[Qgis-user] What is GrASS really?

[Alex Mandel]

On 09/29/2011 11:12 PM, Emile Peek wrote:
> 
> I am a newbie and I am regularly making maps on Wikimedia Commons with Inkscape. I am trying to make sense of Qgis and the many possibilities it offers but to no avail.
> 
> What is the Grass database? What can I retrieve from it? Maps, sure, but what kind of maps? What is the scope of the GRASS database?
> 
> What goes for GRass goes for other databases as well? What is on those databases? Where can I find that kind of information? 
> 
> Answering my questions would mean much to me because right now I am struggling.
> 
> Emile.
> 
>  		 	   		  

GRASS is a geospatial analysis framework and toolset. The GRASS database
is custom formats specifically geared toward such analysis tasks and is
not suitable for anything else.

QGIS is a visualization and analysis front end which can hook into many
backends, GRASS, postgis, spatialite, multitude of python plugins, and
soon SAGA and OTB toolboxes (I'm sure I missed some things).

You can only retrieve data that is some reworking of what you put into
it. Example, given an elevation dataset you can generate a hillshade to
put behind other map layers. It does not come with data (other than a
few samples)

It might be most useful for you to look at the some slides and papers on
QGIS & Inkscape for cartography.

The most important difference here is that maps made with QGIS can
contain real data that is referenced to a real place on earth in such a
way that you can give that data to other people and it will show up in
the same place on earth in their viewer - be it QGIS, ArcGIS, Openlayers
or any other geospatial map viewing product.

Enjoy,
Alex