GRASS GIS Report 2008

GRASS GIS

 * Contact name: Markus Neteler

Key Accomplishments
the top 5-10 key items that the project or PSC accomplished this period

Web site: http://grass.osgeo.org


 * GRASS 6.3.0 released (technology preview)
 * GRASS 6.4.0 prepared and release candidates published
 * Work on GRASS 7 started


 * Integration in OSGeo4W efforts now active
 * New developers acquired: x to main archive, y to AddOns repository.


 * More than 1000 subscribers in the grass-user mailing list
 * (470 in grass-dev, many more in the other GRASS mailing lists)


 * In total 22 TB of downloads from grass.osgeo.org in 2008
 * (statistic; not including downloads from mirror sites)


 * Three Google Summer of Code projects awarded and completed.


 * 3rd edition of Neteler and Mitasova's GRASS Book published by Springer.
 * --HB: while not per se a direct accomplishment of the project or PSC, it is an important milestone for the community that such a book has been published about it (repeatedly) by a major scientific publishing house.


 * Translations: metrics? new LANGs added this year?



Areas for Improvement
any weaknesses in process, software, management, etc. that you plan to address or recognise need some help


 * SVN history "annotate" ability for Trac source code browser desired

Opportunities to Help
list areas that could use some help from members and readers of the report


 * Find more translators among the (power) users
 * - Develop a framework for efficient and semi-automated translations of the 400+ module help pages


 * Publish more use cases in the GRASS Wiki


 * We require more volunteers for help with native MS Windows packaging and testing


 * (crossover with QGIS): QGIS grass-plugin and toolbox maintainer(s) required



Outlook for 2009
this is the motivational part that is meant to inspire readers to keep their eyes open for great stuff in 2009 :)


 * Vector topology speedup
 * Overhaul of raster library
 * Cartography GUI extension programmed
 * Further participation in Google Summer of Code (we hope)
 * Stability on MS Windows leading to explosion of new users
 * Move/removal of web-svn documentation to our MediaWiki site; move/removal of devel material from MediaWiki to our TracWiki site