[OSGeo-Discuss] C++ library for "gridding"

Tue Oct 24 01:44:11 PDT 2006

Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] C++ library for "gridding"Thanks for your advice. The ArcGIS is the most popular GIS software in china while GRASS is relatively new though it's quite old in the world. Many Chinese GIS users are familiar with ArcGIS. We are trying to take steps to make them becoming familiar to GRASS. I think the next generation GUI based on wxPython for GRASS is a great work.  We'll study and pay more attention to it. For the wxPython GUI, I think it accesses the GRASS commands, instead of the new API. 

Regards.

Chen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Rongguo Chen, Prof., Ph.D
 State Key Laboratory of Resources & Environmental Information System (LREIS, http://www.lreis.ac.cn)
 Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR, http://www.igsnrr.ac.cn)
 Chinese Academy of Sciences.
 Email: chenrg at lreis.ac.cn, chenrg at igsnrr.ac.cn
Tel:   (86-10)64888963, 13911825587
Fax:   (86-10)64889630

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Michael Barton 
  To: discuss-digest at mail.osgeo.org ; discuss at mail.osgeo.org 
  Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 12:39 PM
  Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] C++ library for "gridding"

  This will be interesting to follow. First a question, then a couple things to consider with respect to the GUI. 

  Will this new API be accessible from the wxPython (wxWidget) GUI platform?

  With respect to a GUI, one of the great things about open source is that you can adapt the code in many ways. However, you might want to also catch up on the extensive GUI discussions that we've had over the past year. A long thread beginning about a year ago, and continuing over several months focused on the design specifications for a next generation GUI for GRASS. A follow up thread discussed the advantages and disadvantages of available GUI platforms from the standpoint of interface potential, useability, cross-platform support, and code maintainability within the GRASS user/developer community. A couple items are worth summarizing.

  First, just because ArcGIS has a very large commercial market share doesn't mean that it has the best UI or that an open source project can't create a better UI for GIS. There was considerable consensus around a number of features that many of the GRASS community felt were essential in a UI but which are lacking in ArcGIS (e.g., a CLI, efficient use of screen real estate with a single control for multiple windows) and more diversity about other design specs (tightly or loosely coupled 3D visualization and cartographic capabilities).

  The second is that QT and wxWidgets emerged as the leading GUI design platforms. Of these, wxPython (Python implementation of wxWidgets) garnered the most support because it is easier to develop in and more members of the GRASS community have programming skills that can support it. Relatively few people are QT experts, but many more people in the GRASS world have Python experience.

  Many of the initial GUI design specs have been implemented in the current TclTk interface in order to test and refine this design. Others will require a GUI platform with capabilities beyond TclTk. A wxPython GUI is already present in the CVS in prototype test form and is actively being developed. You might want to take a look at these to see where they are at and whether (and how) they might interact with you new libraries. 

  Michael
  __________________________________________
  Michael Barton, Professor of Anthropology
  School of Human Evolution & Social Change    
  Center for Social Dynamics & Complexity
  Arizona State University

  phone: 480-965-6213
  fax: 480-965-7671
  www: http://www.public.asu.edu/~cmbarton 

  From: <discuss-digest-help at mail.osgeo.org>
  Reply-To: <discuss-digest at mail.osgeo.org>
  Date: 24 Oct 2006 01:40:30 -0000
  To: <discuss at mail.osgeo.org>
  Subject: discuss Digest 24 Oct 2006 01:40:30 -0000 Issue 120

  From: <chenrg at lreis.ac.cn>
  Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 09:57:20 +0800
  To: Song <xfsong at gucas.ac.cn>, <discuss at mail.osgeo.org>
  Subject: Re: Re: [Fwd: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] C++ library for "gridding"]

  Hi, all,

  I had 2 days out at the weekend. Thank you for your attention. I'd like to say, we just started the work,and the initial tech docs were in chinese. I'll try to explain what we'll do for the project.
  We're working on the current CVS-HEAD (GRASS 6.3). A new directory called API was added to the main directory of GRASS. The high-level APIs will be based on the files of GRASS commands. and will form 7 new dynamic libraries (.so for linux, and .dll for windows), which will be updated along with GRASS CVS. The ArcGIS-like GUI will call these APIs for data processing. The work will join grass cvs once some progress made. 

  Regards

  Chen

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