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Install

QRiS runs as a plugin within QGIS, so you’ll need to install QGIS first.

QGIS is free, open-source, and available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android. Two release types are available:

  • Long Term Release (LTR): more stable, recommended for most users
  • Experimental: newer features, less tested (Don't use these!)
tip

Do not use the latest QGIS releases, nor QGIS 4.0. QRiS is currently compatible with QGIS versions 3.34.0–3.40.0. Please install one of these versions from the downloads page below. If a specific version is required for a QRiS release, it will be noted in the release notes or within the QGIS Plugin Manager. Note, you can have multiple versions of QGIS installed on your machine.

Version 3.34.4

QGIS Version 3.34.4 for Windows

Version 3.38.0

QGIS Version 3.38.0 LTR for Windows

Version 3.40.0

QGIS Version 3.40.0 LTR for Windows

QGIS 3.42.1

macOS version to use

warning

MacOS Users: We recommend installing this version of QGIS 3.42.1 instead.

There are lots of resources on QGIS if you are new to GIS or QGIS. We have some Knowledge Base articles and tutorials available here to help you get started.

How to Install QRiS

QRiS can be installed from the QGIS Plugin Manager. However, you must have the latest version of Riverscapes Viewer installed before installing QRiS. To install QRiS, follow these steps:

  1. First, verify installation or install the Riverscapes Viewer Plugin:

    • In the QGIS menubar (top of page), go to Plugins > Manage and Install Plugins.

    • Search for Riverscapes Viewer and click the Install button (should take less than 30 seconds). This is a required dependency for QRiS.

riverscapes install

  1. Then, install QRiS:

    • Go to the same Plugins > Manage and Install Plugins and search for QRiS.

    • Click the Install button (should take less than 30 seconds).

qris install

Updating QRiS

You can update QRiS at any time after installation through the QGIS Plugin Manager. Here's how:

  1. Go to Plugins > Manage and Install Plugins.

  2. Select QRiS from the list of installed plugins.

  3. Click the Update button.

qris update plugin manager

For automatic updates, you can configure the Plugin Manager settings to Check for Updates on Startup. When enabled:

  • QGIS will notify you periodically (every 3 days) upon startup if any installed plugin, including QRiS, has an available update.

  • To apply the update, simply click the Update button that appears on the blue taskbar in the map panel.

tip

Tip: To ensure you always have the latest features and improvements, regularly check for updates to QRiS and its dependencies. At the same time you update QRiS, it is a good idea to also update resources in the Riverscapes Viewer. This is where updates to symblogogy and updates to the Protocol Library.

qris update startup

qris update home

Installing Older or Pre-Release Versions of QRiS

QGIS is constantly issuing new releases. We attempt to make QRiS forward compatible, but occasionally there are bugs that emerge from our QGIS dependencies in newer releases. If you need to install an older version of QRiS, you can do so by downloading the specific version from the QRiS GitHub Releases page.

tip

For troubleshooting, you can have multiple instances of QGIS installed on your computer and they will all attempt to load the QRiS plugin (and other plugins) across the multiple versions. Moreover, if you uninstall one of the versions of QGIS, you will notice your plugins still appear in the other versions of QGIS.

Releases Page

Once the version is dowloaded locally onto your device, you can install the plugin in QGIS by going to Plugins > Manage and Install Plugins > Install from ZIP and selecting the ZIP file.

Install-ZIP