary Sherman
::embed[https://www.xyht.com/spatial-itgis/godfather-of-qgis/]
-
QGIS - Wikiwand
-
Quantum GIS - GIS Wiki | The GIS Encyclopedia
-
Adoption of a new logo for QGIS 3.0
::embed[https://www.loomio.com/d/bwdRU2Tm/adoption-of-a-new-logo-for-qgis-3-0]
-
QGIS Open Session: a walk through time and QGIS with Tim Sutton & Gary Sherman
QGIS LAB is a comprehensive information hub for QGIS, the open-source GIS software. Under the concept of “Geospatial for Greater Good,” we share the knowledge and skills to open up the world through location data.
