[763] in linux-announce channel archive
GRASS 4.1.5 (a GIS) for LINUX on CD-ROM
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Lars Wirzenius)
Wed Jul 12 08:41:20 1995
Date: Sun, 9 Jul 1995 15:19:40 +0300
From: Lars Wirzenius <wirzeniu@cc.helsinki.fi>
To: linux-activists@niksula.hut.fi, linux-announce@vger.rutgers.edu
X-Mn-Key: announce
From: asholz@faui01.informatik.uni-erlangen.de (Andreas Holz)
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce,comp.infosystems.gis,sci.geo.geology
Subject: GRASS 4.1.5 (a GIS) for LINUX on CD-ROM
Organization: Student Pool, CSD., University of Erlangen
Keywords: GRASS, geography, GIS
Approved: linux-announce@news.ornl.gov (Lars Wirzenius)
Followup-to: comp.os.linux.development.apps,comp.infosystems.gis,sci.geo.geology
GRASS 4.1.5 for LINUX
on
CD-ROM
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What is GRASS (taken from http://www.cecer.army.mil/).
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GEOGRAPHIC RESOURCES ANALYSIS SUPPORT SYSTEM
(GRASS)
The Problem
Land managers and training planners at Army installations face the complex tasks
of
(1) facilitating optimal training use of available range and maneuver areas
(2) maintaining current lands in a condition suitable for long term training
use
(3) protecting valuable natural and cultural resources;
and
(4) accomodating secondary land uses, including forestry, grazing, hunting,
and recreation.
Furthermore, land management problems have become more complicated because new,
more sophisticated weapons require more maneuver and training range area. To
fulfill these complex landuse planning and land management requirements, tools
are needed to store, combin e, analyze, and display multiple map elements.
The Technology
The U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory's (USA-CERL)
Geographic Resources Analysis Support System (GRASS) was developed to provide
these management tools to Army environmental planners and land managers. GRASS
also has many applications for Civil Works project planning and design. GRASS
has many capabilities, including the handling of different representations
of data:
RASTER DATA -- raster (or grid cell type) data can be used for analyzing,
overla ying,and modeling areal features such as soil types or
forested areas.
VECTOR DATA -- vector data can be used to represent linear features such as
roads, streams or area edges and can be combined with raster
data for display purposes or for analysis.
POINT DATA -- point data can be used to represent landmarks or the location
of significant sites.
Other capabilities include:
IMAGERY -- the ability to display, geo-reference, compare and classify
satellite and aerial photographic imagery.
MAPDEV -- the ability to input map data and print hard copies on various
printers, including the ability to create output to a pen
plotter that runs or emulates HPGL.
DBMS -- the ability to link to a Database Management System for help in
managing data.
The GRASS system is run through the use of standardized command line input, and
can be run under X-windows or Open windows. There is an internal language that
allows users and programmers to create application and demonstration models
and to link GRASS with other software packages. Users can input new data
through digitization or the use of a scanner, with a screen pointing device,
from a floppy disk, or from computer tapes. New data can also be created by
selecting data elements from existing files for analysis. Outputs include
statistical tables, text files, or maps that can be displayed on a color
monitor or printed on several types of hard copy printers and/or plotters.
Hardware configurations vary from a table-top to rack mount machines, depending
on the platform available and the needs of the users. A minimum configuration
would include a di splay device that can display 256 simultaneous colors,
a processor running UNIX or a similar opera tingsystem, at least 8 megabytes of
system memory, at least 140 megabytes of disk space (300 to 600 megabytes
is recommended), a dumb terminal, a line printer, graphics library, a 1/4" or
1/2" tape drive, and a mouse pointing device. Other options include a
digitizer for map input, any of s everal color printers for hardcopy output,
and modems and/or network connections to communicate with o ther machines.
Current GRASS workstations include Sun, Intergraph, MacIntosh II, CDC 4000 machi
nes, PC-386's and PC-486's, DEC, Tektronix 88K, Silicon Graphic's IRIS,
Concurrent, Data General, IBM RISC and PS/2, and AT&T 3B2. Ports are underway
to other machines.
Benefits/Savings
GRASS allows Army environmental planners and land managers to analyze, store,
update, model, and display landscape data quickly and easily. Data files can
be developed for large or small geographic regions at any scale desired within
the limits of the original source documents and the storage capacity of the
hardware. Analysis and display operations can be performed for an entire
geographic region, or for any user-defined area within this region.
Status
Version 4.0 of GRASS was completed in July 1991 and is being distributed with so
urce code; reference, tutorial and programmer documentation; and an extensive
sample datas et. Version 4.1 of GRASS was completed and released in May of
1993. GRASS has been installed at dozens of military installations and most
Corps Districts and Labs. Copies are available to the general public
through several distribution sites. For more information, see the publications
"Acquiring GRASS Software" and the "GRASS Directory," available from the GRASS
Information Center.
Besides military installation planners, GRASS users now include Corps Districts
and Divisions, the USDA Soil Conversation Service, American Farmland Trust, the
USDI National Park Service, NASA and many universities, commercial firms, and
state and local organizations. Electronic communication between user sites can
be accomplished over the Internet computer network. An Interagency Steering
Committee and user group organizations in both Europe and North America
have been established to guide planning and development of future system
capabilities. This Interagency group publishes a periodic newsletter (GRASS
CLIPPINGS) and sponsors an annual user group meeting. The Office of Grass
Integration has recently been established to coordinate the integration of
contributed software and the distribution of updated versions of GRASS.
Both user and programmer training workshops for GRASS are offered on a regular
basis at many sites. A schedule of upcoming courses and workshops is available
from the GRASS Information Center.
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This system is available on CD for LINUX. To save disk space, GRASS is
runnable from CD.
Included is a MOTIF based front-end besides the character-based userinterface.
For further informations and how to get the CD please e-mail to
holzandr@erls12.kwu.siemens.de
This CD is private product, not commercial, so copies are limited and
only available from me.
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For further informations on GRASS look at
http://www/cecer.army.mil/grass/grass.info.html
http://www.cecer.army.mil/grass/grass.apps.html
The main ftp site for GRASS is moon.cecer.army.mil, I will put
enhancements and bug fixed on this site if nessecary.
---
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Dipl. Geol. Andreas Holz email: asholz@cip.informatik.uni-erlangen.de
Institut fuer Geologie und Mineralogie
Schlossgarten 5
91054 Erlangen
GERMANY
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