- Locate the data source (server, service, or layer) that you would like to add to QGIS
- Copy the url for that data source
- In QGIS navigate to the top left side bar where the data sources pane is located.
- Scroll to where the button says ‘add arcrest server’. Click the button.
- Paste the url of the data source in the url box
- Give the data source a name. If you do not give the data source a name, the name will default to the url. It is recommended to give the data source a name that describes the source (County: Dade, City: Miami, State: FL DOT). This will allow you to easily find the servers you saved in the future.
- Once the data source is added you can click on it in the sidebar menu to see the data
- Drag the data you wish to have in your map to the mapping area or the layers pane and the data will appear.
- Keep in mind that this data is being served to you from a server. This is convenient because you do not have to download the data directly onto your machine but also has some downsides. Learn more about the downsides of this in this article and solutions to how to fix them by downloading the data in this article.