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Giovanni,<br>
<br>
I installed the QGIS + GRASS + PLUGIN as you suggested using the
OSGeo4W installer.<br>
<br>
I can only use Grass Tools IF the layers are grass layers imported into
a new map set. I do this but v.distance does not allow me to select the
"From" vector file so the routine baulks.<br>
<br>
I am either (a) importing the shapefiles wrong, or (b) the development
version of QGIS is not fully integrated with Grass Tools. I presumed
that by going through QGIS I would be able manipulate the shapefiles
directly.<br>
<br>
The problem with this option is to do simple vector queries requires a
complete new GIS setup, two distinct programs (QGIS + GRASS) running,
the need to convert shapefiles to grass format (the preference would be
the ability to manipulate shapefiles natively) and the move project
files to a central repository.<br>
<br>
What I will try is to run WinGrass again to cut out the middleman (in
this case QGIS).
Maybe it will work this time.<br>
<br>
tick, tick, tick...<br>
<br>
OK, I have installed WinGrass again. Since I created a mapset using
QGIS the program opened once I pointed it to the default map location.
Looking in more detail at v.distance I note it "Find(s) the nearest
element in vector 'to' for elements in vector 'from'". Not what I
needed. I need the distance of every feature from every other feature.<br>
<br>
That aside I find the routines are infinitely prescriptive - I presume
you would be able to made the wizards choose defaults that could be
changed by a user. As it is, it assumes you want to pick everything so
it is a tedious task to figure out what needs to be done just to get
one minor task completed. I spent about 40 minutes trying to select the
various options to get this one routine to work - yes, I did read the
manual. Eventually I gave up. Grass promises to provide immense power
but in the absence of a easy to use GUI interface make it extremely
difficult to utilize.<br>
<br>
I was hoping for the workflow...<br>
VECTOR1 + VECTOR2 == new tool, simple command line or GUI interface,
one button ==> TABLE<br>
<br>
As its turning out with this option and the PostgreSQL option...<br>
(VECTOR1 => NEWVECTOR1) + (VECTOR2 => NEWVECTOR2) == new tool,
complex, finicky, multiple processes ==> PROPRIETY TABLE ==>
TABLE (if you are persistent).<br>
<br>
Giovanni, thanks for the tip of where to look. I'll keep playing with
Grass but I don't think it will solve any of my short term needs as I
don't have large amounts of time available to master this system (same
problem with PostgreSQL). As it is I have already spent 5 hours trying
to get the various options proposed to work - what is frustrating is
that neither did.<br>
<div class="moz-signature">
<p>Cheers Simon</p>
<p style="margin-left: 36pt;">
Simon Cropper <br>
Botanicus Australia Pty Ltd<br>
PO Box 160, Sunshine, Victoria 3020.<br>
P: 9311 5822. M: 041 830 3437.<br>
<a href="mailto:scropper@botanicusaustralia.com.au">mailto:
scropper@botanicusaustralia.com.au</a> <br>
<a href="http://www.botanicusaustralia.com.au">web:
www.botanicusaustralia.com.au</a> <br>
</p>
</div>
<br>
<br>
Giovanni Manghi wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:1259881198.24623.3.camel@sibirica" type="cite">
<pre wrap="">Hi
</pre>
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap=""> * I suspect that GRASS would provide this functionality but
can't get that package to work on my system (even WinGRASS),
so if you point me here please also point me to a tutorial on
getting the thing to work
</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre wrap=""><!---->
Try install qgis (I suggest the dev version, the next 1.4) and GRASS
using the osgeo4w installer.
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://trac.osgeo.org/osgeo4w/">http://trac.osgeo.org/osgeo4w/</a>
Then use GRASS trough QGIS using the GRASS qgis plugin (be careful to
install it, you find it in the "libs" section of the osgeo4w installer).
Regards
</pre>
</blockquote>
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