Exploring Opportunities with Open Source GIS

— There are many Commercial software available for various GIS Applications. These Software are very costly and making unaffordable for the General users. So we need an alternate option which is Economical, Feature rich & similar Capabilities as that of Commercial ones. Such possibilities can be explored by Evaluating Open Source GIS software. Recently open source software start playing vital role in Industry, Academics and Research. Quantum GIS (QGIS) is most popular, leading and user friendly open source GIS software. It is very easy to use, extensible, and has a constantly growing community and user base. More and more Private users and organizations choose QGIS as their mainstream GIS software. Hence it is necessary to study the opportunities of this open source software as an alternative to the established proprietary software.

Plugins in QGIS are written in Python or C++ and this extends QGIS's capabilities. These plugins are written by developers and other independent users who wanted to extend the core functionality of this software. These plugins are available for all users, according to our needs we can install the appropriate plugins. There are more than 650 plugins available right now.
The Distribution and sharing of Geo-spatial data to a wider community play an important role in development. These data can be accessed by any sources Desktops, Laptops or mobiles through internet. Sharing and Dissemination of data offers possibilities to access right data at right time to make right kind of decisions. It provides communication between different stakeholders such as Government Authorities and Citizens, for proper Planning, Monitoring and Management of Resources. GIS Cloud technology is an upgradation to traditional GIS which provides services to users across the globe. (Bhat et al., 2011). Technological advancement and easy access to the internet and necessity for publishing maps and sharing information widely have made WebGIS mandatory for many organizations today. (Elavazhagan and Vijayee, 2010). NextGIS Connect is a QGIS Plugin; this is a new cloud based technology for publishing maps online. In NextGIS Resource Page we can upload layers / Project and WebMap is created and is shown in a separate web browser. This web interface enables user to view the layers, its feature tables and descriptions. User can identify features, zoom in and out, perform query, search, check the coordinates of any location, measure Distance between any two locations, measure Area of any polygon, print the map and share the maps through any of the following social media networks Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus etc.

II. OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study is to explore the opportunities of Open Source Software QGIS in terms of its spatial analysis and web publishing capabilities.
• To provide a system that can be applied to a Road Network with the intension of finding out 'Optimal Path' (Shortest & Fastest) between any two locations. •

A. Database Creation
In pgAdmin III, new server connection is done. Under that server connection a new data base is created. After successful POSTGIS Database connection, import all the shape files to the database with proper SRID using pgShapeLoader.

B. Thematic Maps Preparation.
• GUJARAT District MAP  For this study only State Highways and National Highways are considered. The State covers approximately 6000 kms. Of National Highways and 19,000 kms of State Highways.

C. Spatial Network analysis
• AEQUILIBRAE India has one of the largest connectivity in terms of Road networks in the world. These Road Networks have been there from ancient time, but the usage of these roads is significantly increased recently. Geographic Information System (GIS) technology has recently seen development in the areas of Network and Transportation Analysis. A fundamental problem in Network analysis is the computation of shortest paths between any two randomly chosen locations within a network. This study provides a system which can be applied to any type of Road Network with the intension of providing optimal path from one point to another. • SHORTEST PATH The common application of Network analysis is to find the Shortest Path on a Road Network. Finding the shortest route from one location to another location through a network is very much useful in case of emergencies, during holidays / business trips and for transportation planners. To carry out such type of analysis it is very important to prepare an appropriate network.

Comparison between QGIS Comparison Road Graph Shortest
Path and Online Routing Mapper Path is shown below table.

D. PREPARATION OF WEBGIS INTERFACE.
• NEXTGIS WebGIS is for sharing Geo Spatial data to a wider community through internet. This is a system comprising of Server and client. A server is for storing Geo data and Client is a Desktop This study recommends the need for greater awareness of Open Source GIS software for Establishment of GIS system in the coming future.

FUTURE SCOPE
The future scope of this study is to have a complete WebGIS with the following facilities.
• DATA Portal and Map Portal.
• Map layout with Title and Description Panels.