[Freegis-list] The Brazilian freeware GIS SPRING

[Jan-Oliver Wagner]

On Fri, Jan 12, 2001 at 11:48:23PM -0200, Felipe G. Nievinski wrote:
> I'm planning to be in GeoInfo 2001, and I will try to persuade them to open
> the source code of SPRING and make it a free software. I believe that
> writing a petition, explaining the very basics of Free software and showing
> that everyone will win with it (win-win), no one lawyer will say that it
> cannot be done, considering it is a product from a public institution.
> (Maybe I will need a help to write this petition/letter.)

talking to the people is worth a lot! Good to hear that
you have the oppportunity to be there and perhaps meet the SPRING people.

> Another project from INPE that can be helpful to the Free GIS community is
> TerraLib:
> http://www.tecgraf.puc-rio.br/geoinfo2000/anais/019.pdf
> This work describes the development of a new GIS library (called TerraLib),
> that is
> aimed at providing a rich and powerful environment for the development of
> GIScience research.
> The motivation for this proposal is the current lack of either public or
> commercial GIS libraries
> that cater for the diversity of GIS data and algorithms, especially when
> viewed upon the latest
> advances in geographical information science. TerraLib is open source
> software, allowing a
> collaborative environment and its use for the development of multiple GIS
> tools.
> (it is under development)

I have the feeling that currently too many projects try
to invent GIS structures anew. There are many wheels out there,
lets now improve the rest of the vehicle.

I will ask the TerraLib people whether they like to link
to existing Free Software products and approach a joined
efford.

Jan

-- 
Jan-Oliver Wagner               http://intevation.de/~jan/

Intevation GmbH	              	     http://intevation.de/
FreeGIS	                               http://freegis.org/