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

[Dylan Beaudette]

On Friday 25 April 2008, John C. Tull wrote:
> On Apr 25, 2008, at 1:17 AM, Hamish wrote:
> > Wolf:
> >>> Arc is perhaps a bit stronger on the cartography side of things, but
> >>> with a bit of patience you can produce nice maps with GRASS.
> >
> > John wrote:
> >> Where GRASS fails relative to ESRI products is in cartographic map
> >> output. Others may differ with my view, but creating high-quality map
> >> outputs in GRASS is non-trivial.
> >
> > Yes, you are right, it is non-trivial -- but is possible! :) We had
> > hoped
> > to fund a student to write a wxPython GUI frontend for ps.map as
> > part of
> > this year's Google Summer of Code, but were only given 3 slots to work
> > with (and very grateful we are to have those 3). Competition for those
> > slots was very tight and we had to say no to some very nice proposals.
> > It's an important component that I hope is ready for GRASS 6.4.  For
> > GRASS 7 we will be less constrained by the old code to improve the
> > PostScript, PNG, and Cairo drivers for a more integrated hardcopy
> > output
> > approach.
> >
> > http://grass.osgeo.org/wiki/GRASS_SoC_Ideas#Cartography
> > http://grass.osgeo.org/wiki/WxPython-
> > based_GUI_for_GRASS#GUI_for_ps.map
> >
> > I find that by sitting down with a hand calculator (1"=72pt) and
> > keeping
> > the ps.map reference guide handy you can get publish-quality results.
> > Maybe that still takes longer than it should, and the jumping
> > between %
> > and inches is a bit awkward, but the results make the trouble worth it
> > IMO. If you have many maps to produce from a single template or in an
> > automated way, then ps.map is very hard to beat.
> >
> >> I have started using Mapserver to create my cartographic maps.
> >
> > some ideas here; additional hints are always welcome:
> >  http://grass.osgeo.org/wiki/GRASS_and_MapServer
> >
> >> Generic Mapping Tools is another option, but one that I have found to
> >> be more challenging than using a Mapserver mapfile.
> >
> > ditto:
> >  http://grass.osgeo.org/wiki/GRASS_and_GMT
> >
> > GMT will be similar to ps.map in that it is based on scripts and text
> > file configurations. Perhaps it is just my exposure level, but
> > personally
> > I find ps.map to be less cryptic. (shrug)
>
> These are great points, and good links for reference. Thanks for
> taking the time to provide such a detailed response.
>
> I was trying to use ps.map last fall for some production work, but the
> lack of transparency options for vector layers in my ps.map output was
> a show-stopper for me. I created some nice maps, but have found
> mapserver, with the shp2img command, to be more efficient for my
> needs. Getting a high-quality legend was also a tad difficult. (This
> is not to say that I have been without problems in MapServer, e.g.,
> tiny legends in large, high-resolution maps.)
>
> I agree that ps.map was much easier to get to a usable state than GMT.
> The scripting language was more intuitive for me as well. Similarly,
> mapserver mapfiles are easier for me to work with than GMT.
>
> Cheers,
> John

Mapserver showing up in this conversation reminded me of a hack I was working 
on some time ago -- something like d.out.mapserver -- for figure creation. I 
will have to look over my notes, and possible post them on the wiki. Perhaps 
you can post yours as well?

Cheers,

Dylan



-- 
Dylan Beaudette
Soil Resource Laboratory
http://casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/
University of California at Davis
530.754.7341