QGIS Institute is an independent international certification body dedicated to recognizing and validating professional skills in QGIS and open-source geospatial technologies.

Born from a simple observation, that hundreds of thousands of GIS professionals worldwide use QGIS daily without any formal recognition of their expertise, QGIS Institute was created to fill that gap. We believe that competence deserves to be certified, and that a globally recognized credential should be accessible to every GIS practitioner, regardless of their geography or background.

Our certification programs are built on rigorous academic and professional standards, developed with the contribution of GIS experts, university partners, and field practitioners from over 40 countries. Each certification is designed to be meaningful, verifiable, and directly relevant to the real-world demands of the geospatial industry.

Our mission is to build the world's reference framework for QGIS professional certification rigorous, accessible, and globally recognized.

• Rigor : Our syllabi, exams, and evaluation criteria are designed to the highest professional standards. A QGIS Institute certificate is earned, not given.
• Accessibility : Certifications start at 100 USD. Special rates for students, NGOs, and institutions ensure that financial barriers never stand between talent and recognition.
• Openness : We are proud supporters of the open-source GIS ecosystem. Our work is built on QGIS, and we actively contribute to the community that makes it possible.
• Global reach : Our programs are available in English, French, Arabic, and Spanish, because GIS expertise exists on every continent and deserves to be recognized everywhere.
• Integrity : Every certificate issued by QGIS Institute is publicly verifiable. No fraud, no shortcuts, just proven competence.

QGIS Institute was founded by a team of geomatics professionals and EdTech entrepreneurs who shared one conviction: the GIS world needed a credible, independent, and affordable alternative for certifying QGIS skills.

What started as a conversation among practitioners frustrated by the lack of recognized pathways for open-source GIS professionals grew into a structured project, a full certification ecosystem with five progressive levels, seven sector specializations, an AI-proctored online examination platform, and a growing network of institutional partners across Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America.

Today, QGIS Institute operates as part of an international group committed to transforming how professional competence is recognized in the digital age. We are not just issuing certificates. We are building careers, empowering communities, and strengthening the global geospatial workforce, one certified professional at a time.