Whitebox Geospatial

Innovative geospatial software

Whitebox Software


Whitebox Workflows for Python (WbW)	WbW gives geospatial professionals next-level geoprocessing functionality, combining the Whitebox tools with Python scripting. Easily handle raster, vector, and LiDAR data from a single Python library. WbW is portable so you can automate your workflows in any Python environment on any computer. WbW is freeware and does not require users to purchase a license! All functions are also accessible from a convenient QGIS plugin.
Whitebox Workflows Professional (WbW-Pro)	WbW-Pro adds the 75+ WTE extension tools to the standard WbW product, making an even more powerful geoprocessing library for Python scripting. If you've used ArcPy, you're going to love WbW-Pro! And the two are easily integrated to streamline your geoprocessing. A single-user license is $400 and additional users are only $60. You can also access these great functions through a convenient QGIS plugin.
WhiteboxTools Open Core (WbT)	WbT is the foundation of the Whitebox platform. It contains over 475 tools that easily plug into QGIS and ArcGIS. This geospatial analysis powerhouse is free and open source and the documentation is excellent. Users often find that equivalent Whitebox tools are far faster than in other GIS software.
Whitebox Toolset Extension (WTE)	The WTE is our paid extension product for WbT. It contains more than 75 tools for advanced geospatial data processing. The WTE unlocks the full capabilities Whitebox. All the WTE tools are accessible from QGIS and ArcGIS. We offer flexible licensing plans including annual and perpetual licenses, starting at $400.

What is Whitebox?

Whitebox is geospatial data analysis software originally developed at the University of Guelph‘s Geomorphometry and Hydrogeomatics Research Group (GHRG). Whitebox contains over 550 tools for processing many types of geospatial data. It has many great features such as its extensive use of parallel computing, it doesn’t need other libraries to be installed (e.g., GDAL), it can be used from scripting environments, and it easily plugs into other geographical information system (GIS) software. The Whitebox Toolset Extension provides even more power.

What does it do?

Whitebox can be used to perform common GIS and remote sensing analysis tasks. Whitebox also contains advanced tooling for spatial hydrological analysis and LiDAR data processing. Whitebox is not a cartographic or spatial data visualization package; instead it’s meant to serve as an analytical back-end for other data visualization software, like QGIS and ArcGIS. For a complete listing of the available tools, see the WhiteboxTools User Manual. Also, be sure to check out the Whitebox Toolset Extension and Whitebox Workflows for Python Professional.

How is Whitebox different?

Whitebox doesn’t compete with QGIS, ArcGIS/Pro, and ArcPy but rather it extends them. You can plug WhiteboxTools into QGIS and ArcGIS and it’ll provide hundreds of additional tools for analyzing all kinds of geospatial data. You can also call Whitebox functions from Python scripts using Whitebox Workflows (WbW). Combine WbW with ArcPy to more effectively automate your data analysis workflows and streamline your geoprocessing solutions.

There are many tools in Whitebox that you won’t find elsewhere. You can think of Whitebox as a portable, cross-platform GIS analysis powerhouse, allowing you to extend your preferred GIS or to embed Whitebox capabilities into your automated scripted workflows. Oh, and it’s fast, really fast!

Whitebox Extension Products

Our extension products contains analysis and data processing tools that go far beyond the WhiteboxTools Open Core. The extensions easily integrate into your current GIS or scripting environments. The extensions have transparent pricing, with academic and multi-seat discounts. By purchasing a license, you are not only unlocking the full power of the Whitebox platform, you are also helping to support the continued development of the WhiteboxTools Open Core, and bettering open-source geospatial analysis for all!