Understanding the acceptance and use of open source geospatial software – the case of QGIS in South Africa

Abstract

Geospatial information and technologies are widely used in South Africa. Initially, mostly proprietary geospatial software was used. Today, mature open source alternatives, such as QGIS and GRASS, are available and have been compared favourably to proprietary products. Geographic Information Science (GISc) is such a complex and specialised field that, once users are familiar with certain software products, they might be reluctant to switch to a different or new product. The aim of this research was to gain an understanding of why certain professionals in the geospatial industry in South Africa accept and use open source geospatial software, such as QGIS, and why not. To do this, a wide variety of technology acceptance models was studied and assessed. The extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) model was then selected and adapted to test factors that affect the acceptance and use of QGIS in South Africa. A structured questionnaire was handed out at various meetings of the Geo-Information Society of South Africa (GISSA) and completed by 205 GISSA members. Results show that habit, facilitating conditions, price value and social influence have the most significant influence on behavioural intention to use QGIS. Age and gender had no moderation effect on any of the tested variables. However, GIS experience moderated the effect of social influence and facilitating conditions; educational level moderated the effect of price value; and professional registration with the South African Geomatics Council (SAGC) moderated the effect of both social influence and price value. Semi-structured interviews with geospatial practitioners from a wide variety of public and private institutions were then used as a manner to further clarify and explain the results obtained through the quantitative survey. South Africa is a developing country with limited resources and significant procurement challenges. Using QGIS can overcome these challenges and lead to wider use of geospatial information, which is essential for sustainable resource planning and the effective management of rapid urbanization.