[Qgis-user] GIS big picture for the newbie

[Alex Mandel]

On 01/26/2012 03:40 PM, Alex Mandel wrote:
> On 01/26/2012 03:27 PM, Kevin Goulding wrote:
>> Hello all,
>>
>> Is there somewhere that explains, for the newbie, how all the open source
>> GIS software components fit together?
>>
>> e.g., QGIS, gdal, postgresSQL, PostGIS, Grass, Django, GeoDjango, Homebrew,
>> pgRouting, plug-ins, Python, etc.
>>
>> How many of these applications are redundant or compete with one another?
>>  What does each application set out to do in relation to the other
>> applications?
>>
>> This is directly related to this posted question:
>> http://gis.stackexchange.com/questions/19157/monte-carlo-simulation-using-qgis-and-pgrouting-on-optimal-sidewalk-construction
>>
>> Many thanks,
>> Kevin
> 
> 
> There is an older graphic out there (will need to find it) but this list
> gives a rough idea.
> http://live.osgeo.org/en/overview/overview.html
> 
> If the programs are in the same category they may overlap some but
> rarely 100%. The categories are a good way to split out how they
> potentially work together. The descriptions of each application might
> provide you some more insight.
> 
> Thanks,
> Alex

Quick add,
Homebrew is a method for installing applications on a Mac - not
specifically geospatial.
Django is a python framework for building web sites - GeoDjango adds
spatial queries to the websites via spatialite or postgis. (Not on the list)

In reference to the stackexchange question. Yes there is more than 1 way
to go about solving any geospatial task and the stack you choose depends
on your preferences (what you know, what comp language you want to use,
etc) and what tools exist in a given stack.

For more suggestions it's best to pose problems on the OSGeo discuss
mailing list and see what tools people recommend for a given problem.

Enjoy,
Alex