A tectonic geodesy mapping software based on QGIS

Abstract

To overcome the high cost of learning, non-visual operation, and cumbersome steps of fine-tuning map elements in Generic Mapping Tools (GMT) and other geoscience mapping softwares, we present the Tectonic Geodesy Application (TGA), a user-friendly 64-bit tectonic geodesy mapping software based on the secondary development interface of the open source geographic information system QGIS. In this paper, we detailly introduce the architecture and function modules of our software, and highlight the functions of rendering and map decoration through four cases: the geologic map of Papua New Guinea, the seismicity in China and surrounding regions, the seismicity and crustal deformation of the Tibetan Plateau and the coseismic deformation of the 2017 Jiuzhaigou earthquake in China. Compared with GMT, the tectonic geodesy mapping software we developed has the advantages of simple operation, low learning cost and user-friendly interface. Keywords: QGIS, Tectonic geodesy, Interactive mapping system