Open Source GIS: A GRASS GIS Approach (Kluwer International Series in Engineering and Computer Science) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Helena Mitasova (Author) "Over the past decade Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have evolved from a highly specialized niche to a technology that affects nearly every aspect of our..." (more)
Key Phrases: raster map layer, reclass table, vector map layer, Free Software, Transverse Mercator, Tutorials Web (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Open Source GIS: A GRASS GIS Approach was written for experienced GIS users, who want to learn GRASS, as well as for the Open Source software users who are GIS newcomers. Following the Open Source model of GRASS, the book includes links to sites where the GRASS system and on-line reference manuals can be downloaded and additional applications can be viewed.Open Source GIS: A GRASS GIS Approach, provides basic information about the use of GRASS from setting up the spatial database, through working with raster, vector and site data, to image processing and hands-on applications. This book also contains a brief introduction to programming within GRASS encouraging the new GRASS development. The power of computing within Open Source environment is illustrated by examples of the GRASS usage with other Open Source software tools, such as GSTAT, R statistical language, and linking GRASS to MapServer. Open Source GIS: A GRASS GIS Approach is designed to meet the needs of a professional audience composed of researchers and practitioners in industry and graduate level students in Computer Science and Geoscience

Product Details

• Hardcover: 468 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (June 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402070888
• ISBN-13: 978-1402070884
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,530,956 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excelent book for beginners, April 8, 2008

By	Bernardo Mello (Brasília, DF Brazil) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Open Source GIS: A GRASS GIS Approach (Hardcover)

I bought this book because I needed to use GRASS and R to produce maps with the results of statistical analysis. Though I am an experienced programmer, I had never used R neither any GIS. The tutorials available on the Internet were enough to learn R, but GRASS was a brick wall.
After reading and trying the examples until page 200, I found myself able to work with raster and vectorial maps. Since I was completely illiterate on GIS, I learned in the book how the raster and vector data are organized, how to alter and combine maps and how to manage the vector databases. The sections about R and GRASS integration was very useful. Although it was of no particular interest to me, there are several sections about spatial analysis tools, 2D and 3D output, image processing and GRASS programing.
The book is not an exhaustive descriptions of the commands, which should be found on the GRASS documentation. It is more like a hands-on tutorial that makes you familiar with the system and the commands, even if you are novice. It will also be useful for people familiar with the graphic interface of other systems who need to start working with the command line.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very good introduction to the many capabilities of GRASS GIS, January 9, 2008

By	Vishal K. Mehta (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Open Source GIS: A GRASS GIS Approach (Hardcover)

I waited several months for this 3rd edition of Neteler and Mitasova's 'Open Source GIS: A GRASS GIS Approach'. I'm not disappointed.

Pros:
1. The book is a major re-write of the earlier edition, and uses GRASS version 6.x - which has many improvements from earlier GRASS versions
2. It has tons of example applications, drawn and derived from an up-to-date sample dataset for North Carolina. Examples span the fields of hydrology, remote sensing,and a large number of standard GIS operations on vector and raster datasets.
3. It is well organized and succinct in its language.

Cons:
1. There are several typos.
2. Some of the examples may not exactly work on your own system - the authors acknowledge this, as each version of GRASS has some variations in dependent packages and libraries.
3. Some of the pages are not cross-referenced right.

[...]

To summarize:
I first used GRASS (version 4.3) in the year 2000. While I recognized back then how powerful GRASS is, I found it quite difficult to learn and to appreciate. In 2005-07, I revisited GRASS (version 6.0) for my dissertation research, and found that it had improved vastly. This book is an excellent way for readers to get a taste of how powerful GRASS 6.x is. It will be most useful for students and researchers who learn by doing - you will not learn GRASS (or any other GIS software) by just reading. Also, this book alone will not answer all your questions about GRASS - use the friendly and resourceful GRASS mailing lists for specific help with your own GRASS GIS projects.

Get into this book and GRASS GIS, only if you are willing to use the command line! If you are a programmer and are used to learning new languages/software, you probably do not need this book - the material on the GRASS website would be enough for you. If like me, you dont consider yourself a programmer but 'can do' when needed, this book will be very useful.

I hope that a more affordable paperback version of the third edition comes out!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for a GRASS user, February 8, 2008

By	K. Springs - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Open Source GIS: A GRASS GIS Approach (Hardcover)

Open Source GIS: A GRASS GIS Approach is now on its third edition. I have all three editions. It is remarkable how much the program has advanced in six years. The third edition deals with version 6.x and is still invaluable to older users and new users alike. Many changes occurred between 5.x and 6.x. Sites have been replaced with point vectors. The GUI interface has advanced. Things are just not done the same way they used to be and since this is a UNIX program, the changes may not be intuitive for people used to the Mac or Windows OS.

GRASS is a free alternative to to ARC GIS. This book will help the user to unleash GRASS's power.