[seul-sci] GIS on /.

[Aaron Malone <aaron@seul.org>]

(not to be confused with Sean's GDIS)

There's an "Ask Slashdot" up regarding GIS and Data Visualisation
software, that you might be interested in.  This is powerful and
extremely interesting (to me, at least) software, and Pete can tell more
about it if he so chooses, as I think he's actually done some work with
GRASS, an open-source GIS package.

from the article:
Mubarmij asks: "A lot of people, including the ex-Vice President , think
that Terrain Visualization and the Georeferencing of all kinds of data
is the next big thing. Given the broad applications (sims, education,
games, GIS, virtual tourism, etc) that can be derived from such
technology, I would tend to agree that if this is not actually the
NBG(tm), then at least it is very close. Like the internet, this
technology has taken its time in obtaining it's current level of
sophistication. However, there is huge potential here that has yet to be
tapped, despite the fact that it currently fills a huge  niche market. I
had once read that NASA spends more than 70% of its resources on space
imaging and visualization-related activities (unfortunately I link to
the article that mentions this, but one should remember that the major
goal of all space satellites is to take multihued pictures of Earth and
other planets, and you will see that this is not an exaggeration), which
is quite a lot of money." Open Source has provided several frameworks
for GIS from which a "killer app" may spring from. Read more on the
various Open Source projects on GIS, and feel free to share your
thoughts on where this technology may head in the future. 

-- 
Aaron Malone (aaron@semo.net)
System Administrator                 I can bend minds with my spoon.
Poplar Bluff Internet, Inc.
http://www.semo.net