[R] maps library for R?

[Roger Bivand]

On Fri, 13 Jun 2003, Angel - wrote:

> Does it already exist a library in R to draw maps (something like a Generic 
> Mapping Toolbox, http://gmt.soest.hawaii.edu/ port).
> 
> I've seen in an old R-help that Ross Ihaka once tried to port the S-plus map 
> library (http://maths.newcastle.edu.au/~rking/R/help/99b/0832.html ).
> Anybody know if this package is available somewhere or if there is somebody 
> developing a Mapping package for R. I'll might then try to help.
> Cheers,
> Angel
> 

As of now, there is a source package published on CRAN (RArcInfo) which 
reads Arc binary data, and has a map function. Off CRAN, there are a 
number of draft packages, some of which are linked to the web-page of a 
pre-conference workshop here:

http://spatial.nhh.no/meetings/vienna/index.html

This work is continuing on several levels:

1) data import/export

2) mapping

3) projection, line thinning/generalisation, topology

4) interfacing mapping functions with spatial analysis functions

Contributions and ideas welcome! 

Roger

-- 
Roger Bivand
Economic Geography Section, Department of Economics, Norwegian School of
Economics and Business Administration, Breiviksveien 40, N-5045 Bergen,
Norway. voice: +47 55 95 93 55; fax +47 55 95 93 93
e-mail: Roger.Bivand at nhh.no