ArcGIS / QGIS
The GIS platforms that turn spatial data into maps, analysis, and evidence — from habitat surveys to infrastructure planning.
What it is
About ArcGIS / QGIS
ArcGIS (by Esri) and QGIS (open-source) are the two dominant Geographic Information System platforms. Both allow professionals to load, visualise, analyse, and produce outputs from spatial data — satellite imagery, OS MasterMap, survey point data, planning boundaries, flood risk zones, ecological records, and infrastructure layers. ArcGIS Pro is the desktop GIS environment for advanced spatial analysis: running raster calculations, building geoprocessing models, performing network analysis, and producing cartographically precise maps for planning applications, environmental impact assessments, and infrastructure reports. ArcGIS Online extends this to browser-based mapping, shared dashboards, and field data collection apps (ArcGIS Field Maps, Survey123). QGIS is the open-source alternative — matching most of ArcGIS's core capability without the licence cost, widely used in environmental consultancy, academic research, and public sector organisations with constrained budgets. For an Environmental Scientist, GIS is the tool that connects species records and habitat data to physical locations — placing a badger sett record on an OS MasterMap basemap, overlaying it with a development boundary, and calculating buffer distances for planning constraints. For a Civil Engineer, ArcGIS with the Civil 3D connection provides the spatial context for infrastructure design — ground models, catchment boundaries, and utility corridors. For a Town Planner, GIS enables policy constraint mapping: flood risk, green belt, heritage assets, transport accessibility, and site allocation visualisations. The common thread is that GIS converts data tables into spatial intelligence — relationships that are invisible in a spreadsheet become immediately legible as a map.
What you can do with it
Capabilities
Load a Phase 1 habitat survey polygon layer and a protected species records CSV into QGIS, spatially join the two datasets, and produce a map showing sett locations overlaid on a habitat classification for inclusion in a planning application ecological chapter
Run an ArcGIS Pro buffer analysis on a development site boundary — 50m, 100m, and 200m zones — and query which statutory ecological designations (SSSIs, LNRs, ancient woodland polygons) fall within each zone, generating the constraints table for an EIA scoping report
Use ArcGIS Pro's raster calculator to reclassify a Digital Terrain Model, identify land above a specific flood level, and produce a colour-coded flood risk map aligned to the EA Flood Risk Zone 3a boundary for a drainage strategy report
Set up an ArcGIS Survey123 form for field ecologists to record GPS point data, photographs, and survey observations on a mobile device, then pull the submitted data into ArcGIS Online as a live feature layer for the office team to monitor during a survey campaign
Build a QGIS print layout with a site location plan at 1:2500 and a detailed constraint map at 1:500, both with north arrow, scale bar, and legend, export as a georeferenced PDF, and confirm the OS MasterMap licence attribution text is present before issuing to the client
How to learn it
Learning Resources
QGIS official training manual at docs.qgis.org/training_manual — free, comprehensive, and browser-based; the best starting point for spatial analysis without any licence cost
Esri ArcGIS Training at esri.com/training — free "ArcGIS Pro Basics" course provides an introduction to the interface, data types, and core geoprocessing tools in a hands-on sandbox
OS Data Hub (osdatahub.os.uk) — free access to Ordnance Survey data products (including OS MasterMap in QGIS/ArcGIS-compatible formats) via the Public Sector Geospatial Agreement — the best UK basemap for practising realistic planning-context GIS
QGIS YouTube channel and the "North Road" channel — free tutorials covering everything from first shapefiles to Python scripting in the QGIS console
Pro Tip
Set your coordinate reference system before loading any data — not after. In UK practice, everything should be in British National Grid (EPSG:27700) unless you have a specific reason for WGS84 (EPSG:4326). Loading layers in different CRS without reprojecting them is the most common cause of spatial data appearing in the wrong location or failing to overlay correctly. Check the CRS of every incoming dataset before adding it to your project.
Skills that use this tool
Roles that use this tool
Alternatives