Topography and Topology in and around QGIS
Since 2018 and the arrival of Loïc Bartoletti, Oslandia has accelerated its focus on topography and topology within and around QGIS.
Two questions have driven this focus:
- How to draw directly in GIS by integrating drawing tools inspired by the CAD world into QGIS.
- How to integrate plugins for topographic calculations directly into QGIS.
To address this, Oslandia has worked on several fronts: training, developing open-source plugins, and improvements in QGIS.
1- Plugins
The following plugins were developed by Oslandia or partners, with contributions from Oslandia:
- landsurveycodesimport : https://gitlab.com/Oslandia/qgis/landsurveycodesimport
A plugin for surveyors working with the point coding methodology in topography. - QompliGIS : https://gitlab.com/Oslandia/qgis/qompligis
A tool to ensure your dataset or plan complies with a specification. - Total Open Station : https://github.com/totalopenstation
An open-source project initiated by Italian and French archaeologists, it is a tool to convert various formats of survey field books. - Topaze : https://gitlab.com/azimut-fr/qgis/topaze
A topometric calculation tool developed with Jean-Marie Arsac (Azimut). It was a proof of concept that such calculations can be done within a GIS.
These plugins can be used at different stages of a project. They can be used all together or only those needed and integrated into workflows.
2- Improvements on QGIS
Oslandia also focuses on improving the core of QGIS. Last years, our teams have worked on:
— Integration of shape tools: circles, ellipses, rectangles, regular polygons, etc.
— Improvement of snapping tools.
— Enhancement of Z and M coordinate support.
— Improvement of topological tools (relationships between geometries).
Coming soon is the possibility to use geometry and topology validation and correction plugins directly in QGIS processing tools, developed by Jacky Volpès and Loïc Bartoletti.
3- Training
Oslandia is QUALIOPI certified and offers a training program around QGIS and QField:
- Drawing: Transition from CAD to GIS with QGIS: https://oslandia.com/formations/qgis3-dessiner-avec-qgis/
- Topography with QGIS (LSCI, Topaze, QompliGIS, Total Open Station)
- QField Training
- Deployment of QField Cloud
« In 2023, 89 people were trained by Oslandia, who recommend our training at 90.9%.»
4- And QField ?
Since our partnership with OPENGIS.ch, Oslandia offers QField Cloud server deployment services, training, and QField support.
5- Coming Soon!
Several technical posts are being prepared: how to open CAD files in a GIS? What are the differences between QField and LSCI? You will find them on our website in the coming weeks. 
Additionally, we are preparing a white paper on the topic of migrating from CAD to QGIS, which we should release in September.
Stay tuned!
