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ArcGIS · QGIS · PostGIS · GeoServer · pygeoapi

From ArcGIS to Open GIS

Evaluate, implement and operate QGIS, PostGIS, GeoServer and pygeoapi. Practical guides, architecture decisions and transparent costs for migrating from ArcGIS or building a hybrid platform in Latin America.

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01 / Learn and implement →

Start with data and desktop; progress to services and applications.

02 / Evaluate a migration →

Compare capabilities and test the workflows your organization must preserve.

03 / Build the business case →

Calculate transition, operations and licensing using your own figures.

Choose the workflow you need to change

Six paths, from the initial decision to acceptance testing. Keep ArcGIS where it adds value and migrate the remaining steps gradually.

Preserve data and rules

Migrate geometries, permissions and rules; rehearse a restore.

  1. 01Migrate a geodatabase to GeoPackage and PostGIS without losing data meaning
  2. 02PostGIS for cadastre: a minimal model, geometry and quality controls
  3. 03Load data into PostGIS with GDAL: staging and validation before publishing
  4. 04PostGIS spatial indexes: measure before optimizing
  5. 05Multiuser PostGIS: permissions, schemas and concurrent editing
  6. 06Back up PostGIS and prove it can be restored
  7. 07ArcGIS and QGIS on PostGIS: what to share and what to validate

Find your next step

44 of 44 resources

Implementation guides

From a first map to a maintainable operation. Follow the desktop, data, service and field paths; validate each change with a small example before applying it to your organization.

  1. QGIS

    QGIS for ArcGIS users: your first reproducible project

    Prepare data, coordinates, styling and a verifiable output before moving an ArcGIS workflow to QGIS.

  2. QGIS · GDAL · GeoPackage

    Migrate a geodatabase to GeoPackage and PostGIS without losing data meaning

    Inventory domains, relationships, attachments and identifiers before converting a geodatabase.

  3. QGIS

    Rebuild ArcGIS symbology, labels and layouts in QGIS

    Test cartographic equivalence by scale and output; a similar-looking screen is not enough.

  4. QGIS · Python

    From ModelBuilder and ArcPy to QGIS Processing and Python

    Rewrite automation around verifiable results, with explicit inputs, tolerances and errors.

  5. QGIS · PostGIS

    Editing, validation and topology in QGIS: rules beyond the desktop

    Combine forms, geometry checks and database constraints to keep data dependable.

  6. QGIS

    Manage QGIS across an organization: versions, plugins and support

    Prepare a repeatable installation and an upgrade process that preserves projects and automation.

  7. PostGIS · QGIS

    PostGIS for cadastre: a minimal model, geometry and quality controls

    Build a cadastral pilot with stable keys, verifiable geometry and clear boundaries from a complete legal model.

  8. PostGIS · GDAL

    Load data into PostGIS with GDAL: staging and validation before publishing

    Separate import, quality checks and publication to avoid replacing valid tables with a defective load.

  9. PostGIS · SQL

    PostGIS spatial indexes: measure before optimizing

    Use EXPLAIN, GiST and queries with correct units to evaluate a reproducible improvement.

  10. PostGIS · PostgreSQL

    Multiuser PostGIS: permissions, schemas and concurrent editing

    Separate owners, editors and readers, and test conflicts before opening the database to multiple clients.

  11. PostGIS · PostgreSQL

    Back up PostGIS and prove it can be restored

    A backup is useful only if it can recover data, extensions, permissions and consumers within the required time.

  12. PostGIS · QGIS · ArcGIS

    ArcGIS and QGIS on PostGIS: what to share and what to validate

    Design a shared database without confusing SQL connectivity with editing or versioning equivalence.

  13. GeoServer · PostGIS

    Publish a PostGIS layer with GeoServer and verify WMS and WFS

    Publish a PostGIS fixture through GeoServer WMS/WFS, verify identifiers and rendered output, and diagnose CRS, store and client failures.

  14. GeoServer · ArcGIS

    Replace ArcGIS services with GeoServer: a compatibility matrix

    Separate maps, features, editing, tiles and geoprocessing before replacing an endpoint.

  15. GeoServer · SLD

    GeoServer SLD styles and labels: from a rule to a verifiable map

    Define server-side symbols and labels and test their behavior by scale and density.

  16. GeoServer · GeoWebCache

    GeoWebCache: accelerate maps without serving stale data

    Design tile matrices, extents, zoom levels and invalidation before generating millions of tiles.

  17. GeoServer · Security

    GeoServer security: layer permissions, authentication and proxy configuration

    Configure GeoServer access across roles, REST, proxy and caches, then test anonymous reads, private attributes and administrative endpoints.

  18. GeoServer

    Operate GeoServer: upgrades, recovery and diagnosis

    Recover GeoServer data, styles and security together, rehearse upgrades and rollback, and diagnose rendering, database and cache incidents.

  19. pygeoapi · OGC API

    pygeoapi: publish your first OGC API with test data

    Build a pygeoapi 0.24 CSV endpoint with full configuration, OpenAPI and executable checks for collections, features and missing identifiers.

  20. pygeoapi · PostGIS

    pygeoapi with PostGIS: filters, pagination and CRS

    Configure the pygeoapi PostgreSQL provider, stable feature IDs, bounded filters, pagination and CRS; distinguish read-only policy from provider capability.

  21. pygeoapi · OGC API

    pygeoapi in production: TLS, access, limits and monitoring

    Deploy pygeoapi behind a production server and proxy with explicit limits, identity boundaries, cache rules, recovery and failure checks.

  22. OGC API · WFS · pygeoapi

    OGC API Features vs WFS: choosing and migrating vector services

    A practical comparison for deciding when to retain WFS, when to publish OGC API Features, and how to transition without breaking existing consumers.

  23. MapLibre · GeoJSON

    MapLibre: build a web map with GeoJSON

    A complete example with fictional data, no keys and no basemap dependency.

  24. Leaflet · GeoJSON

    Leaflet: an inspection viewer with GeoJSON

    A complete example with fictional data, no keys and no basemap dependency.

  25. PMTiles · MapLibre

    Vector tiles and PMTiles: publish a map release

    When to use a tile archive, how to check HTTP Range and where queries belong.

  26. QField · QGIS

    How to prepare a QField project for offline work in Colombia

    Steps for designing forms, identifiers, basemaps, packages and reconciliation before sending field teams to areas without continuous connectivity.

  27. QField · PostGIS

    Field synchronization: conflicts, photos and validation

    Design and test the return path before replacing the collection workflow.

  28. ArcGIS · MapLibre · QField · PostGIS

    How to replace ArcGIS applications by workflow

    Break down viewers, dashboards and collection; identify what needs building and maintaining.

Comparisons for decisions

Compare complete workflows: editing, publishing, permissions, support and operations. An alternative must meet your requirements, and retaining ArcGIS components can be the right decision.

  1. ArcGIS · QGIS

    ArcGIS vs QGIS for cadastre and government: decision criteria

    Compare ArcGIS Pro and QGIS across editing, analysis, automation, cadastre, networks and support, with a ten-task pilot and transparent total-cost criteria.

  2. ArcGIS Enterprise · PostGIS · GeoServer

    ArcGIS Enterprise vs an Open GIS architecture

    Compare ArcGIS Enterprise with an open GIS stack across identity, editing, versioning, sharing, field apps, operations and the work each replacement requires.

  3. ArcGIS Server · GeoServer

    ArcGIS Server vs GeoServer: service contracts and migration

    Map ArcGIS Server services to GeoServer WMS, WFS and WMTS; identify REST clients, editing and geoprocessing that require adaptation or retention.

  4. ArcGIS Online · Open GIS

    ArcGIS Online vs self-hosted or managed Open GIS

    Compare ArcGIS Online, self-hosted GIS and managed open services across sharing, credits, field workflows, operating responsibility and total cost.

  5. QField · ArcGIS Field Maps

    QField vs ArcGIS Field Maps: compare the complete cycle

    Compare QField and ArcGIS Field Maps for offline forms, photos, related records, conflicts and recovery using the same two-crew pilot and cost per accepted inspection.

  6. GeoServer · pygeoapi · QGIS Server

    GeoServer vs pygeoapi vs QGIS Server: which to use

    Choose GeoServer, pygeoapi or QGIS Server by protocol version, styling, editing and application contract, with a concrete selection matrix.

Architectures and organizations

Understand how components connect and which responsibilities remain with your team. Organizational examples distinguish documented open-source use from an assumed complete replacement of ArcGIS.

  1. PostGIS · GeoServer · pygeoapi · ArcGIS

    State-of-the-art GIS architecture in 2026: two complete blueprints

    Two complete GIS architectures—one open and cloud-native, one centred on ArcGIS Enterprise 12.1—compared layer by layer and adapted to Colombia.

  2. H3 · Apache Pinot

    Uber, H3 and Pinot: GIS inside a digital product

    Understand Uber’s published H3/Pinot analytical workflow, its limits, and a practical path from PostGIS analysis to a larger event architecture.

  3. OpenStreetMap · MapLibre

    Meta and open mapping: data, styles and distribution

    Trace Meta’s 2023 open basemap workflow, the 2024 Daylight sunset and the data, rendering and update responsibilities a LATAM team must own.

  4. pygeoapi · WIS2 · OGC API

    WMO, wis2box and pygeoapi: institutional data exchange

    Explain how wis2box combines ingestion, storage, pygeoapi and notifications, and what a generic OGC API still needs for institutional exchange.

Cases and evidence

Read published experiences with their source, date and scope. License savings are not the same as net migration savings; each case retains its limitations and context.

  1. QGIS · PostGIS · GeoServer · ArcGIS

    Hypothetical scenario: a municipality’s GIS migration

    A fictional organization, illustrative scope and a five-year calculation you can reproduce.

  2. QField · PostGIS · ArcGIS

    Hypothetical scenario: a utility that does not save over five years

    A fictional example where support, training and coexistence exceed license reductions.

Costs and migration planning

Build a budget covering transition, training, operations and retained licenses. Use your own figures in the calculator and compare the result with the capabilities you need to preserve.

  1. ArcGIS · QGIS · PostGIS

    What an ArcGIS to QGIS and PostGIS migration costs in Colombia

    Calculate ArcGIS migration TCO with retained licenses, labor, overlap, annual cash flow and sensitivity, using reproducible COP examples.

  2. ArcGIS · QGIS

    Public open GIS cases: how to interpret savings

    Read sourced QGIS adoption and migration evidence from Dominican IGN, Cornare, St. Joseph County and Barrow without overstating savings.

  3. ArcMap · ArcGIS Pro · QGIS

    ArcMap retirement: migration options without losing the workflow

    Plan after ArcMap’s March 1, 2026 retirement: inventory MXD, data and scripts, compare QGIS with ArcGIS Pro, and control coexistence.

  4. ArcGIS · QGIS · PostGIS · GeoServer

    A phased ArcGIS to Open GIS migration plan

    Execute an ArcGIS migration through inventory, architecture, pilot, change reconciliation, cost review, reversible batches and measured retirement.

Documented external experiences

These are third-party experiences, not GeoSAT projects. Check the source and period for every result.