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I use ArcGIS and QGIS and I want to have common protocol and format of my files. To use a separate file for each program is not the best way, I don’t want to make a mess of data. I would ask if SQLite can play the role of gdb file. It is a format that can behave both programs the same (theoretically). I understand that there are differences with the gdb and SQLite but I need to manipulate in both software’s with only a file for local and online use.

Can I use SQLite instead of gdb?

PolyGeo
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Vassilis
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  • What exactly are your requirements? – ianbroad Oct 15 '14 at 22:05
  • Why not use PostGIS? We have this exact setup ArcGIS + QGIS workflow with PostGIS backend and works great. Though the latest ArcGIS is ideal. But as @ian mentioned, it'll depend on your requirements... – janechii Oct 15 '14 at 22:39
  • Maybe PostGIS is the best solution but I think (and I am not sure about that) the comparative advantage of SQLite is that you can have a file with and extension .sqlite3 and you can email it or anything you can. Can you do the same with PostGIS? – Vassilis Oct 15 '14 at 23:32

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i've been migrating a bit of data to sqlite recently, and am relatively happy with the result. As you mention, it is a compact file that is easily portable - much like a personal geodatabase, without the limitations of MSAccess. One of the big "gotchas" is the inability to edit data in SQLite from ArcMap (at least as far as I know with 10.2.1). This post also refers to this issue. I'm currently working around this, since most of the editing i do is within python using OGR or arcpy. The benefit, again as you state, is that the data are easily viewable in either ArcGIS or QGIS. And you CAN edit your data in QGIS, even if ArcMap fails at this. Although, you can still perform edits through arcpy.

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fluidmotion
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  • This is exactly what I was thinking but unfortunately you can not edit the data. I guess it is only temporary situation because in the latest versions of ArcGIS allowed the use of SQLight. – Vassilis Oct 16 '14 at 08:45