QGIS a constantly growing free and open-source geospatial software contributing to scientific development

Marcela Rosas-Chavoya; José Luis Gallardo-Salazar; Pablito Marcelo López-Serrano; Pedro Camilo Alcántara-Concepción; Ana Karen León-Miranda

doi:10.18172/cig.5143

Autores/as

Marcela Rosas-Chavoya Programa Institucional de Doctorado en Ciencias Agropecuarias y Forestales. Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango, Durango 34239, México https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3193-5373
José Luis Gallardo-Salazar Facultad de Ciencias Forestales. Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango, Durango 34239, México https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6172-2942
Pablito Marcelo López-Serrano Instituto de Silvicultura e Industria de la Madera. Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango, Durango 34239, México
Pedro Camilo Alcántara-Concepción Departamento de Ingeniería Geomática e Hidráulica, División de Ingenierías. Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato, 36000, México
Ana Karen León-Miranda Copter Log Services GmbH, Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, 9020, Austria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18172/cig.5143

Palabras clave:

software libre y de código abierto, QGIS, redes de colaboración, ciencias geoespaciales, contribuciones científicas

Resumen

QGIS es el software libre geoespacial más popular del mundo perteneciente a la Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo). Entre sus principales fortalezas se encuentran: la incorporación de herramientas vía plugins, y una comunidad de usuarios y desarrolladores en constante crecimiento. A pesar de la importancia que tiene el uso de QGIS en la comunidad científica, a la fecha no existen estudios sistemáticos que indiquen cómo ha evolucionado la aceptación de este software a través del tiempo. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de esta investigación fue caracterizar la producción científica y la magnitud en la que QGIS se ha utilizado como principal herramienta geoespacial. Realizamos un análisis bibliométrico de los documentos publicados en Scopus de 2005 a 2020 (931 manuscritos). La tasa anual de incremento de publicaciones fue del 40,3%. Encontramos correlaciones fuertes y positivas con respecto al número de desarrolladores de código (r = 0,66, p <0,005); y los ingresos totales del proyecto QGIS (r = 0.88, p <0.001). El setenta y dos por ciento de las publicaciones se incluyeron en seis campos de estudio, siendo las Ciencias de la Tierra y Planetarias la más representativa. Italia fue el país con mayor producción científica, mientras que Estados Unidos fue el país más influyente (el primer lugar en número de citas). En cuanto a los países, el mayor número de artículos encontrados fueron de Portugal, Italia, Brasil y Francia. La International Archives of the Photogrammetry Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences - ISPRS Archives se encuentra entre las revistas con más publicaciones (47). En términos de redes de colaboración entre países, encontramos fuertes vínculos entre autores de Alemania, Suiza, Grecia y España. El análisis de redes de colaboración entre autores identificó tres redes sólidas en diferentes campos de estudio. Observamos una tendencia favorable en la aceptación de QGIS en todo el mundo y un desarrollo generalizado de redes colaborativas. El presente trabajo permitió incrementar el conocimiento de los sistemas de información geográfica, especialmente el desarrollo de la producción científica utilizando QGIS.

Descargas

Los datos de descargas todavía no están disponibles.

Citas

AlRyalat, S.A.S., Malkawi, L.W., Momani, S.M. 2019. Comparing Bibliometric Analysis Using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science Databases. JoVE (152), e58494. https://doi.org/10.3791/58494

Aria, M., Cuccurullo, C. 2017. Bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of Informetrics, 11(4), 959-975. 10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007

Baghdadi, N., Mallet, C., Zribi, M. 2018a. Mapping of Drought. In QGIS and Applications in Water and Risks. Hoboken, NJ, USA.

Baghdadi, N., Mallet, C., Zribi, M. 2018b. QGIS and Generic Tools (Vol. 1): Wiley Online.

Baroni, C., Carton, A., Seppi, R. 2004. Distribution and Behaviour of Rock Glaciers in the Adamello-Presanella Massif (Italian Alps). Permafrost and Periglacial Processses 15, 243-259. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.497

Bernasocchi, M., Coltekin, A., Gruber, S. 2012. An open source geovisual analytics toolbox for multivariate spatio-temporal data in environmental change modelling. ISPRS Ann. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., I-2, 123-128. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprsannals-I-2-123-2012

Bittner, D., Rychlik, A., Klöffel, T., Leuteritz, A., Disse, M., Chiogna, G. 2020. A GIS-based model for simulating the hydrological effects of land use changes on karst systems – The integration of the LuKARS model into FREEWAT. Environmental Modelling & Software, 127, 104682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2020.104682

Bitetti, M.S., Ferreras, J.A. 2017. Publish (in English) or perish: The effect on citation rate of using languages other than English in scientific publications. Ambio, 46(1), 121-127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-016-0820-7

Boschmann, E., Cubbon, E. 2014. Sketch Maps and Qualitative GIS: Using Cartographies of Individual Spatial Narratives in Geographic Research. The Professional Geographer, 66(2), 236-248. https://doi.org/10.1080/00330124.2013.781490

Broadus, R.N. 1987. Toward a definition of “bibliometrics”. Scientometrics, 12(5), 373-379. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02016680

Brovelli, M.A., Minghini, M., Moreno-Sanchez, R., Oliveira, R. 2017. Free and open source software for geospatial applications (FOSS4G) to support Future Earth. International Journal of Digital Earth, 10(4), 386-404. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538947.2016.1196505

Chen, D., Shams, S., Carmona-Moreno, C., Leone, A. 2010. Assessment of open source GIS software for water resources management in developing countries. Journal of Hydro-environment Research, 4(3), 253-264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jher.2010.04.017

Coetzee, S., Ivánová, I., Mitasova, H., Brovelli, M.A. 2020. Open Geospatial Software and Data: A Review of the Current State and A Perspective into the Future. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi9020090

Conrad, O., Bechtel, B., Bock, M., Dietrich, H., Fischer, E., Gerlitz, L., Wehberg, J., Wichmann, V., Böhner, J. 2015. System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses (SAGA) v. 2.1.4. Geosci. Model Dev., 8(7), 1991-2007. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-1991-2015

Correia, R., Duarte, L., Teodoro, A.C., Monteiro, A. 2018. Processing Image to Geographical Information Systems (PI2GIS)—A Learning Tool for QGIS. Education Sciences, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci8020083

Corte costituzionale della Repubblica Italiana: Sentenza N. 122. 2010. Retrieved from https://www.cortecostituzionale.it/actionSchedaPronuncia.do?anno=2010&numero=122

Criollo, R., Velasco, V., Nardi, A., Manuel de Vries, L., Riera, C., Scheiber, L., Jurado, A., Brouyère, S., Pujades, E., Rossetto, R., Vázquez-Suñé, E. 2019. AkvaGIS: An open source tool for water quantity and quality management. Computers & Geosciences, 127, 123-132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cageo.2018.10.012

De Filippis, G., Pouliaris, C., Kahuda, D., Vasile, T. A., Manea, V.A., Zaun, F., Panteleit, B., Dadaser-Celik, F., Positano, P., Nannucci, M.S., Grodzynskyi, M., Marandi, A., Sapiano, M., Kopač, I., Kallioras, A., Cannata, M., Filiali-Meknassi, Y., Foglia, L., Borsi, I., Rossetto, R. 2020. Spatial Data Management and Numerical Modelling: Demonstrating the Application of the QGIS-Integrated FREEWAT Platform at 13 Case Studies for Tackling Groundwater Resource Management. Water, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/w12010041

Dile, Y.T., Daggupati, P., George, C., Srinivasan, R., Arnold, J. 2016. Introducing a new open source GIS user interface for the SWAT model. Environmental Modelling & Software, 85, 129-138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2016.08.004

Duarte, L., Espinha-Marques, J., Teodoro, A.C. 2019. An Open Source GIS-Based Application for the Assessment of Groundwater Vulnerability to Pollution. Environments, 6(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/environments6070086

Duarte, L., Moutinho, O., Teodoro, A. 2016a. MicMac GIS application: free open source. Proc.SPIE, 10005. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2240196

Duarte, L., Silva, P., Teodoro, A.C. 2018. Development of a QGIS Plugin to Obtain Parameters and Elements of Plantation Trees and Vineyards with Aerial Photographs. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi7030109

Duarte, L., Teodoro, A., Gonçalves, H. 2014a. Deriving phenological metrics from NDVI through an open source tool developed in QGIS. Proc.SPIE, 9245. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2066136

Duarte, L., Teodoro, A.C., Gonçalves, H., Dias, A., Espinha-Marques, J. 2014b. Assessing groundwater vulnerability to pollution through the DRASTIC method, A GIS open source application (Vol. 101).

Duarte, L., Teodoro, A.C., Gonçalves, J. A., Guerner Dias, A.J., Espinha Marques, J. 2015. A dynamic map application for the assessment of groundwater vulnerability to pollution. Environmental Earth Sciences, 74(3), 2315-2327. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4222-0

Duarte, L., Teodoro, A.C., Gonçalves, J.A., Soares, D., Cunha, M. 2016b. Assessing soil erosion risk using RUSLE through a GIS open source desktop and web application. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 188(6), 351. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-016-5349-5

Foresman, T. (1998). The history of geographic information systems: perspectives from the pioneers. Prentice-Hall.

Franceschi, S., Adoch, K., Kang, H.K., Hupy, C., Coetzee, S., Brovelli, M.A. 2019. OSGEO un Committee Educational Challenge: a use case of sharing software and experience from all over the world. Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLII-4/W14, 49-55. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLII-4-W14-49-2019

Granda-Orive, J.I., Alonso-Arroyo, A., García-Río, F., Solano-Reina, S., Jiménez-Ruiz, C.A., Aleixandre-Benavent, R. 2013. Ciertas ventajas de Scopus sobre Web of Science en un análisis bibliométrico sobre tabaquismo. Revista española de Documentación Científica; 36 (2). https://doi.org/10.3989/redc.2013.2.941

Graser, A., Olaya, V. 2015. Processing: A Python Framework for the Seamless Integration of Geoprocessing Tools in QGIS. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 4(4), 2219-2245. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi4042219

Grinand, C., Rakotomalala, F., Gond, V., Vaudry, R., Bernoux, M., Vieilledent, G. 2013. Estimating deforestation in tropical humid and dry forests in Madagascar from 2000 to 2010 using multi-date Landsat satellite images and the random forests classifier. Remote Sensing of Environment, 139, 68-80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2013.07.008

Gruebner, O., Lowe, S.R., Sykora, M., Shankardass, K., Subramanian, S.V., Galea, S. 2017. A novel surveillance approach for disaster mental health. Plos One, 12(7), e0181233. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0181233

Hugentobler, M. 2008. Quantum GIS. In S. Shekhar & H. Xiong (Eds.), Encyclopedia of GIS (pp. 171-188). New York: Springer Science & Business Media.

Ilayaraja, K., Ambica, A. 2015. Spatial Distribution of Groundwater Quality Between Injambakkam-Thiruvanmyiur Areas, South East Coast of India. Nature Enviroment and Pollution Tecnology, 14, 771-776.

István, S. 2012. Comparison of the most popular open-source GIS software in the field of landscape ecology. Acta Geographica Debrecina. Landscape & Environment Series, 6, 76-92.

Jacsó, P. 2011. The h‐index, h‐core citation rate and the bibliometric profile of the Scopus database. Online Information Review, 35(3), 492-501. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684521111151487

Jaya, M., Fajar, A. (2019). Analysis of the implementation quantum GIS: comparative effect and user performance.

Jung, M. 2016. LecoS — A python plugin for automated landscape ecology analysis. Ecological Informatics, 31, 18-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2015.11.006

Kaya, E., Agca, M., Adiguzel, F., Cetin, M. 2019. Spatial data analysis with R programming for environment. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 25(6), 1521-1530. https://doi.org/10.1080/10807039.2018.1470896

Kim, H.-A., Shin, J.-Y., Kim, M.-H., Park, B.-J. 2014. Prevalence and Predictors of Polypharmacy among Korean Elderly. Plos One, 9(6), e98043. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0098043

Li, Y., Zhao, M., Mildrexler, D. J., Motesharrei, S., Mu, Q., Kalnay, E., Zhao, F., Li, S., Wang, K. 2016. Potential and Actual impacts of deforestation and afforestation on land surface temperature. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 121(24), 372-314,386. http://doi.org/10.1002/2016JD024969

Lindberg, F., Grimmond, C.S.B., Gabey, A., Huang, B., Kent, C. W., Sun, T., Theeuwes, N.E., Järvi, L., Ward, H.C., Capel-Timms, I., Chang, Y., Jonsson, P., Krave, N., Liu, D., Meyer, D., Olofson, K.F.G., Tan, J., Wästberg, D., Xue, L., Zhang, Z. 2018. Urban Multi-scale Environmental Predictor (UMEP): An integrated tool for city-based climate services. Environmental Modelling & Software, 99, 70-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2017.09.020

Lünen, A., Travis, C. 2012. History and GIS: Epistemologies, considerations and reflections.Springer.

Lush, C., Lush, M. 2014. QGIS Suitability Assessment. JNCC Report, No 542.

Minghini, M., Mobasheri, A., Rautenbach, V., Brovelli, M.A. 2020. Geospatial openness: from software to standards & data. Open Geospatial Data, Software and Standards, 5(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40965-020-0074-y

Minin, M., Rossi, A.P., Marco Figuera, R., Unnithan, V., Marmo, C., Walter, S.H.G., Demleitner, M., Le Sidaner, P., Cecconi, B., Erard, S., Hare, T.M. 2019. Bridging the Gap Between Geographical Information Systems and Planetary Virtual Observatory. 6(3), 515-526. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018EA000405

Moreno-Sanchez, R. 2012. Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial Applications (FOSS4G): A Mature Alternative in the Geospatial Technologies Arena. Transactions in GIS, 16(2), 81-88. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9671.2012.01314.x

Moyroud, N., Portet, F. 2018. Introduction to QGIS. In N. Baghdadi, C. Mallet, & M. Zribi (Eds.), QGIS and Generic Tools (pp. 1-17): https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119457091.ch1

Muenchow, J., Schratz, P., Brenning, A. 2017. RQGIS: Integrating R with QGIS for Statistical Geocomputing R. The R Journal, 9(2), 409-428. https://doi.org/10.32614/RJ-2017-067

Neteler, M., Bowman, M.H., Landa, M., Metz, M. 2012. GRASS GIS: A multi-purpose open source GIS. Environmental Modelling & Software, 31, 124-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2011.11.014

Passy, P., Théry, S. 2018. The Use of SAGA GIS Modules in QGIS. In QGIS and Generic Tools (pp. 107-149). Wiley & Sons.

Patience, G.S., Patience, C.A., Blais, B., Bertrand, F. 2017. Citation analysis of scientific categories. Heliyon, 3(5), e00300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2017.e00300

Pritchard, A. 1969. Statistical Bibliography or Bibliometrics. Journal of Documentation, 25, 348-349.

Quinn, S. 2020. Free and open source GIS in South America: political inroads and local advocacy. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 34(3), 464-483. https://doi.org/10.1080/13658816.2019.1665672

Robles, G., Steinmacher, I., Adams, P., Treude, C. 2019. Twenty Years of Open Source Software: From Skepticism to Mainstream. IEEE Software, 36(6), 12-15. https://doi.org/10.1109/MS.2019.2933672

Rofi’i, A., Wibowo, T.W., Sudaryatno, Farda, N.M. 2019. Tourists geovisualization analysis utilizing Instagram data in central java province and special region of Yogyakarta. Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLII-4/W16, 535-542. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLII-4-W16-535-2019

Rossetto, R., Borsi, I., Foglia, L. 2015. FREEWAT: FREE and open source software tools for WATer resource management. Rendiconti online della Società Geologica Italiana, 35, 252–255. https://doi.org/10.3301/ROL.2015.113

Rossetto, R., De Filippis, G., Borsi, I., Foglia, L., Cannata, M., Criollo, R., Vázquez-Suñé, E. 2018. Integrating free and open source tools and distributed odelling codes in GIS environment for data-based groundwater management. Environmental Modelling & Software, 107, 210-230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2018.06.007

Rueda-Clausen, C.F., Villa-Roel, C., Rueda-Clausen, C.E. 2005. Indicadores bibliométricos: origen, aplicación, contradicción y nuevas propuestas. MedUNAB, 8, 29-36.

Sabah, L., Şimşek, M. 2017. Investigation of spatial data with open source social network analysis and Geographic Information Systems applications. Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLII-4/W6, 81-83. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLII-4-W6-81-2017

Sandhya, C. 2020. Exploring Opportunities with Open Source GIS. International Journal of Engineering Research and Technology, 9(5). https://doi.org/10.17577/IJERTV9IS050545

Saputra, A.W.W., Azazi Zakaria, N., Ngai Weng, C. 2020. Changes in Land Use in the Lombok River Basin and Their Impacts on River Basin Management Sustainability. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 437, 012036. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/437/1/012036

Sarı, A., Tosun, A., Alptekin, G. I. 2019. A systematic literature review on crowdsourcing in software engineering. Journal of Systems and Software, 153, 200-219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2019.04.027

See, L., Mooney, P., Foody, G., Bastin, L., Comber, A., Estima, J., Fritz, S., Kerle, N., Jiang, B., Laakso, M., Liu, H.-Y., Milčinski, G., Nikšič, M., Painho, M., Pődör, A., Olteanu-Raimond, A.-M., Rutzinger, M. 2016. Crowdsourcing, Citizen Science or Volunteered Geographic Information? The Current State of Crowdsourced Geographic Information, 5(5), 55. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi5050055

Sowkhya, B., Amaduzzi, S., Raawal, D. 2018. Visualization and analysis of cellular & Twitter data using QGIS. Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLII-4/W8, 199-209. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLII-4-W8-199-2018

Stallman, R. 2015. Free hardware and free hardware designs. GNU.org.

Steiniger, S., Bocher, E. 2009. An overview on current free and open source desktop GIS developments. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 23(10), 1345-1370. https://doi.org/10.1080/13658810802634956

Teodoro, A.C., Amaral, A. 2017. Evaluation of forest fires in Portugal Mainland during 2016 summer considering different satellite datasets. Proc.SPIE, 10421. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2278262

Teodoro, A.C., Duarte, L. 2013. Forest fire risk maps: a GIS open source application – a case study in Norwest of Portugal. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 27(4), 699-720. https://doi.org/10.1080/13658816.2012.721554

Teodoro, A.C., Duarte, L., Sillero, N., Gonçalves, J.A., Fonte, J., Gonçalves-Seco, L., Pinheiro da Luz, L.M., dos Santos Beja, N.M.R. (2015). An integrated and open source GIS environmental management system for a protected area in the south of Portugal. Paper presented at the Proc.SPIE.

Thiele, S.T., Grose, L., Samsu, A., Micklethwaite, S., Vollgger, S.A., Cruden, A.R. 2017. Rapid, semi-automatic fracture and contact mapping for point clouds, images and geophysical data. Solid Earth, 8(6), 1241-1253. https://doi.org/10.5194/se-8-1241-2017

Vázquez-Rodríguez, R. 2018. Uso de sistemas de información geográfica libres para la protección del medio ambiente. Caso de estudio: manipulación de mapas ráster con datos. Revista Universidad y Sociedad, 10, 158-164.

Wolfe, F.D., Stahl, T.A., Villamor, P., Lukovic, B. 2020. Short communication: A semiautomated method for bulk fault slip analysis from topographic scarp profiles. Earth Surf. Dynam., 8(1), 211-219. https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-211-2020