How can I use QGIS 3.8 to work with features from the new Geological Map of South America (2019)?

Question

The Columbian Geological Service has recently uploaded a fantastic new geology map for all of South America:

There are multiple file formats available for download. You can work with the map in ArcGIS formats (mxd, gdb), print (pdf, tiff), and web viewing options. However, I can't get the files to load in QGIS.

QGIS should open the GDB file, but the format isn't recognized. I can load the raw shapefiles from that folder, but all the style and detailed color information is lost. So how can I get these map features into QGIS 3.8?

Answer 1

QGIS can connect directly to this map as an ArcGIS FeatureServer Layer.

Go to Layer > Add Layer > Add ArcGIS FeatureServer Layer. Click "New" and you'll get a dialogue box to enter the name and URL. For the URL, use this: https://srvags.sgc.gov.co/arcgis/rest/services/Mapa_Geologico_Sur_America/GeologicalMapSouthAmerican/MapServer

This will let you connect to the map's many shapefiles. Once loaded into your map you can right-click them and choose Export > Save Features As...

To get images of this map (without the embedded data), use the same URL but load it as a MapServer layer: Layer > Add Layer > Add ArcGIS MapServer Layer This tends to load faster.

(The steps are shown for connecting to ArcGIS MapServers are shown in this post, with screen shots).