[GRASSLIST:1188] Re: creating a desktop GIS application using GRASS

[Bernhard Reiter]

On Thu, Sep 11, 2003 at 01:17:25AM -0500, Gustavo Alcides Concheiro Perez wrote:
>  GRASS, by lowering the cost barrier, is finally putting GIS at the 
> reach of many many people who need it, just like Linux finally put Unix 
> power at the reach of the common guy (like myself).  

> You could make the case that some commercial implementations of Unix 
> are technically superior to Linux.  

This statements lacks some precision in the terminology 
which do not seem to be important at first sight, but at second.

The operating would be more properly called GNU/Linux
as the plan to create something like it was set up in September 1983.
And GNU stands for "GNU is not Unix", thus it isn't a Unix,
which many people tend to ignore makeing them vulnerable to smear
campaigns like SCO's.

Note that you are actually talking about proprietary Unix implementations,
because Free Software can also be commercial, depending on the quality
and whether its development was done for money.

Apard form this I of course agree, Free Software is needed
to keep important cultural techniques in the hand of the public.

> The pyramid, once again.  For all practical purposes, Unix is Linux. 
> And GIS could be GRASS.

Note that many proprietary GIS vendors are trying to sell people more 
than they need and call it GIS. 
It started when the called an interactive geodata viewer "Desktop GIS".
So many people basically expect an interactive geodata viewer with additional 
capabilities when they think of GIS. That is a promise that GRASS
as a full blown GIS has problems to fulfill.

> Put GRASS on a Live Linux CD and a choice of pre-packaged modules with 
> datasets: a global dataset, localized data for your country-region, 
> specialized datasets for diff disciplines, &c.  Sort this all out for 
> the user.  Give him reasonable defaults, and pre-arranged mapsets.  MAKE 
> IT EASY, MAKE IT SIMPLE, MAKE IT *FUN*.  

You might have seen that we've already have GRASS on several
live running CDs. The problem mainly is in the data.
For many parts of the world there aren't full data set that you could use.
We are getting there. In small steps.


> >Also GRASS is bound into the framework of other Free Software 
> >for geoprocessing. It might be that they will tackle part
> >of the proprietary tasks. I basically see that the other way round
> >Free Software is catching up fast on almost all areas.
> 
> Yes, but it's still too difficult and intimidating for a newby.  And the 
> integration is still lacking.

Very true.

> >New efforts go into documentation and the German Grass User Association 
> >has made GRASS beginner courses and will now send a flayer to many
> >instititutions in Germany to promote GRASS.
> 
> Yes!   And we need more, and we need MORE!  Perhaps we could put a 
> simpleGRASS with web interface, so people can try it on the web first? 

We welcome your help. :)

Thanks for all the encouraging words,
	Bernhard
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