SoilWise Geopackage

Open the Soilwise Geopackage in QGIS

Introduction

The SoilWise GeoPackage contains an embedded QGIS project named _PRJ_SO that exposes preconfigured custom forms to guide users in data entry and visualization

This capability is available even in the “empty” GeoPackage, providing a consistent, ready‑to‑use working environment from the very beginning.

From a technical standpoint, the QGIS project is stored directly inside the GeoPackage in the qgis_projects table; each project is saved as textual content representing a QGZ archive (a zipped package) which, in turn, contains the .qgs project file in XML format 12. This ensures that the project and the data live in the same .gpkg file, preserving styles, layouts, views, and settings as defined by SoilWise.

Opening is one‑click: select the embedded project from the GeoPackage and the SoilWise environment loads exactly as designed, with forms, styles, and settings ready to use.

Open the _PRJ_SO Project

Open Qgis.

Fig.1 In the Browser Tab, right-click on the Geopackage icon ① and click on “New Connection”. ②



Fig.1 Search the file system for the Geopackage file you want to use.

Inside the newly connected file, ③ you will find the `_PRJ_SO` project. ④

Double-click on it, and the project will open.



Caution

Given the system’s complexity, it is strongly recommended to always use the complete project to maintain data integrity. Loading only a subset of layers may prevent records from being saved: QGIS cannot display or manage related objects if their corresponding layers are not loaded, and due to relationships and internal database triggers, this can lead to errors or failed save operations.

Warning

If the GeoPackage file has been renamed, the project will not load correctly.
To resolve this issue, please refer to the solutions described in the documentation How to Handle Issues Caused by Renaming the Soilwise GeoPackage