- “GIS is a form of digital mapping technology. Kind of like Google Earth, but better.” Arnold Schwarzenegger Former Governor of California.
- North Carolina County GIS Data. For your convenience, below are links to GIS resources for North Carolina counties and municipalities. If you can't find the local GIS data you are looking for by county, try searching the NC City GIS Data page.
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What is open source GIS Software?
Well, in the term “Open source GIS Software”, opensource refers to a program that is available to use free of cost; along with source code that one can modify either to improve the existing project or creating a new one under GPL. Whereas GIS means Geographical Information Systems, in terms of software, it is a program that one can run on their PC or server to analyze, store, manipulate, process and visualize data in a spatial context; and describes relevant geographical distribution data in the space of all or part of the earth’s surface (including the atmosphere), supported by computer hardware and software systems.
Here is the list of open-source desktop GIS projects
We have created this list with all popular software available on Github for Windows, Linux or macOS.
Grass GIS
Grass GIS screenshot
It stands for Geographic Resources Analysis Support System and distributed under open source licences. Well, it is one of the founding members of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo).
This software suite, we can use for geospatial data management and analysis, image processing, graphics and maps production, spatial modelling, and visualization.
Grass GIS can handle raster, topological vector, image processing, and graphic data and comes with over 350 modules to work.
It is a cross-platform software thus can be installed on Windows, Linux and macOS. Gross GIS offers Graphical user interface, their users can easily operate it on their computer to start working on different projects.
Grass GIS Key features:
- GRASS supports raster and vector data in two and three dimensions.
- It includes over 350 core modules and more than 100 add-on modules developed by its community.
- Well-documented
- Raster, vector, imagery and temporal tools
GeoServer
Another GIS open-source tool in the list is a Java-based software called Geoserver. We can use it to on any platform that supports JAVA. GeoServer allows users to view and edit geospatial data and offers great flexibility in map creation and data sharing.
To create maps in various output formats, we can use Web Map Service (WMS) with it.
Few Key Features:
- OpenLayers, a free mapping library, is integrated into GeoServer.
- GeoServer is built on GeoTools, an open-source Java GIS toolkit.
- Offers nicely styled maps.
- Additional functionality added via extensions
- Uses the Web Map Tile Service standard to split your published maps into tiles
- Enable others to incorporate your data into their websites and applications;
- Integrate With Mapping APIs such as Google Maps, Google Earth, Microsoft Bing Maps, and MapBox.
- And more…
QGIS
QGIS Screenshot
QGIS desktop geographic information system (GIS) application was earlier known as Quantum GIS. It supports cross-platform Windows, Linux and macOS. We can integrate it with other open-source GIS packages such as PostGIS, GRASS GIS, and MapServer. It supports extensions that are written in Python or C++ to extend its functionality.
Key features:
- Supports viewing, editing, and analysis of geospatial data.
- 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.
- Plugins can geocode using the Google Geocoding API
- And more…
gvSIG
gvSIG is an open-source desktop GIS and GDI client designed and developed as a desktop application for capturing, storing, handling, analyzing and deploying geographic information to rectify different problems in management and planning.
It comes with a user-friendly interface with ability process common formats along with vector (SHP, DXF, GML, DWG, DGN, KML.) and raster (BMP, GIF, TIFF, JPEG, JP2, PNG, VRT, DAT of ENVI, ERDAS (LAN, GIS, IMG), and more…) formats.
Key features:
- Offers a wide range of tools such as query tools, layout creation, geoprocessing, networks, etc.
- Support more than 12 languages
- Provides the same view for files using OGC standards stored on local database and remote.
- Modular system that allows users to use various plugins to extend application capabilities or for developing custom solutions.
- Raster and remote sensing
- It also based on Java, thus can be used on Android, Linux, Windows and Mac OS X platforms.
Integrated Land and Water Information System (ILWIS)
ILWIS is also free and opensource and with its name, you would get an idea for what purpose this tool is meant for. It is not only a GIS but also remote sensing software support both vector and raster.
It has been around for more than 20 years and used by various teachers and reachers (biologists, water managers and geospatial) including students for digitizing, editing, analysis and display of data, and production of quality maps.
The software was developed by the ITC Enschede situated in the Netherlands. It has one of the user-friendly interfaces and offers quite powerful tools to work. It is well documents and offers training modules for better understanding of the software.
MapWindow GIS
MapWindow GIS
Well, the MapWindow GIS is meant only for Windows running systems which was used by the USA as their main GIS platform for BASINS watershed analysis and modelling software. We can extend its functionality using the various available extension.
It basically includes four different projects to address multiple GIS-related tasks.
- MapWindow5: When MapWindows4 development stopped by the developers and to add new features and functionality, it has been re-written from scratch and released in 2015 under the name MapWindows5. It supports geo-database (PostGIS, MS-SQL Spatial, SpatiaLite), WMS, multi-threading tools and much more.
- MapWinGIS: MapWinGIS.ocx is C++ based geographic information system programming ActiveX Control and application programmer interface (API) is used to provide GIS/mapping functionality. It is the mapping control used in MapWindow4 and MW5.
- HydroDesktop: It enables MapWindow GIS desktop application search for, download, visualizes and analyze hydrologic and climate data registered with the CUAHSI Hyd.
- DotSpatial: It is a GIS library written in .NET 4 that allows developers to incorporate spatial data, analysis and mapping functionality into their applications.
SAGA GIS
SAGA GIS screenshot
SAGA stands for System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses that designed to implement spatial algorithms. It provides easy to understand and usable graphical user interface with a set of tools and with many visualisation options. It runs under Windows and Linux operating systems.
It includes standard modules such as File access, Filter for grids, Gridding, Geostatistics, Grid calculator, Grid discretisation, Grid tools, 3D mapping, Projections, Terrain analysis and more…
uDig
uDig has been designed with Eclipse Rich Client (RCP) technology, thus its functionality can be extended using RCP plugins. The application framework it uses based on EPL and BSD. The program is produced and maintained by a Canadian based consulting company Refractions Research.
Udig has written in Java and can use GRASS for complex vector operations including JGRASS and hydrology tools.
It supports shapefiles, PostGIS, WMS, and many other data sources natively. Furthermore, the developers use it as a framework to build other GIS apps, for example, DIVA-GIS and DEWS – Distant Early Warning System for tsunamis.
Get the complete list of GIS tools, Software development frameworks and libraries, and Web map servers tools list of Wikipedia.
Other Articles:GIS (Geographical Information System), developed by ESRI as an open Specification, which consist of collection of files viz .shp, .shx and .dbf extension with same prefix name. You might be hunting to Download free shapefile for completing either your small industrial work for POC or for academic project use or for any NGO work.
their respective terms and conditions, so please read T&C before using it for any purpose.
Shapefile download link
- World Country Shapefile
- Australia Shapefile download
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Download Shapefile of Canada
- Denmark
- Fiji
- Germany
- India
- Indonesia
- Japan
- Kenya
- Lebanon
- Madagascar
- Malaysia Shapefile
- Mexico Shapefile
- Mongolia
- New Zealand
- Netherland
- Nigeria
- Papua New Guinea
- Philippines
- Poland
- Singapore
- South Africa Province Shapefile
- South Korea
- Tunisia
- United Kingdom Shapefile
- Download Shapefile of United States of America
- Vietnam
Download GIS Data of other states of the USA
- Alabama States GIS data
- Alaska GIS Data
- Arizona Gis Data
- Arkansas State Shapefile
- California GIS Data
- Colorado State Shapefile
- Connecticut States GIS Data
If you are looking for any shapefile of country which is not listed above please comment below so that we can search in our pitara of shapefile. If we found we can upload it on the same.
Download Free Shapefile Maps – Country Boundary Polygon, Rail-Road, Water polyline etc
1.) Diva GIS –Website is developed by Robert Hijmans, which provides free Shapefile to download, covering around 244 countries. You can directly select the country and category of shapefile and press on OK button to start download. Subject Category option you will find here are Administrative Areas (Boundaries), Inland Water, Roads, RailRoads, Elevation, Land cover, population, Climate and Gazetteer.2.) GADM :GADM is a spatial database of Global Administrative Areas, which covers all countries data defining boundaries such as provinces, taluk, departments, counties, krong etc. GADM listed aroundFree Uk Gis Maps
253 countries currently, the different files formats are available along with shapefile such as Esri File Geodatabase, Geopackage(Spatial Lite), R(Spatial Polygon Dataframes), Google Earth .kmz and ESRI personal geodatabase. The coordinate reference system of each file is in longitude/latitude and the datum is WGS84.3.) Natural Earth Data:“Natural Earth is a public Domain Map='>4.) Geofabrik:Geofabrik provides the current data from the Openstreetmap database, which is available either for free as well as premium shapefiles. Data can be downloaded as .osm and .shp.zip file. Select the continent from the link provided for which you need to download the data. Further you can either select the country for filtering out more and hit the .shp.zip link to download the data.5.) Open Street Map data: This service is created by Jochen Topf and Christoph Hormann. Following data sets and its subcategories shapefiles can be downloaded from this website.a.) Coastline Data processing: It covers land polygons of the world area i.e continents and islands, Water polygon i.e polygon for ocean, seas and other water bodies and coastlines as line strings.
b.) Generalized data sets: This section provides you to download Generalized coastline polygon shapefiles.
c.) Antarctic icesheet: Antarctic icesheet polygons and icesheet outlines can be obtained from here.6.) Gis-Lab info:World data shapefile can be downloaded from GIS lab. This global data are separated into 4 parts i.e Eur, Noa, Soa and Sas Zones, which you can see the image provided below. This data shapefile is in zipped with 7z compressor and all data are in Latitude / Longitude and WGS84 coordinate system.7.) MapCruzin:
Free Gis Maps Michigan
While the website does not look user friendly, you need to hunt over different country shapefiles at different area. Both free as well as paid Shapefile can be obtained and downloaded given.8.) Sedac data:SocioEconomic Data and Applications Center provides data as zipfile of ESRI File geodatabases or shapefiles, and have decimal degree geographic coordinates system with datum WGS84 (world Geodetic System spheroid of 1984). Continent based regional data is available as shown below. Before downloading the data, you need to register and sign in to their system.9.) Marine Regions:If you are working on Sea or marine related subject, this website may help you to get the direct data to link to the relevant website from which you can get the shapefile maps data.It might be possible that the data which you might have downloaded from website provided here, can be of different format which was not required. For this, you can refer to following articles where you can convert different GIS data format to any of it.
Convert KML to shapefile
Convert Shapefile to KML
Convert Shapefile to GeoJSON
Convert GeoJSON to topojson
Merging two or more than two Shapefile
You may also find these links which makes you to download free shapefile map for particular region:
Free Gis Map Layers
Is the above provided links are not fulfilling your need. Than the best option you can opt for is to create your own shapefile with the help of QGIS and openstreetmap. You can easily download the data from their and then edit it make it more clear according to your requirement. If you are new to QGIS then let me provide you some tutorial link which helps you to digitize the OSM data and create shapefile.Free Gis Maps
For what purpose you need to download shapefiles? Which project you are working on? Which website you to get the map data? Do share your valuable thoughts by commenting below. I hope that the above list have definitely helped you in finding the right website to get free shapefile download, while their might be possibilities that I have not listed some of the website which should be present in the list. Please help us by providing those links byFree Gis Maps South Africa
commenting below.Owner and Director of a Private Limited company which serves individual to large scale industries in the field of Maps and GIS. He is a Gold Medalist in M.Tech(Spatial Information Technology) and owns some famous Technology blogs and website... Know moreView all posts by Akshay Upadhyay