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QGIS, GeoPackage and PostGIS

Open-source GIS can reduce proprietary software dependency, but it does not create sovereignty by itself. QGIS, GeoPackage and PostgreSQL/PostGIS are powerful building blocks because they support portable data and flexible deployment. The organisation still needs people, identity, security, backups, documentation and succession.

QGIS and GeoPackage​

For a small or single-user Māori GIS, QGIS with GeoPackage is often a strong starting pattern.

GeoPackage can store multiple spatial tables in one file, avoiding the many-component structure of shapefiles. QGIS's current documentation supports creating and managing GeoPackage layers directly.

A simple architecture is:

Conceptual flow

Strengths​

  • no proprietary desktop licence fee
  • can work offline
  • portable file format
  • straightforward for one or two editors
  • easy to archive independently
  • good fit for a modest project

Weaknesses​

  • file copies can proliferate
  • simultaneous multi-user editing is limited compared with a database
  • backup discipline is the user's responsibility
  • permissions are mostly file-system controls
  • one person can become the only person who understands the project

PostGIS for multi-user GIS​

PostGIS extends PostgreSQL with spatial capabilities. It is appropriate when multiple users need an authoritative shared database, stronger transactions, central permissions or automated web services.

PostgreSQL is released under the permissive PostgreSQL Licence. PostGIS is open source. This reduces one form of vendor dependency and allows deployment on local servers, managed cloud databases or hosted infrastructure.

Strengths​

  • open, mature database architecture
  • central authoritative store
  • multi-user editing
  • role-based database permissions
  • strong interoperability
  • deployable in many hosting environments
  • easier platform migration than many bespoke proprietary data stores

Responsibilities​

Somebody must still manage:

  • database users and roles
  • patching
  • upgrades
  • backup and recovery
  • monitoring
  • storage
  • performance
  • certificates and network access
  • schema design
  • audit requirements
  • documentation

A free database can be expensive if administration requires continuous specialist consulting.

Open source and consultant dependence​

Open source can reduce dependency on a software licence while leaving dependency on a person intact.

A hapū can run QGIS, PostgreSQL and PostGIS yet still be unable to operate the system if:

  • only one consultant knows the deployment
  • the cloud account belongs to the consultant
  • scripts are undocumented
  • backups are not tested
  • credentials are not handed over
  • nobody internally understands the schema

The sovereignty control is therefore portable technology plus organisational capability, not open source alone.

When to move from GeoPackage to PostGIS​

Consider a database when:

  • several people need simultaneous editing
  • permissions differ by role
  • web services need a central source
  • data volumes or relationships are becoming hard to manage as files
  • auditability matters
  • automated workflows require a reliable shared store

Do not move simply because PostGIS sounds more professional. Complexity must solve a real problem.

Archive outside the live system​

Even with PostGIS, maintain periodic open-format or database-native exports, schema documentation and metadata in an independently recoverable location. A live database is not the same thing as a preservation copy.

Practitioner note​

For community training, the strongest first outcome is often a system that somebody can open and understand without specialist infrastructure. QGIS and GeoPackage can make that possible. As collaboration grows, a database may become worthwhile, but the point of the migration should be to solve real multi-user and governance needs rather than to create technical prestige.

Sources​

Last verified: 16 August 2026

Choose by the mahi, not by prestige​

For a hapū or iwi GIS, QGIS, GeoPackage and PostGIS represent different operating scales rather than a maturity ladder. A GeoPackage can suit a small whenua project while PostGIS can support a larger multi-user taiao programme. See Starting an iwi or hapū GIS and Local and hybrid GIS.

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