OFDS Studio - QGIS Plugin

A QGIS plugin for creating, editing and interacting with OFDS (Open Fibre Data Standard) data. This is the first release of the plugin. It is an MVP (minimal viable product).

Feedback on its use is welcome via GitHub issues. To comment or create issues, you need to sign up for a free GitHub account. If you prefer to provide feedback privately, you can email info@opentelecomdata.net.

For more about the Open Fibre Data Standard, see ofds.info.

Contents

• Requirements
• Installation
• Usage
  • Create a new OFDS project
  • Add and edit network features
  • Validate data
  • Save data
• FAQs
• Development

Requirements

QGIS 3.40 or higher. This was released in October 2024 and is currently (November 2025) the Long Term Version (LTS) release of QGIS.

Installation

OFDS Studio can be installed either:

• from within QGIS via the Plugins menu
• by downloading and installing the zip file from the GitHub repository

See the QGIS documentation for full guidance.

Usage

Create a new OFDS project

1. Select Create OFDS GeoPackage .
2. Save the geopackage (.gpkg) file to your system. This creates an Open Fibre group of layers.
3. Add a base map for context. For example, from the Browser panel > XYZ Tiles drag the OpenStreetMap layer onto your map. Ensure the map is under the Open Fibre layer group.
4. To import existing OFDS JSON data:
   1. Select Import JSON .
   2. Select and open your chosen OFDS JSON file. This adds network data to the Open Fibre layer group.

Add and edit network features

Ensure that snapping is enabled. See the QGIS documentation on snapping. Provide non-geographic network features first, so that they can be referenced from nodes and spans.

Add non-geographic network features

1. Select one of the Open Fibre layers: networks, phases, organisations, or contracts.
2. Select Open Attribute Table.
3. Select Toggle editing mode to enable editing.
4. Select Add feature.
5. Using the form view, provide information under the Fields tab. (Do not provide information under the Relations tab. The new feature must be saved to the layer before relations to other layers are added.)
6. Select Save edits.
7. Close the attribute table once you have finished adding features.

Add geographic features

1. Select one of the Open Fibre layers: nodes or spans.
2. Select Toggle Editing to enable editing.
3. Select Add Point Feature (nodes) or Add Line Feature and add your new point or line to the map. See the QGIS documentation on adding features.
4. The Feature Attributes form will appear once your feature is placed. Provide information under the Field tab and select OK. (Do not provide information under the Relations tab. The new feature must be saved to the layer before relations to other layers are added.)
5. Select Save edits.

Edit geographic features

1. Select the relevant Open Fibre layer: nodes or spans.
2. Select Toggle Editing to enable editing.
3. To move a feature:
   1. Select Vertex Tool.
   2. Tap or click the point, vertex or line segment, then tap or click again in a new position to move it.
4. To edit a feature's attributes:
   1. Select Open Attribute Table.
   2. Select the point or line to see its attributes.
   3. Using the form view, update the information under the Fields tab.
   4. Under the Relations tab, select Link existing child feature(s) to add an existing value to a field. (Do not use the Add child feature option.)
   5. To remove an existing value from a relations field, select it then select Unlink selected child feature(s). (Do not use the Delete selected child feature option.)
5. To bulk edit multiple features' attributes:
   1. Select Open Attribute Table.
   2. Select Toggle multi edit mode.
   3. Update the information under the Fields and Relations tabs. See the QGIS documentation on Editing multiple fields.
   4. Select apply changes.
6. To delete a node or span:
   1. Select Select Features by Area or Single Click.
   2. Select the point or line.
   3. Select Delete Selected.
7. Select Save edits.

Edit non-geographic network features

1. Select one of the Open Fibre layers: networks, phases, organisations, or contracts.
2. Select Open Attribute Table.
3. Select a feature.
4. Update its information via the form view:
   1. Edit values under the Fields tab.
   2. Under the Relations tab, select Link existing child feature(s) to add an existing value to a field. (Do not use the Add child feature option.)
   3. To remove an existing value from a relations field, select it then select Unlink selected child feature(s). (Do not use the Delete selected child feature option.)
5. To delete a feature, select the box to the left of its name then select Delete selected features.
6. Select Save edits.

Validate data

• Select Validate .

Validation errors will be presented in the OFDS Validation Results dialog. The message 'No errors found while validating OFDS data!' will appear if your OFDS GeoPackage data is valid.

Save data

1. To export your project as OFDS JSON:
   1. Select Export JSON .
   2. Save the OFDS JSON file to your system.
2. To save your project as a GeoPackage: select Project > Save To > GeoPackage.

FAQs

How can I split a span into two spans?

1. Select the spans layer.
2. Select Toggle Editing to enable editing.
3. Select Split Features. See the QGIS documentation on how to split features.
4. Update the attributes of the two spans. Ensure that Identifier and Span name values are distinct and that Start and End nodes are accurate.

Can I add new codes to a codelist such as nodeType?

Yes. To add codes to an open codelists like nodeType:

1. Select the relevant codelist_open layer.
2. Follow the Add non-geographic network features procedure above.

Are the nodes referenced by the start and end attributes of a span updated automatically, according to the geographical proximity of nodes?

No. Currently these values must be manually updated.