[GRASS-dev] GsoC2012: High level map interaction with python

[Pietro]

Hi everyone!

I'm Pietro Zambelli a ph.D student of Trento University, I would like
to apply to the GSoC, my idea in short is: extend the python GRASS API
to make it more pythonic :-).

I would like to interact with region, raster and vector maps as
object, using and interacting with the map and the other GRASS
functionality in a more higher and abstract way.

For people used to `numpy` I would like to interact with the map with
the same simplicity that I interact with matrix using `numpy`.

For curious people, that want to understand my insane idea I add a new
page in the Wiki [0] to try to explain what I mean. I have used the
python doctest [1]: to give an brief idea of how we could interact
with the new python module, and in case of consensus, as the basis for
a test-driven development approach for the GSoC.

There are many aspect that could be improved and that must be
resolved, I try to highlight possible problems. But, of course, I need
some help to find out more and to understand if the idea, is or not,
good to contribute to the great GRASS software.
Please feel free to critique, add new examples, raise problems,
doubts, etcetera. In particular I would like to invite all developers
to check to find incoherence/inconsistency with the GRASS and/or
Python philosophy[2].

Any suggestions and criticism are more than welcome!

Pietro

[http://grass.osgeo.org/wiki/GRASS_SoC_Ideas_2012/High_level_map_interaction]
[http://docs.python.org/library/doctest.html]
[http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0020/]