Crowdfunding

It's not uncommon when working with open source software to see that the project of a single client will benefit a much wider audience. A simple example is a client wanting some really useful new feature implemented in QGIS which would also benefit the wider QGIS user community. We aim to fund the development of such projects through crowdfunding.

Crowdfunding aims to spread the funding burden throughout the wider user community rather than relying on a single source and is therefore well suited to free and open source software projects. With reduced per-donor costs, the likelihood of projects attaining their required funding level increases, benefiting both users and developers.

Some examples of Lutra projects made possible through crowdfunding include the AutoTrace plugin for QGIS and multi-threaded rendering in QGIS.

Ongoing campaigns

• Contact us if you have a great idea for improving QGIS and some funds to support it!

Previous campaigns

• Point cloud processing in QGIS and 3D data enhancements (Implementation)
  To include PDAL processing to QGIS, improve 3D navigation and profile tool.
  
• Improvements to point cloud and elevation data in QGIS (Completed)
  To add profile tool, improve 3D data support and further enhance support for point clouds in QGIS.
• Native support for point cloud in QGIS (Completed)
  To support point clouds in QGIS.
• Native support for Vector Tiles in QGIS (Completed)
  To support Vector Tiles in QGIS.
• QGIS packages for macOS (Completed)
  To facilitate simple installation of QGIS for macOS users.
• More QGIS 3D (Completed)
  This project introduces many new features in QGIS 3D that should be released in QGIS 3.2.
• QGIS for Mobile (Completed)
  A new QGIS touch friendly library.

How does it work?

Our crowdfunding process looks something like this:

1. We set up a crowdfunding page containing:
• Details of the project
• An indication of project duration
• The amount of funding required
• The deadline for reaching the crowdfunding goal
2. Fundraising
• The project is promoted to attract donors
• Donors pledge funds through a pledge form
3. Development
• Development starts if the funding goal is reached before the fundraising deadline