From the website:
QGIS is a cross-platform (Linux, Windows, Mac) open source application with many common GIS features and functions. The major features include:
1. View and overlay vector and raster data in different formats and projections without conversion to an internal or common format.
Supported formats include:
- spatially-enabled PostgreSQL tables using PostGIS and SpatiaLite,
- most vector formats supported by the OGR library*, including ESRI shapefiles, MapInfo, SDTS and GML.
- raster formats supported by the GDAL library*, such as digital elevation models, aerial photography or landsat imagery,
- GRASS locations and mapsets,
- online spatial data served as OGC-compliant WMS , WMS-C (Tile cache), WFS and WFS-T
2. Create maps and interactively explore spatial data with a friendly graphical user interface. The many helpful tools available in the GUI include:
- on the fly projection,
- print composer,
- overview panel,
- spatial bookmarks,
- identify/select features,
- edit/view/search attributes,
- feature labeling,
- vector diagram overlay
- change vector and raster symbology,
- add a graticule layer,
- decorate your map with a north arrow, scale bar and copyright label,
- save and restore projects
3. Create, edit and export spatial data using:
- digitizing tools for GRASS and shapefile formats,
- the georeferencer plugin,
- GPS tools to import and export GPX format, convert other GPS formats to GPX, or down/upload directly to a GPS unit
4. Perform spatial analysis using the fTools plugin for Shapefiles or the integrated GRASS plugin, including:
- map algebra,
- terrain analysis,
- hydrologic modeling,
- network analysis,
- and many others
5. Publish your map on the internet using the export to Mapfile capability (requires a webserver with UMN MapServer installed)
6. Adapt Quantum GIS to your special needs through the extensible plugin architecture.
I didn’t find this on my own. 😉 This and the T I G E R data source were both mentioned Paul Smith’s Mapping with Location Data presentation.
Data and manipulations you usually find have no explicit basis in subject identity but that is your opportunity to really shine.
Assuming you can discover some user need that can be met with explicit subject identity or met better with explicit subject identity than not.
Let’s try not to be like some vendors I could mention where a user’s problem has to fit the solution they are offering. I turned down an opportunity like that, some thirty years ago now, and see no reason to re-visit that decision.
At least in my view, any software solution has to fit my problem, not vice versa.