What Lutra Consulting does

Lutra Consulting Limited is a UK-headquartered (Ashford, Kent) specialist consultancy that provides geospatial software development, consulting, training, and support services exclusively around the QGIS open-source GIS platform. Founded in 2009, the company employs 25+ distributed staff across 8 countries and positions itself as one of the few commercial entities staffed by QGIS core developers, with CEO Peter Petrik and CTO Martin Dobias maintaining commit-level access to the codebase. The firm has contributed 30+ key features to the QGIS core project (including 3D visualization, point clouds, vector tiles, mesh layers, multi-threaded rendering, and trace digitising) and maintains 50+ public and private QGIS plugins alongside its own MDAL library for hydraulic-model mesh data.

The company's product portfolio spans services and software: professional services include custom QGIS plugin and core development, open-source migration consulting, instructor-led training, and tiered commercial support packages (Standard at £1,165/month through Ultimate at £7,005/month). On the software side, Lutra develops and supports Mergin Maps, a mobile/desktop field-data collection platform built on QGIS and PostGIS, plus niche plugins such as Crayfish (mesh visualization), Discovery (gazetteer), OS Translator/II (Ordnance Survey data loading), AutoTrace, and Constraint Checker. Revenue is generated through a mix of subscription support contracts, retainer-based development engagements (1-day and 5-day packages), training fees, custom agile development, and OSS migration consulting, with pricing published publicly and a 10% discount available to existing SLA or Mergin Maps subscribers.

Lutra's commercial model is sales-led and anchored in community credibility: it has run multiple successful community crowdfunding campaigns (Vector Tiles in 2020, Point Clouds in 2021, Point Cloud/Elevation in 2022, and QGIS 3D for Digital Twins in 2025) in collaboration with co-development partners North Road (Australia) and Hobu (US). Its customer base includes national mapping agencies (IGN France, Natural Resources Canada, Danish, French and Finnish mapping agencies) and enterprise clients such as HighWater and Tuflow. The company remains privately held with no external institutional investment disclosed.

Name

Lutra Consulting

Legal name

LUTRA CONSULTING LIMITED

Website

https://lutraconsulting.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lutra Consulting is a UK-based specialist consultancy offering QGIS-focused geospatial software development, migration, training, and tiered support services to government mapping agencies and enterprises, with 25+ staff across 8 countries and a portfolio of 50+ proprietary plugins.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geospatial Consulting Services

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Geospatial Data Management & Enterprise GIS (Geodatabases, Web GIS, Spatial Analytics) (EUAHAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

GIS & Spatial Data Management Platforms (BPAMANAK), Data, Analytics & AI Consulting (BPAHAEAF)

Keywords

• Geospatial consulting services
• Open source GIS development
• QGIS development services
• GIS training courses
• GIS migration consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Software Development Services: Custom QGIS development including plugins, core feature development, and bespoke applications. Offered through retainer packages (1-day and 5-day options) and custom agile engagements.
2. Support Packages: Commercial QGIS support services with three tiers: Standard (£1,165/€1,350), Premium (£3,495/€4,055), and Ultimate (£7,005/€8,125). Includes support hours, response times, and various communication channels.
3. Training Services: Instructor-led training courses for organizations covering QGIS, PostGIS, Python automation, hydrology, meteorology, and point cloud data. Delivered on-site at client locations or online.
4. OSS Migration Consulting: Migration services from proprietary GIS to open-source GIS, including data migration, workflow optimization, and custom plugin development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lutra Consulting provides QGIS-focused geospatial software development, consulting, training, and commercial support services. The company develops custom QGIS plugins and core features, offers migration consulting from proprietary GIS to open-source alternatives, and delivers instructor-led training courses and tiered commercial support packages for organizations adopting open-source GIS.

Product overview

Lutra Consulting offers a portfolio of QGIS-centric geospatial software services and products. Core offerings include QGIS development services, OSS migration consulting, training courses, and commercial support packages. Their product suite includes Mergin Maps (field data collection platform), multiple QGIS plugins (Crayfish for mesh data, Discovery for gazetteer search, OS Translator tools for Ordnance Survey data, AutoTrace for digitising, and Constraint Checker), and contributions to QGIS core features (3D visualization, point clouds, vector tiles, multi-threaded rendering, and trace digitising). The company also maintains MDAL library for mesh data handling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• QGIS Development Services Custom QGIS plugin and core application development service for organizations needing bespoke QGIS functionality, workflow automation, and integration with existing tools and databases.
• OSS Migration Services Consulting engagement to move organizations from proprietary GIS software (e.g., Esri) to open-source alternatives, including data migration, workflow optimization, and custom plugin development.
• QGIS Training Courses Instructor-led training programs covering QGIS, PostGIS, Python automation, hydrology, meteorology, and point cloud data handling, delivered on-site at client locations or online by subject-matter experts.
• QGIS Support Packages Tiered commercial QGIS support subscription services (Standard, Premium, Ultimate) for organizations running production QGIS deployments, including support hours, response times, and expertise on QGIS, Mergin Maps, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, and GeoServer.
• Mergin Maps Mobile and desktop data collection and synchronization platform built on QGIS, enabling offline field data collection with seamless sync to cloud storage for field-based GIS projects.
• Crayfish Plugin QGIS plugin for working with mesh data, providing extra functionalities for mesh visualization, temporal data manipulation, animations, plotting, and export to raster and vector formats.
• Discovery Plugin QGIS gazetteer plugin that adds search capability by connecting directly to PostgreSQL/PostGIS with auto-completion, flexible scale expressions, and configurable display columns.
• OS Translator Plugin for loading Ordnance Survey MasterMap Topography Layer GML files into QGIS as ESRI shapefiles, with QML styling files and SVG symbols.
• OS Translator II Advanced graphical loader for Ordnance Survey GML-based products, loading data into PostGIS with automatic OS style application, multi-CPU processing, batch import, and duplicate removal.
• AutoTrace Plugin QGIS plugin enabling users to digitise new features based on vertices from existing features through trace functionality, co-funded with Dartmoor National Park Authority.
• Constraint Checker Plugin QGIS plugin for checking whether an area intersects with existing PostGIS layers, enabling quick verification of compliance with regulations or zoning requirements.
• MDAL (Mesh Data Abstraction Library) Library for handling mesh data and hydraulic model output, providing mesh layer support in QGIS for temporal unstructured meshes, developed in collaboration with Tuflow.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ QGIS plugins developed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mergin MapscoreTechnology or IntegrationLutra Consulting develops and provides support for Mergin Maps, a full client and data management system based on Postgres/PostGIS and QGIS for data collection. This is their own product offering integrated with their service portfolio.
• North RoadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term collaboration partner on multiple QGIS crowdfunding campaigns including point cloud support, vector tiles, 3D improvements, and digital twins development. North Road (Australia) is one of the leading QGIS contributors.
• HobucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for PDAL library integration and point cloud support in QGIS. Hobu (US) leads development of the PDAL library for point cloud data abstraction.
• QGIS CommunitycoreOthersLutra Consulting contributes to and is part of the broader QGIS open source community, developing core features and plugins that benefit all QGIS users.
• Dartmoor National Park AuthorityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funded development of the AutoTrace plugin and Constraint Checker plugin for QGIS.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WhereGroup: German provider of open-source GIS services and products, including Mapbender, MapProxy, and QGIS support. Directly competes with Lutra in QGIS-based consulting and enterprise support across DACH and broader European markets.
• Gispo: Finnish open-source GIS company that develops and supports QGIS, PostGIS, and related geospatial technologies. Comparable service offerings and QGIS community involvement, with strong Nordic public-sector reach.
• North Road: Australian QGIS consulting firm and one of the largest commercial contributors to QGIS. Directly comparable as a QGIS-focused services and development shop with whom Lutra has co-developed major crowdfunding campaigns including point clouds, vector tiles, and 3D.
• GeoCat: Dutch open-source geospatial services firm specializing in GeoNetwork, GeoServer, and QGIS. Competes in the same OSS GIS migration, training, and support market as Lutra, particularly across European government clients.
• OPENGIS.ch: Swiss QGIS and open-source GIS consulting company. Offers QGIS development, training, and support services with deep involvement in the QGIS core project — closely mirrors Lutra's service portfolio and customer base.
• Hobu: US-based open-source geospatial consultancy and lead developer of the PDAL point cloud library. Lutra's collaboration partner for native QGIS point cloud support and a directly comparable niche specialist in point cloud data workflows.

Broad incumbents

• Esri: Dominant proprietary GIS vendor whose ArcGIS platform represents the alternative Lutra's customers migrate away from. Not a direct competitor for QGIS services but shapes the addressable market for Lutra's migration offerings.
• Camptocamp: Swiss open-source geo-software integrator with a much larger portfolio spanning OpenLayers, GeoServer, and QGIS. Competes for the same enterprise OSS GIS engagements but offers a broader solution stack and significantly greater scale.
• Boundless (now part of Planet Labs): Historic open-source GIS services firm (Boundless Desktop, Boundless Exchange) that was acquired by Planet Labs. Competed with Lutra in enterprise open-source GIS deployments before the acquisition shifted its focus to satellite-imagery-integrated geospatial analytics.

Regional players

• Astun Technology: UK-based open-source GIS consultancy focused on UK local government and public sector. Competes with Lutra in the same UK geography for QGIS and OS MasterMap-related engagements but with a more public-sector-only focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lutraconsulting
• Facebookfacebook.com/lutraconsulting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lutra Consulting