How to Sync QGIS Layers and Styles to the Cloud
Sync vector and raster layers and their styles from QGIS to Geosys AI, and use the desktop upload app for large rasters and point clouds. On request.
In this article
To sync QGIS layers to the cloud, you install the Geosys AI plugin in QGIS, sign in, choose a project, and push your vector and raster layers, along with their styles, to that project. When your source data changes, you overwrite the cloud copy instead of uploading a new one. The QGIS sync is available on request and is enabled per organization, so contact us first. For very large rasters and point clouds, a separate desktop upload app handles conversion and resumable uploads.
This guide covers what syncs, how sign-in works, when to use the desktop app instead, and how to keep the two copies of your data honest.
Why sync from QGIS?
Many teams do their real GIS work in QGIS and then need to show the result to people who do not use it. Exporting files, emailing them and repeating the process for each change is slow and error prone. Syncing keeps the QGIS project as your working copy and the browser project as the place where colleagues and clients look.
What the QGIS plugin can do
The plugin works with projects and datasets in your account:
- List your projects, read one, or create a new one.
- List the datasets in a project.
- Upload a dataset, either vector or raster.
- Overwrite an existing dataset with new data.
- Sync a layer's style, so the map looks the same as in QGIS.
Styles are mapped from QGIS to the platform's own styling. Simple styles usually carry over well, but a very custom QGIS symbol may not have an exact equivalent, so review the result on the map. Project responses also carry the project's coordinate system, so you can see whether it is locked and whether a confirmation is required.
Sign-in and security
The plugin signs in with your Geosys AI account. Multi-factor sign-in is supported, and sessions can be refreshed and ended from the client. Because it is your account, you only see projects you already have access to.
Step by step
- Ask us to enable QGIS sync for your organization.
- Install the plugin in QGIS and sign in.
- Pick an existing project, or create a new one.
- Select the layers to push and start the upload.
- Open the project in the browser and check the layers, styles and coordinate system.
- When your data changes, push again to overwrite the dataset instead of creating a duplicate.
Check the coordinate system
A sync only helps if the coordinate system is right. Before pushing, confirm each layer's CRS in QGIS, and after pushing, compare the layer's position with a known location on the map. For rasters, the platform asks you to confirm the EPSG before processing. Web Mercator, used by many web basemaps, is a display system rather than a good survey system, so store your data in the projected system you actually measure in.
When to use the desktop upload app
QGIS sync suits vector layers and moderate rasters. For heavy files, such as large rasters and point clouds, use the desktop upload app instead. It has its own sign-in and works on the same projects.
The app converts heavy files on your own computer before upload. That has two benefits:
- The upload is smaller and ready to use as soon as it lands.
- The conversion tools are kept at a known version, and the app updates them automatically when the platform's expected version changes.
Both the desktop app and the QGIS sync are available on request and enabled per organization.
Resumable uploads for big files
Large uploads are the classic place where things go wrong: the connection drops at 90 percent and you start again. For heavy rasters and point clouds, both clients use resumable uploads:
- The file is sent in parts.
- Progress is tracked, so an interrupted upload can continue instead of restarting.
- When all parts arrive, the file is registered as a dataset in your project.
- Sessions that are never finished expire after a set time, and their unfinished pieces are cleaned up.
The practical advice is to finish a large upload within a couple of days of starting it, and to restart it if a session has expired.
Once a point cloud is registered, our guide to viewing LAS, LAZ and E57 point clouds online explains what to check in the viewer. The desktop app also has a pre-upload alignment panel for point clouds, which is where alignment is done today.
Keeping desktop and cloud in step
A few habits prevent confusion:
- Decide which copy is the master. Treat QGIS as the working copy and the cloud dataset as the published copy.
- Overwrite, do not duplicate. Pushing to an existing dataset keeps links and shares working.
- Re-check styles after big edits. Style mapping is good, but not identical to QGIS rendering.
- Share the cloud copy. Clients can view it through read-only links, with no QGIS needed.
Where it fits with the other integrations
QGIS sync and the desktop app are one part of the integrations set. The same page covers connecting assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT through MCP, described in our MCP guide, and adding external map services next to your own data. See everything on the integrations page.
FAQs
Is the QGIS sync available to everyone? It is available on request. It is enabled per organization, so contact us and we will switch it on.
What gets synced from QGIS? Vector and raster datasets, and layer styles. You can create projects, upload new datasets and overwrite existing ones when your source data changes.
When should I use the desktop upload app instead? Use it for large rasters and point clouds. It converts heavy files on your computer and uploads them in resumable parts, so an interrupted upload can continue.
Does sign-in support multi-factor authentication? Yes. Both the desktop app and the QGIS connection support multi-factor sign-in.
