Geographic Information Systems
May 31, 2005
The GIS (Geographic Information Systems) division of Engineering Technologies Canada (ETC) has just competed a review of three Open Source GIS packages - GRASS, QuantumGIS and MapServer.
We have just completed a review of several OpenSouce GIS packages. We selected an Enterprise GIS, a Desktop GIS, and a Web GIS package to review. The three packages were GRASS 6.0, QuantumGIS 0.6.0 and MapServer. The review consisted of testing the packages in the Linux and the Windows environments, and comparing ease of installation, functionality and suitability for users in the Atlantic Canada area. Typically available data (ie free data from PEI and New Brunswick governments) was used for the testing. As part of the project, the PEI and New Brunswick Double Stereographic Projections was tested with GRASS and QuantumGIS. Data testing included import and export of standard formats such as SHP (ArcView), MID/MIF (Mapinfo) and unique formats native to GRASS and Quantum. Orthophotos in TIFF and MrSID formats were also imported for background display and for testing raster analysis functions.
To View our Report in PDF format, please click here - Download file
To learn more about GRASS please visit the web site at http://grass.baylor.edu/
"GRASS (Geographic Resources Analysis Support System) is a raster/vector GIS, image processing system, and graphics production system. GRASS contains over 350 programs and tools to render maps and images on monitor and paper; manipulate raster, vector, and sites data; process multi spectral image data; and create, manage, and store spatial data. GRASS uses both an intuitive windows interface as well as command line syntax for ease of operations. GRASS can interface with commercial printers, plotters, digitizers, and databases to develop new data as well as manage existing data." (from GRASS website)
To learn more about Quantum please visit http://qgis.org/
Quantum GIS (QGIS) is a Geographic Information System (GIS) built for Linux/Unix. QGIS supports vector, raster, and database formats.
To learn more about MapServer please visit the web page at http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu/
MapServer is an OpenSource development environment for constructing spatially enabled Internet-web applications.
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