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<font size="-1"><font face="Arial">I just want to say thanks to
everyone who has participated in this subject. It would be nice, as
many have suggested, to have a list of various geospatial software
applications out there (or software combinations), open source and
proprietary, for feature comparison. Regardless, I appreciate the
passion shared by users of OS software. I have the luxury of being able
to try out and attempt to learn the various OS options out there while
still using ESRI software at work. I'm convinced by all the replies to
my original question that it is worth a try. Fortunately, I have a
strong programming background and many years of experience with UNIX,
so I feel it won't be a huge hurdle dealing with command-line and linux.<br>
<br>
Geospatial tools are becoming "mainstream" and almost necessary for
anyone entering the natural resources (at least at the University where
I work, it is a requirement to learn GIS) and it seems a shame that the
tools most used are so expensive. I rely on the ArcInfo part of my
ArcGIS setup and of course, that is an expensive option when purchasing
the ESRI software. And when it comes to raster analysis in Arc*, I am
often disappointed. I still can't figure out how to work with 3D
surfaces that represent cross-sections (ie - the "plan" view of the
surface is a 2D line)! If GRASS (or some kind of FOSS) can do that,
I'll be a convert for sure!<br>
<br>
Anyway, thanks again for all the input. And thanks to someone on the
list for pointing to <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.grassbook.org/">http://www.grassbook.org/</a> because I went and
checked out the most recent edition from the library to help me get
started with GRASS.<br>
<br>
Jennifer</font></font>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
j e n c a r t a : spatial analysis and cartography
click: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://jencarta.com/">http://jencarta.com/</a>
post: 53495 CR 15, Carr, CO 80612
call: 970.219.6737</pre>
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