QGIS is a professional GIS application that is built on top of and proud to be itself Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS). QGIS allows users to analyse and edit spatial information, in addition to composing and exporting graphical maps. QGIS supports both raster and vector layers; vector data is stored as either point, line, or polygon features. Multiple formats of raster images are supported, and the software can georeference images.

QGIS supports shapefiles, coverages, personal geodatabases, dxf, MapInfo, PostGIS, and other formats. Web services, including Web Map Service and Web Feature Service, are also supported to allow use of data from external sources.

QGIS integrates with other open-source GIS packages, including PostGIS, GRASS GIS, and MapServer Plugins written in Python or C++ extend QGIS’s capabilities. Plugins can geocode using the Google Geocoding API, perform geoprocessing functions like those of the standard tools found in ArcGIS, and interface with PostgreSQL/PostGIS, SpatiaLite and MySQL databases.