[GRASSLIST:192] Re: getting started

[Trevor Wiens]

On Thu, 16 Mar 2006 21:07:08 -0500
Scott Cunningham <scunning at gmail.com> wrote:

> I have absolutely no experience with GIS software, and am a bit  
> overwhelmed by the startup costs of working with GRASS.  Can someone  
> provide me with a GRASS FOR DUMMIES kind of URL or pdf? My needs are  
> extremely limited - I basically need to create a map of the USA that  
> shows visually the white and black "sex ratio" (ie, ratio of men to  
> women for certain age cohorts) for each state.  I've installed  
> X11.app and have downloaded (and installed) GRASS 6.1.  I don't want  
> to bog the listserv down with stupid questions, more than I already  
> have, but if anyone can point me towards a helpful primer, I'd  
> appreciate it.
> 

Scott,

I'm not sure what you mean in regard to the starting costs for GRASS as
it is free software, but if you mean learning curve, then I can
understand.

GRASS was developed for analytical purposes using mostly raster data.
The need you've identified is to create a simple thematic map using
vector data.

I assume you have already acquired or have access to a data source for
a state map of the USA. Once you've done that, your next step is to add
the sex ratio information for each state, using different fields or
columns in the attribute table for each age group.

If you are serious about GIS use and analysis, GRASS is a great system
to learn because you will really learn about GIS in the process of
learning to use the software. However, you comments lead me to believe
that you are planning only casual use, so if there was another option
that was easier to use it would probably be much better for you at
this time. One option you should consider is QGIS (qgis.org), which
is available for Linux, MacOSX, and Windows. You will find some
tutorial information on the QGIS website.

If at some point in the future you need a full featured GIS, some
GRASS functionality can be easily accessed through a QGIS plugin. If
however that turns out to be insufficient, you will have least gotten
your feet wet in GIS before trying to learn GRASS. A series of
tutorials about GRASS can be accessed through the GRASS website in the
Docs section.

T
-- 
Trevor Wiens 
twiens at interbaun.com

The significant problems that we face cannot be solved at the same 
level of thinking we were at when we created them. 
(Albert Einstein)