There is a new QGIS release out : version 2.4, codename Chugiak is now available. Binary packages for your platform have been generated, and you can directly download and try out this new release of the famous Desktop GIS software. QGIS 2.4 has a lot of new features in all of its components. There is a visual changelog available where you can discover QGIS improvements.
Oslandia inside
Oslandia is a **QGIS core contributor**, and we have been busy improving QGIS 2.4. We contributed to various of these new features. Here are a few enhancements we developped.
Predefined scales mode for atlas maps
When working with atlas map items, you can now specify a predefined scale mode for the map. It will use the best fitting option from the list of predefined scales in you your project properties settings (see Project -> Project Properties -> General -> Project Scales to configure these predefined scales).
This feature has been funded by `the city of Uster
New Inverted Polygon renderer
The biggest feature Oslandia developped is the inverted Polygon renderer. This feature has been funded by Agence de l’Eau Adour-Garonne and mainly developped by Hugo Mercier.
A new renderer has been added for polygon features, allowing you to style everything outside your polygons. This can be useful for highlighting areas, or for creating cartographic masks. When used with new shapeburst style, you can now produce output as shown in the image for this entry.
New Mask Plugin
Alongside with the inverted polygon renderer feature, Oslandia developped a new Mask plugin. It enables you to make atlases focusing on the specific feature you are interested in, occulting the rest with a really nice effect. Furthermore, it helps masking the labels when you mask geometry objects.
This plugin has also be funded by Agence de l’Eau Adour Garonne.
Layered SVG export
Another feature implemented in this version is the ability to export layered SVG files. Beforehand, all features were exported as a single layer, whatever the QGIS layer was. Now you can use Inkscape or Illustrator and their layering capabilities to finish the design of your map with greater ease of use. There also is an option to vectorize labels.
This feature has been funded by Agence de Développement du Grand Amiénois (ADUGA).
WAsP format support
The WAsP format is the standard format for roughness and elevation in the wind science field. This format was not supported by QGIS until recently, when Vincent Mora added WAsP to QGIS supported GIS file formats. In fact, we did better as we implemented WAsP support in GDAL/OGR, so that any software using this library is now able to read and write WASP files. WAsP is available starting from GDAL/OGR >= 1.11.0.
This was an opportunity to add Vincent Mora as an official GDAL/OGR commiter, in charge of maintaining this driver. This feature will enable wind management operations to be completed on QGIS with a better user experience. No more file conversion before working on the GIS side. We also developped a companion plugin to manage data simplification when needed. It is available in QGIS plugins repository.
With this work, QGIS becomes a great complement to opensource computational wind engineering softwares like ZephyTools.
This work has been funded by La Compagnie du Vent
Epanet Plugin
Oslandia has integrated the EPANET water distribution model inside QGIS Processing, as a plugin. Epanet integration has been funded by European funds and the GIS office of Apavil, Romania.
Vizitown Plugin
Vizitown is part of our efforts on 3D GIS development, alongside PostGIS 3D and more. It is a QGIS plugin allowing users to display QGIS layers in 3D in a Three.js / WebGL environment, in a browser. It can leverage PostGIS 3D, and display live data from the database, as well as other sources of data. It can display DEM, a raster background, 2D vector data draped on the DEM, 2.5D data (e.g. buildings), or real 3D Meshes. The user can set a symbology in QGIS and see the modifications live in the browser in 3D.
You can see Vizitown in action on Youtube. Vizitown has been developped with IG3 students from ESIPE
Multiple bugfixes
Oslandia also work continuously on improving QGIS quality, and we try to fix as many bugs as we can. These bugfixes are funded by our `QGIS support offer clients, and also by the french Ministère de l’environnement and Agence de l’Eau Adour-Garonne.
What next ?
We continue to work on new QGIS features, corrections, refactoring and integration with other tools. We namely studied a possible unification of all database-like features in QGIS, using SQLITE/Spatialite features. We intend to work on Native Read+Write support of Mapinfo TAB files.
We offer a wide range of services around QGIS, be it for training, assistance, development, or consulting in general.
We also propose `various support opportunities for QGIS. This is the best way for you to improve the quality of this software, contribute to its development, and ensure that you can work in good conditions without having to worry about potential bugs. Our team of experienced engineers, who contribute to QGIS core, will be available in any case of critical bug.
We can offer you personalized support, with specific conditions and fares. Do not hesitate to contact us at infos@oslandia.com .
