QGIS is an open-source GIS (geographical information system) platform that helps millions of users throughout the world map, visualize,and share geographic information. Use cases range anywhere from mapping water usage to selecting new retail store locations. It's a highly capable tool for GIS professionals, and it's free.

Because QGIS is open source, individuals and organizations are free to build and offer plugins to help users accomplish specialized tasks. This extensive library of plugins offers users a wide range of tools that allow them to build maps for very specific needs.

Smarty recently released its own plugin for QGIS that allows users to geocode US addresses with rooftop accuracy. The plugin uses the same highly precise geocoding API that powers Smarty's full-blown US Rooftop Geocoding product so users can expect to see around 94% of all matchable addresses geocoded right down to the rooftop level.

There are several geocoding plugins that are available through QGIS, so what makes Smarty's QGIS geocoding plugin different?

One thing we noticed about other geocoding plugins for US addresses was that they weren't very user friendly. From its inception, we designed our plugin to be intuitive and easy to use. We even built in the functionality of our US Address Autocomplete and Address Verification products. As you type in a US address, the plugin will suggest pre-validated addresses before you finish them—making address entry a breeze.

We also made it free for single address lookups. You can geocode all the single addresses you want without having to create an account or sign up for a subscription. Batch geocoding is also available for those who have a paid subscription to US Rooftop Geocoding.

In a recent webinar, Caroline Hickey and Savannah Ryan, from Smarty's Backend Business Logic Team, demonstrated how to implement this highly accurate and easy-to-use QGIS geocoding plugin. You can view the webinar below.