[R-sig-Geo] Getting started with Open Source GIS

[Barry Rowlingson]

On Sat, Oct 17, 2009 at 3:46 PM, Ezra Boyd <eboyd3 at tigers.lsu.edu> wrote:

> Will I be able to complete the tasks described above using the the Open
> Source GIS without a bunch of time consuming complications?  Or, should I
> fork over some cash to extend my Arcview license?

 What's Arcview going to get you? You will be able to do all your
statistics in R - get a copy of Applied Spatial Data Analysis in R,
which will tell you the basics and more about manipulating spatial
data in R. Remember that statistics is never plug and play - even if
there's statistics functions in Arcview, you still need to check
diagnostics and other assumptions before your conclusion is valid. I
don't think Arcview or other ESRI products will give you that
flexibility.

 Once your stats are done and checked and you want to make pretty
maps, then you can create shapefiles from R and load them into Qgis
for mapping with any other layers of information you want to put in.
It is even possible to make publication-quality maps in R using the sp
package and friends (as in the ASDAR book).

 I wouldn't worry about GRASS - it's great for hardcore spatial
analysis (buffer this, overlay with that, compute watersheds, clip to
river buffers, count population in areas,...) but if you need to go
outside the boxes given you're going to have to start writing in C...
It's nice to know the power of GRASS is there, but I try and avoid
using it!

Barry