Skip to main content

Tools

This page is a practical overview of common GIS tools used in Aotearoa New Zealand, with a Māori audience in mind. The aim is to help choose tools that fit the kaupapa, people, budget, IT constraints and the kind of information being worked with.

Most teams use a tool chain, not one tool​

Māori GIS work often moves through stages, and different tools suit different stages.

  • Kōrero and early scoping: simple, visual tools that help people talk and orient
  • Data preparation and analysis: desktop GIS where work can be careful and repeatable
  • Sharing and decision support: web maps, dashboards and story-style outputs
  • Field capture: mobile tools and forms, often offline
  • Archiving and reuse: clean formats, clear metadata and sensible folder structure

A common, practical chain can look like this:

  • ArcGIS Earth for quick desktop viewing, KML/KMZ, local files and 3D exploration on Windows
  • Google Earth web when Google's imagery, historical imagery and Street View are the main value
  • QGIS for cleaning, analysis, georeferencing and offline GIS work
  • ArcGIS Pro when compatibility with councils, Crown partners or ArcGIS enterprise workflows matters
  • ArcGIS Online for sharing web maps, apps and dashboards
  • StoryMaps for narrative outputs
  • Field Maps, Survey123 or KoboToolbox for field capture

Google Earth Pro desktop can continue to be used by existing users, but Google will stop offering new downloads on 25 June 2027. It is worth planning new long-term desktop workflows around tools that will still be installable after that date.

Read Google Earth Pro desktop is becoming legacy.

Choosing tools based on the kaupapa​

Useful questions include:

  • Who is the audience for the output, and where will it be viewed?
  • What would change if the data travelled wider than the original project group?
  • What material is intended to stay local or within a smaller group?
  • What skills exist in the team now, and what is realistic to learn this year?
  • Which tool makes the working and shared versions easiest to understand and maintain?

For information that is not intended for broad circulation, local files, generalised shared versions and clear project notes are all straightforward options.

Desktop GIS for make-it-right work​

QGIS​

QGIS is free and open source. It suits teams that want flexibility, offline capability and control over where files live.

Good for:

  • cleaning and preparing data from many sources
  • whenua, taiao and planning overlays
  • repeatable analysis workflows
  • producing clear printed maps for hui and governance packs

Key considerations:

  • access control is mostly handled through folders and file permissions rather than inside QGIS
  • sharing is often file based, so version control matters
  • common project folders, naming and metadata make handover easier

Download: https://qgis.org/download/

Read more: QGIS

ArcGIS Pro​

ArcGIS Pro is a licensed desktop GIS used widely by councils and many agencies. It is often useful when partners expect ArcGIS formats or enterprise patterns.

Good for:

  • compatibility with ArcGIS environments used by partners
  • geodatabase workflows and structured editing
  • producing formal layouts for reporting
  • preparing layers for ArcGIS Online sharing

Key considerations:

  • licensing and accounts need ongoing administration
  • workflows can depend on organisational IT settings
  • handover matters where one person holds most of the project knowledge

Download: https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/get-started/download-arcgis-pro.htm

Read more: ArcGIS Pro

Desktop globe viewing​

ArcGIS Earth​

ArcGIS Earth is the preferred free Windows desktop globe in this guide for new workflows that need local files, KML/KMZ and 3D viewing without moving everything into a browser service.

Good for:

  • opening and editing KML/KMZ
  • local shapefiles, GeoJSON, CSV, GPX and raster imagery
  • WMS and WMTS services
  • ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise services
  • 3D exploration
  • elevation profiles, line of sight and viewshed
  • disconnected or offline workflows

Key considerations:

  • the desktop application is Windows-only
  • it is a viewer and exploratory tool, not a replacement for QGIS or ArcGIS Pro
  • local software gives more control over where files live, while normal project governance still applies

ArcGIS Earth is free, and an Esri account is not required for basic local-file and public-content use.

Download and overview: https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-earth/overview

Read more: Google Earth Pro desktop is becoming legacy

Google Earth web​

Google Earth in the browser is now the main Google Earth experience to plan around.

Good for:

  • Google's satellite and aerial imagery
  • historical imagery
  • historical Street View where available
  • rapid 3D orientation around place
  • simple placemarks, paths and polygons
  • lightweight browser projects and sharing

Key considerations:

  • a separate shared or generalised copy can be useful when the working data does not need to be uploaded
  • it is not a full GIS for maintaining important datasets
  • repeatable analysis and detailed editing are usually easier in QGIS or ArcGIS Pro

Open: https://earth.google.com/web/

Read more: Google Earth

Google Earth Pro desktop​

Google Earth Pro remains usable for existing installations, but Google now describes it as a legacy desktop application and will stop offering new downloads on 25 June 2027.

If an existing workflow still works, there is no need to remove it immediately. Export important My Places material and begin testing a future tool chain before the next computer replacement.

Read more: Google Earth Pro desktop is becoming legacy

Web sharing, decision support and storytelling​

ArcGIS Online​

ArcGIS Online is a web platform for maps, layers, apps, dashboards and sharing with configurable access.

Good for:

  • governance viewing maps and dashboards
  • community engagement where interactivity helps
  • sharing a maintained project layer for a project team
  • group-based access via users and roles

Key considerations:

  • sharing settings determine how widely an item can be reached
  • anyone-with-the-link sharing can travel beyond the original recipients
  • working and public layers are easier to manage when kept as separate items
  • a second pair of eyes can be useful before a public release

Access: https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-online/overview

Read more: ArcGIS Online

ArcGIS StoryMaps​

StoryMaps combines maps, images, text and media. It can work well where explanation and context matter as much as the map itself.

Good for:

  • sharing kōrero with maps and context together
  • project updates with clear visuals
  • education and communication for whānau and partners
  • reporting outcomes with maps and images together

Key considerations:

  • public stories should be treated as publication rather than as internal drafting
  • content can be copied or screenshotted
  • a story can use a separate shared layer rather than the main working layer
  • source notes and checked dates help readers understand what they are seeing

Access: https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-storymaps/overview

Read more: ArcGIS StoryMaps

Field capture and forms​

ArcGIS Field Maps​

Field Maps is a mobile app for viewing maps, collecting and editing features, and working offline when configured.

Good for:

  • capturing points, lines and polygons in the field
  • inspections and asset checks
  • tracking work completed and what is next
  • offline field workflows with sync when back in coverage

Key considerations:

  • offline areas and sync settings are worth testing before field work
  • shorter forms are generally easier to use consistently
  • personal information changes the privacy and security requirements of a project
  • testing the full field workflow on more than one device can expose setup problems early

Downloads: https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-field-maps/downloads

Read more: ArcGIS Field Maps

ArcGIS Survey123​

Survey123 is form-centric. It is often used when data quality and consistency matter and a guided form is useful.

Good for:

  • structured surveys and monitoring forms
  • repeatable site assessments
  • capturing photos and notes consistently
  • offline data capture with later upload

Key considerations:

  • validation rules can improve data quality
  • who-collected and checked-date fields can help with provenance
  • different site or cultural information may need different sharing arrangements
  • review can happen before data moves into public outputs

Downloads: https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-survey123/downloads

Read more: ArcGIS Survey123

KoboToolbox​

KoboToolbox is widely used for surveys and monitoring, including offline field collection. It can suit Māori organisations that want a strong survey workflow without needing the ArcGIS stack.

Good for:

  • surveys and monitoring programmes
  • offline field capture
  • community-led data collection with clear forms

Key considerations:

  • hosting options differ in where data is stored and managed
  • raw submissions and attachments can have separate audiences from published results
  • a clear export structure makes later GIS work easier
  • consent wording, where relevant to the particular survey, can be built into the form

Access: https://www.kobotoolbox.org/

Read more: KoboToolbox

Simple browser maps​

Google My Maps​

My Maps is a simple web tool for drawing points and shapes and sharing a basic map.

Good for:

  • quick internal planning maps
  • small project maps that do not need analysis
  • early engagement where simplicity matters

Key considerations:

  • it is better suited to light project maps than to being the main long-term store
  • a separate version can be used where some working detail is not needed in the browser map
  • data can later be moved into QGIS or ArcGIS when more analysis is required

Start here: https://www.google.com/maps/about/mymaps/

Read more: Google My Maps

Formats that help you move between tools​

These formats show up constantly. Choosing the right one reduces friction.

  • GeoPackage (GPKG): strong default for QGIS, portable, one file, good for long-term storage
  • File geodatabase (GDB): common in ArcGIS workflows, good for structured datasets
  • Shapefile: widely compatible but limited and easy to break, mainly useful when another system requires it
  • CSV: good for tables and simple point data, needs clear coordinate fields
  • KML or KMZ: useful for ArcGIS Earth, Google Earth and simple sharing, not ideal for complex data management

A clean working dataset and a separate shared-output dataset can make publication and handover much easier.

Last reviewed: 25 August 2026

Last updated on