QField and QCloud setup

QGIS is an open-source desktop GIS application and QField is it’s mobile twin that allows you to take your QGIS projects into the field and collect data. QField Cloud is a cloud-based service that allows you to synchronize your QGIS projects with your QField projects.

Several QField projects exists which are useful within ecosystem accounting. A QField project (also called a QField or QGIS template) is a QGIS project file made in QGIS that is optimized for use in the QField app. This project file is transferred to your mobile device and opened in the QField app.

The page Field Surveys provides a list of QField projects that are useful for ecosystem accounting and their specific instructions on how to install and use them. This page provides a general introduction to QGIS, QField and QField Cloud and how they can be used to transfer your project data between QGIS and QField.

Prerequisites

  • QGIS v3.x installed on your computer.
  • QField installed on your device.
  • A QField Cloud account.
    • Sign up for an account using your NINA email address here.
    • Send and email to NINA’s datahjelp for access to the NINAnor QField Cloud organization and ask to be added to the Fieldwork group.

Once you have installed QGIS on your computer. Go to Plugins > Manage and Install Plugins > All and install the following plugins in QGIS:

  • QFieldSync: a QGIS plugin that allows you to synchronize your QGIS projects with QField Cloud.

See QGIS plugins for other useful plugins.

Download a project from QField Cloud

Download to QField application

  1. Ensure that the mobile QField application is installed on your device.
  2. Ensure that you have enough free space (> 3 GB).
  3. Open the QField App > QFieldCloud projects
  4. Select a project from NINAnor or from your personal user.
  5. Now your Cloud project will open within your app!

Download to QGIS Desktop

  1. Ensure QField Sync Plugin is installed and enabled.
  2. Login to QField cloud: click on the blue Cloud-icon.
  3. Choose your project from your project overview
  4. Click on the Folder-icon to either open your existing local project or create a local version of the project.
  5. Now your Cloud project will open within your QGIS desktop version!

Download QField Cloud project to QGIS desktop.
Download QField Cloud project to QGIS desktop.

Manual installation of a QField project

Manually add a QField project to your mobile device:

  1. Package your QGIS project to a ZIP-file using the Package Project for QField tool.
  2. Connect your Android device to your PC using a USB cable.
  3. Copy and extract the ZIP file from your PC to your tablet/phone:
    • Samsung phone: This PC\Samsung XXX\Internal storage\Documents\QField_zip_folder
    • Samsung tablet: This PC\Tablet\Documents\QField_zip_folder
  4. Open the QField app on your mobile device.
    • Click on Open local file
    • Click on the green plus sign
    • Click on Import project from folder
    • Navigate to the path where you extracted the QField folder in step 3.
    • Select the folder and choose Use this folder.
    • The QField project folder is now availalbe in Imported Projects
    • Click on Imported Projects > Project Folder > the project located under Projects
  5. Now the project will open within your app! The next time you can find it under Recent Projects.

Manually add a QField project to your mobile device.
Manually add a QField project to your mobile device.

Overview of NINAnor QField Cloud projects

Project name Description
bm_2024_ecogaps Biodiversity Metrics 4.0 mapping in Nordre Follo. EcoGaps-project.
nin2_2024_ecogaps NiN 2.0 naturetype mapping in Nordre Follo. EcoGaps-project.
nin2_2024_envisol NiN 2.0 naturetype mapping in Stor Elvdal. EnviSol-project.
nin2_2024_norge NiN 2.0 naturetype mapping. A template for the whole of Norway.

Official Documentation

Official QField documentation: docs.qfield.org

Usefull how to guides:

  • Map controls: map-interaction
    • visibility of layers
    • select features
  • Digitize features: digitize
    • Note that you must be in editing mode to change feature and their attributes, otherwise your changes are not saved!
  • Attribute forms: attributes-form
    • How to create attribute forms in QGIS Desktop