What is GRASS GIS?

What is GRASS GIS?

Geek open-source command line GIS

What is GRASS GIS?

Open-source desktop GIS

What is GRASS GIS?

Processing backend in QGIS

What is GRASS GIS?

Geovisualization and data analytics tool in R or quarto notebooks

What is GRASS GIS?

Geovisualization and data analytics tool in Python notebooks

What is GRASS GIS?

Geoprocessing engine running in an HPC environment

What is GRASS GIS?

Geospatial platform for developing custom models

What is GRASS GIS?

Cloud geoprocessing backend

GRASS is all of that!

Robustness, Stability, Versatility, Scientific foundations

New in GRASS 8.4

Tools: More machine learning

Supervised classification with Support Vector Machines

• i.svm.train: Train a Support Vector Machine
• i.svm.predict: Predict with a Support Vector Machine

Tools: More topology handling

v.fill.holes: Fill holes in areas by keeping only outer boundaries

Tools: Better horizon identification

r.horizon: Output for multiple points, distances, and many other improvements

Interfaces: JSON for Text Outputs

            v.db.select roadsmajor format=json
        

With better integration in Python:

            import json
            import grass.script as gs
    
            data = gs.parse_command("v.db.select", map="roadsmajor", format="json")
            for row in data["records"]:
                print(row["ROAD_NAME"])
        

More coming in 8.5 (r.report, r.info, …)

locations became projects!!

The Python API, command line, and GUI are now using project instead of location for the main component of the data hiearchy.

• ~/data
  • missouri (location → project)
    • interstate_44 (mapset aka sub-project)

CLI: --tmp-project with --exec

grass --tmp-project EPSG:3358 --exec \
            r.viewshed input=elevation \
            output=viewshed coordinates=642964,222890
        

--tmp-location continues to work

Python API: Simpler Creation of Projects

grass.script Python package:

Creation of new projects greatly simplified in Python without a running session (no more chicken and egg problems)

            import grass.script as gs

            gs.create_project("cordoba_utm21s", epsg="32721")
            gs.setup.init("cordoba_utm21s")
        

Python API: Animations and ipyleaflet

grass.jupyter Python package:

• New grass.jupyter.SeriesMap class for animating series of vectors or rasters (temporal animations already available)
• New option to create a maps with ipyleaflet (will bring interactivity in 8.5)

        s = gj.SeriesMap(height = 500)
        s.add_rasters(["elevation_shade", "geology", "soils"])
        s.add_vectors(["streams", "streets", "viewpoints"])
        s.d_barscale()
        s.show()
        
        m = InteractiveMap(map_backend="ipyleaflet")
        m.add_vector("streams")
        m.add_raster("elevation")
        m.show()
        

GUI: New history browser panel

Addon Tools: Wind-water Interactions

r.windfetch – distance which winds blow without obstruction

by Anna Petrasova, funded by NSF Award #2322073, granted to Natrx, Inc.

Addons tools: STAC support, SDM, faster flow accumulation...

• t.stac toolset: Explore metadata and ingest SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog (STAC) items, collections, and catalogs.
• r.flowaccumulation: Calculates flow accumulation using MEFA parallel algorithm by H. Cho (2023).
• r.maxent.train & r.maxent.predict: train and predict a Maxent model to create a suitability distribution maps.
• ... plotting tools, and tools to streamline access to different types of data.

Mentoring

Mentoring and Student Grants Program

• Student grants to contribute to GRASS GIS: 1 student in 2023-2024.
• Mentoring to integrate GRASS GIS into your workflows: 11 people working on various topics.

Calls are open!

GSoC 2024

Add EODAG support to GRASS GIS

i.eodag: Downloads imagery datasets from various providers through the EODAG library.

            v.extract input=urbanarea where="NAME = 'Durham'" output=durham
            
            i.eodag -l start=2022-05-25 end=2022-06-01 clouds=30 \
                    map=durham dataset=S2_MSI_L2A provider=cop_dataspace
        

Improve GRASS user experience in Jupyter Notebook

Enable users to query attribute values and draw geometries, display and change the computational region, support for custom CRS

Add JSON output to different GRASS tools in C

            r.what map=MOD11B3.A2015001.h11v05.single_LST_Day_6km points=firestations format=json
            [
                {
                    "easting": 620856.95858763403,
                    "northing": 230066.38313210499,
                    "MOD11B3.A2015001.h11v05.single_LST_Day_6km": {
                        "value": 14045
                    }
                },
                {
                    "easting": 625331.91859749099,
                    "northing": 229990.82160762601,
                    "MOD11B3.A2015001.h11v05.single_LST_Day_6km": {
                        "value": 14099
                    }
                },
                {
                    "easting": 615797.66547487001,
                    "northing": 213363.99261982701,
                    "MOD11B3.A2015001.h11v05.single_LST_Day_6km": {
                        "value": 14031
                    }
                }
            ]
        

Community

Community growth

• Two new contributors with write access: Edouard Choiniere and Linda Karlovska. Welcome!!


• Three new GRASS GIS babies! Congratulations!!

Community Meeting Prague 2024

https://grasswiki.osgeo.org/wiki/GRASS_Community_Meeting_Prague_2024

Governance

PSC Elections

• PSC elections to replace 4 seats completed by mid-October; 3 new members, 1 re-elected

Project Mission and Roadmap

grass.osgeo.org/about/roadmap

Funding of Maintenance

NSF grant lead by NC State

• NSF grant awarded to NC State, ASU, NMSU, Yale
• to enhance infrastructure
• to revise contributing guidelines
• to support community building

Note: The NSF program is aiming at sustainability, not adding features, fixing bugs, or ongoing maintenance.

Get involved!

All contributions are welcome!

Write code or docs

• Fork the repo and suggest your code or doc changes via pull requests in grass core, grass-addons, or grass-website repositories
• File bug reports or feature requests
• Ask, comment, suggest also in Github Discussions
• Create your own GRASS tool! Now much easier with the cookiecutter template
• Have a look at the new Style guide

Translate in Weblate

Tell others what you know

• Write tutorials for different applications or showcase your GRASS use cases
• Currently at: OSGeo/grass-tutorials

Sponsor GRASS GIS!

• Donation (one-time, any amount), Supporter starts at 10 USD/month, Sponsor starts at 500 USD/year
• Feedback? Talk to me about being part of the solution!

Get in touch with us!

grass.osgeo.org