[OSGeo-Discuss] Can I do the same GIS tasks with OS (as with ESRI)?

[David William Bitner]

I would agree with Paul.  The biggest hole in the FOSS stack is in easy,
high quality printed map production.  This is the one task where the Arc
tools beat anything I have seen in FOSS GIS hands down.

David

On Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 3:36 PM, Paul Ramsey <pramsey at cleverelephant.ca>
wrote:

> I'd buck up for a copy of ArcView (much cheaper than ArcGIS), and use
> GRASS / PostGIS / etc tools for things like analysis. You can use
> ArcView to generate the paper and do some quick low-end analytics and
> the other tools for more involved stuff.
>
> My general synopsis: for server-side, for scriptability, for
> automation, for web-based, open source wins for most use cases, given
> a technically savvy user; for ad hoc, for cartographic production, for
> a user who is used to a point-n-click experience end to end,
> proprietary still wins.
>
> This equation hasn't changed much in the 10 years I've been running
> it. The goal posts have moved, open source is better at adhoc now than
> before, but still not at the level of ESRI, and ESRI is better at the
> server stuff now, but still not at the level of open source.
>
> P.
>
> On Thu, Apr 24, 2008 at 12:41 PM, Jennifer Horsman <jen at jencarta.com>
> wrote:
> > The thread that was started today with the subject "Your open source
> career"
> > got me thinking about asking a question that has been rolling around in
> my
> > head. This is pointed at those people who have experience with ESRI
> products
> > as well as OS GIS products.
> >
> >  I have been a long-time user of ESRI products, but I want to start my
> own
> > contract business and will not be able to afford the license for
> > ArcGIS/ArcInfo. So I recently set up a Linux box with GRASS installed,
> but
> > it has been over 10 years since I have used GRASS (it has probably
> changed
> > since then too!)
> >
> >  Does GRASS have the same analysis and display capabilities as ArcGIS? I
> > know this is a very general question, so perhaps another question would
> be
> > where does GRASS fall short and where does it excel in comparison to the
> > ESRI products?
> >
> >  Thanks,
> >  Jennifer
> >
> >
> >
> >  _______________________________________________
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> >
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-- 
************************************
David William Bitner
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