After downloading the contributed packages, you will be able to web services from Google and Bing.Īs for existing data for golf courses, you can contact the state or city to see what’s available. From here, you click “Get contributed pack”. If you want to add Google and Bing basemaps, you can go through the settings and click “More Services”. Now, it’s recommended to use the QuickMapServices plugin. If you want to work directly in QGIS, there are plugins to enable Google imagery. From here, you can create maps, analysis and general data management. You can take these KMZ files and import them into QGIS where you’d add it to a database. If you want to go open source GIS software, then I recommend using QGIS for this task. Your idea for using Google Earth to map out golf courses is one of your best options. Get more useful knowledge from the Whitebox GAT Open Source Blog. I find it amazing this free GIS software almost goes unheard of in the GIS industry. But overall Whitebox GAT is solid with over 410 tools to clip, convert, analyze, manage, buffer and extract geospatial information. The cartographic mapping software tools are primitive compared to QGIS.

But you may need a Java update to go in full throttle though. For example, LAS to shapefile is an insanely useful tool. Where it shines is LIDAR! With no barriers, Whitebox GAT is the swiss-army knife of LiDAR data.

Whitebox GAT is really a full-blown open-access GIS and remote sensing software package. It actually replaced Terrain Analysis System (TAS) – a tool for hydro-geomorphic applications. There’s a hydrology theme around Whitebox GAT. Unbelievably, Whitebox GAT has only been around since 2009 because it feels so fine-tuned when you see it in action. Yes, Whitebox GAT (Geospatial Analysis Toolbox) is #8 on the list of open source, free GIS software. READ MORE: SAGA GIS (System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses) Review and Guide

Consider SAGA GIS a prime choice for environmental modeling and other applications. Overall, it’s quick, reliable and accurate. If you have a DEM and don’t know what to do with it – you NEED to look at SAGA GIS. The morphometry tools are unique including the SAGA topographic wetness index and topographic position classification. It’s not particularly useful in cartography but it’s a lifesaver in terrain analysis.Ĭlosing gaps in raster data sets is easy. It provides both a user-friendly GUI and API. Now, SAGA GIS is a powerhouse because it delivers a fast-growing set of geoscientific methods to the geoscientific community.Įnable multiple windows to lay out all your analysis (map, histograms, scatter plots, attributes, etc). It started primarily for terrain analysis such as hillshading, watershed extraction, and visibility analysis. SAGA GIS (System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses) is one of the classics in the world of free GIS software.

Arcmap viewer