How to Share QGIS Projects and Data as a Team

Introduction

When you share a map made in QGIS, you might send the project file by email or chat, or save it in a shared folder.

But when the recipient opens the project, layers may not appear, or parts of the map may be missing. And as several people update files, the data gets duplicated and nobody can tell which file is the latest version.

QGIS projects and GIS data are managed differently from ordinary document files. So if several people will use them over time, it is important to plan where the data is stored and how it is updated, not just to hand over files.

This article outlines the problems that commonly occur when sharing QGIS projects and data, and introduces solutions for different purposes.

The difference between QGIS project files and GIS data

A QGIS project file mainly records the following information:

• The layers used in the project
• The order in which layers are displayed
• Styles such as symbols and labels
• The project's coordinate reference system (CRS)
• Print layouts
• Where each layer is stored

The actual GIS data, such as feature geometries and attributes, satellite imagery, and elevation data, may be stored as separate files in formats such as GeoPackage, Shapefile, and GeoTIFF.

In other words, a QGIS project file records “which data to show and how to show it.” It does not contain the underlying GIS data.

So if you hand over only the project file, the recipient cannot display the same map unless the GIS data it references is on their PC.

The following article also explains how QGIS project files work and how to save them.

Problems that commonly occur when sharing files

Sharing QGIS projects and GIS data as files is convenient when you hand them over temporarily to a few people.

But when several people use them over time, the following problems become more likely.

Layers cannot be found and the map does not open

If the GIS data is not at the location recorded in the project file, QGIS cannot load the layer.

For example, suppose the data is stored at the following location on the author's PC:

C:\Users\user01\Documents\project\data\road.gpkg

If you move only the project file to another PC, QGIS cannot find the data unless the same file exists at the same location on that PC.

Even when you hand over the project and data together, QGIS may lose track of the referenced file if you change the folder structure or rename a data file.

In that case, the Handle Unavailable Layers dialog appears when you open the project, and you have to set the data sources again.

Nobody can tell which file is the latest version

When a team shares the same project file, members each copy and edit it, so the same project or data ends up stored in several places.

For example, if you save under a new file name after every revision, files like these pile up:

• 調査結果.gpkg (survey results)
• 調査結果_修正版.gpkg (revised)
• 調査結果_修正版2.gpkg (revised 2)
• 調査結果_最終.gpkg (final)
• 調査結果_最終確認済.gpkg (final, confirmed)

Even if you add dates or the names of the people responsible to the file names, files keep being updated and handed over, and it becomes hard to tell which file is the latest and which one to use.

Updates get overwritten

When several people each copy and edit the same file, someone has to merge the updates into one.

Suppose person A is updating attributes while person B adds features in a separate copy. If you adopt only one of the files as is, the changes in the other are lost.

Even when everyone saves the same file in a shared folder or cloud storage, simultaneous edits by several people can cause sync conflicts or overwrites.

The data cannot be checked without QGIS

Even if you share the project file, the recipient basically needs QGIS and the GIS data it uses to see the contents.

So when a GIS specialist wants a manager, client, or field staff member to review a map, they often export it as a PDF or image.

PDFs and images are easy to view, but you cannot zoom the map, switch layer visibility, or check feature attributes. The GIS specialist also has to export and send the map again each time it is revised.

You can also export a map made with the qgis2web plugin as a web page, or output it as GeoPDF. But these methods also distribute the content as of the moment of export, so you have to export again each time the map is revised.

Ways to share QGIS projects and data

The right way to share QGIS depends on the number of users, how often the data is updated, and who you are sharing with.

This section introduces the main options.

Put the project and data in one folder

If you are handing data to someone just once, the simplest approach is to put the project file and GIS data in a single working folder.

For example, organize the folders like this:

If the project refers to each dataset by a relative path, you can copy the whole folder to another PC and the project can still find the data, as long as the files keep their positions inside the folder.

To share it, compress the whole folder, for example as a ZIP file. Before sharing, it is a good idea to copy the folder to another location and check that the project opens correctly.

This method suits handing over a complete set of data as of a certain point in time, such as a deliverable or a backup. It does not solve the problems of duplicated files and version control when several people keep updating the data.

Use a shared folder or cloud storage

If you put a common working folder on a file server or cloud storage, you no longer need to send files back and forth by email or chat.

It is a relatively easy way to start when the team is small and only a few people edit.

But even with a single shared location, overwrites and sync conflicts can occur when several people edit the same file at the same time. Before you start, agree on rules such as the following:

• Do not change where the project and data are stored
• Use consistent naming rules for files and layers
• Before editing, check that no one else is working on the file
• Separate editors from view-only users
• Record update dates and changes
• Create backups regularly

A shared folder only unifies where files are kept. You still need to work out operating rules separately, such as who updates which data and which file is the authoritative one.

Use a cloud service for QGIS

A cloud service for QGIS lets you store projects and GIS data in the cloud and share them with your team.

Each service has different strengths, but they make operations like the following possible:

• Work in QGIS by loading data directly from the cloud
• Have several people use common data, which makes it easier to keep the latest version
• Manage who can access projects and data (permissions)
• Share a map made in QGIS as a web map
• Let people who do not use QGIS view the map in a browser

Unlike handing over copies of files, everyone refers to the data and maps in a common storage location. As a result, these services tend to reduce problems such as “layer not found” and “we don't know which is the latest version.”

On the other hand, supported data formats, storage capacity, permission management, and pricing differ by service. The next section introduces QFieldCloud, Mergin Maps, and Kumoy as examples.

Introducing cloud services for QGIS

This section introduces three cloud services for QGIS as examples.

QFieldCloud

QFieldCloud is a service that syncs projects and data between QGIS and the mobile app QField through the cloud. It suits bringing data collected in the field with QField into QGIS via the cloud.

The following article covers QFieldCloud in detail:

Mergin Maps

Mergin Maps is a service that syncs projects and data through the cloud using a QGIS plugin and a mobile app. It keeps a change history of the data, so it suits linking data collected in the field with data preparation in the office.

Kumoy

Kumoy, provided by MIERUNE, is a service for managing QGIS projects and GIS data in the cloud and sharing them as web maps.

When you save a project or GIS data to the cloud from the Kumoy plugin for QGIS, other members can load the same data directly in QGIS. Because nobody has to copy and hand over files, problems such as “layer not found” and “we don't know which is the latest version” are less likely to occur.

You can also share a map made in QGIS as a web map that opens in a browser. People viewing the map do not need QGIS or the original GIS data, and they can zoom the map, switch layer visibility, and check attributes on the web.

With vector data, you can edit attributes and features on the web. When staff who are not used to QGIS update information from the web map, there are fewer correction requests to the QGIS specialists.

With the Team plan, you can invite members to an organization and assign roles such as viewer and editor. You can share the necessary data with the people who need it, so it also works for organizational data management.

The following article covers Kumoy's organization management features in detail:

Comparing the three services, choose according to how you work. QFieldCloud or Mergin Maps fits best when collecting and syncing data in the field is the main need. Kumoy fits best when web sharing with people who do not use QGIS and organizational data management are the main needs.

Choose a sharing method to fit your purpose

The sharing methods introduced so far are summarized below:

Key points for using QGIS with multiple people

Whichever sharing method you choose, it is important to set operating rules in advance when several people work with the same data.

Decide where the authoritative data is stored

When the same data is scattered across personal PCs, shared folders, and the cloud, nobody knows which copy to use.

Decide on one place to store the authoritative data, and do not treat copies saved on personal PCs as the official version.

Separate editors from viewers

Not everyone who looks at the map edits the data.

If you clarify each user's role, such as who prepares the data, who reviews the content, and who manages the whole, it is easier to prevent mistakes and unintended updates.

Standardize naming and input rules

Standardize not only file and layer names but also how attribute values are entered.

For example, if people enter a review status in different ways, such as “Done,” “Completed,” and “Confirmed,” counting and filtering become difficult.

Offering a list of choices or sharing input examples makes it easier for several people to update data under the same rules.

Decide on backups and update procedures

Decide how to take backups, in case someone deletes data by mistake or you want to undo an update.

It also helps to define who updates which data and when, which prevents overwrites and duplicated work.

Conclusion

A QGIS project file records map display settings and the locations of the data, but it does not necessarily contain all the GIS data it uses.

To hand over a project temporarily, put the project and data in one folder. Using GeoPackage and similar formats makes the data easier to share.

On the other hand, when several people keep updating the same data, or when you want to share maps with people who do not use QGIS, consider a cloud service for QGIS instead of sharing projects by email or relying on cloud storage alone.

What matters is not simply sharing files but deciding how to operate: which data is the authoritative version, who edits it, and how it is shown to stakeholders.

Choose a method that fits the number of users, how often the data is updated, and who you are sharing with, and set up an environment where your team can put QGIS data to good use.