Quick Start
- Go to https://www.qgis.org/ and download the free QGIS software, available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. QGIS version 3.16 is the oldest version supported by QGreenland. Use of the QGIS Long Term Release version 3.22.4 LTR is appropriate.
- Download the QGreenland Core data package (see Download QGreenland Core below). Unzip and save the folder in a location of your choice.
- To open the full QGreenland Core data package in QGIS, go to your QGreenland folder and open the 'qgreenland.qgs' file (this will automatically open QGIS). Or, you can first open QGIS and then open the 'qgreenland.qgs' project file from there.
- If you only want to add specific QGreenland Core data layers to a QGIS project and not open the entire data package, you can add your desired layers individually by navigating to their respective topic folder within the main QGreenland Core folder (for example, 'Hydrology'). A full list of all QGreenland Core data layers can be found in the 'layer_list.csv' file included in the download package. We have also introduced the new QGreenland Custom QGIS plugin, which can be used for downloading and adding individual data layers to QGIS projects.
- For more information and more detailed instructions, see the full documentation.
Download Package Information
The QGreenland Core download package is self-contained and ready for offline use (note there is one Internet-required data group). The QGreenland Core download package includes a full User Guide, Quick Start Guide, Data Layer List, and all QGIS layer source data.
Download QGreenland Core
1) Fill out our user information form.
2) Choose a mirror (we recommend a location close to you), and select a download link:
| Country | Hosting institution | Download |
|---|---|---|
| United States | National Snow and Ice Data Center, Boulder, CO (primary server) - v2.0.0 | http |
| United States | Polar Geospatial Center, Saint Paul, MN - v2.0.0 | http |
| Norway | Norwegian Polar Institute, Oslo - v1.0.2 | ftp |
| Japan | Arctic and Antarctic Data Archive System at the National Institute of Polar Research, Tokyo - v2.0.0 | http |
| Australia | Tasmanian Partnership for Advanced Computing at the University of Tasmania, Hobart - v1.0.2 | ftp http |
| India | National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, Goa - v2.0.0 | http |
Thank you to our mirror hosts! All hosts also mirror Quantarctica, so that you can explore data from both polar regions.
Additional Data for QGreenland
As QGreenland development continues, we will expand the QGreenland data packages available. But more data and higher resolution elevation information is already available via these resources:
- Arctic Data Center QGreenland Portal: Explore all of the Greenland-focused geospatial data archived at the National Science Foundation Arctic Data Center. The collection includes more than 500 datasets!
- 32-meter resolution ArcticDEM (digital elevation model): The Polar Geospatial Center has provided a custom Greenland 32-m resolution ArcticDEM for added detail. Download this add-on package and place it in a suitable location in your filesystem. Unzip the package and then follow the directions in the 'README.txt' file included in the package.
- Check out these other resources for more data resources.
Want to Contribute? Information here.
Explore New QGreenland Custom QGIS Plugin
QGreenland Custom (beta version) is a QGIS plugin for downloading a custom set of data, including data which is not part of the QGreenland Core zip package (for example, due to filesize constraints). To learn how to install and use the plugin, visit our QGreenland Custom tutorial in our full documentation either in the QGreenland Core download package or on Read the Docs.
QGreenland License Information
Copyright (c) 2020 Regents of the University of Colorado.
QGreenland software was developed by the National Snow and Ice Data Center with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation EarthCube program.
QGreenland is licensed under the MIT License.
Please be aware that individual data layers may have additional licensing information. Whenever using data from QGreenland, users must cite the original data source. Citation information is provided with all QGreenland data layers. Please contact us with questions.
Disclaimer
QGreenland should not be used as a sole navigational aid while performing remote research activities in Greenland. Always bring appropriate safety and navigational aids (including hard-copies of topographic maps) when visiting the field.
QGreenland is a data-viewing and analysis platform, and the QGreenland Team does not create new data. QGreenland's layers may contain errors from the original data providers. QGreenland makes no guarantees about the accuracy and validity of data contained in QGreenland. Limited notes on known data issues have been added to the 'Towns and settlements' and 'Community map (crowdsourced)' layer metadata. Also, some layers may not perfectly align with each other due to unidentified georeferencing issues with the original data. We recommend using the 'Greenland coastlines 2017' layer as the best approximation reference layer for geolocating Greenland's coastline.
Note that some data were transformed from their native data formats, projections, and resolutions for inclusion within QGreenland. The included metadata (>Layer Properties >Metadata >History) contains provenance information on any transformations. All QGreenland geopackages and geotiffs are projected in EPSG:3413.
QGreenland Version Notes
The current stable version of QGreenland is: v2.0.0
March 2022: v2.0.0 is released. New layers have been added and select layers have been updated to include 2021 data.
October 2021: v1.0.1 is replaced with v1.0.2. Sea ice median extent and age layer titles and groups have been updated to be more descriptive, correctly reflect date ranges for each layer, and replace incorrectly selected data.
For full details, visit our QGreenland GitHub CHANGELOG.
