Integrating QGIS into a Visual Analytics platform: lessons from LanDS

The Land Degradation Decision-Support Toolbox (LanDS) is an open-source platform designed to support the monitoring, assessment, and upscaling of land restoration measures across Mediterranean regions within the REACT4MED project.
At its core, LanDS leverages QGIS Desktop and QGIS Server to power an interactive web-based visual analytics environment, where spatial data, model outputs, and indicators are seamlessly integrated into decision-support workflows. The platform enables stakeholders to explore the effectiveness and impact of restoration strategies through intuitive dashboards.
LanDS is built as a modular, open-source Docker-based stack, where cartographic data are stored in a STAC catalogue, authored in QGIS Desktop, dynamically published via QGIS Server and finally embedded into a web application based on Drupal, enhanced with reactive components developed in Vue.js. This architecture bridges the gap between traditional GIS workflows and modern web-based data exploration tools.
This presentation will showcase the system architecture, key design choices, and integration patterns to adopt QGIS as a core component of a scalable visual analytics platform. We will discuss challenges encountered—such as performance, data harmonisation, and user interaction design—and share practical lessons learned in deploying QGIS in production-ready environments.
A live demonstration will illustrate the QGIS-powered functionalities of LanDS toolbox. The talk will conclude with ongoing developments and perspectives on extending QGIS-based solutions toward reusable, market-ready visual analytics frameworks.
LanDS is developed by SoftWater within the framework of the REACT4MED project, funded by PRIMA-MED programme.