• Numerous bug fixes
  • see the ChangeLogs (6.1, 6.2) for details
• Source code quality/libraries:
  • The GRASS code base is now in large part ANSI C compliant
  • Ported natively to MS-Windows (MinGW based)
  • Source code header files: improved, many compiler warnings fixed
  • Compilation: compatible with GCC 4.x
  • Programmer's Manual: continued Doxygen integration and automated generation into PDF and HTML formats. Publicly available for download and perusal.
  • Improved policies for code submission specified in the SUBMITTING files
  • GRASS-SWIG prototype interface added (library bindings for Perl and Python)
  • DBMI: SQLite driver added; SQL parser extended (support for expressions, new types, etc.)
  • DBMI: MySql driver rewritten; MeSql added
  • Support for long map/mapset names
  • Raster maps: ZLIB compression bug fixed for tiny maps
  • Raster maps: optional large file support (LFS, experimental) for maps > 2GB
  • Display: X11/PNG driver rewritten, added RGB-raster operations
  • Display: Movement toward X-Windows as an optional dependency (new multi-platform GUI support)
  • Display: High CPU use during interactive mouse functions fixed
  • Projection code database: updated to EPSG 6.11.2
  • Tcl/Tk 8.4 support for Debian and other platforms using threaded libraries
  • Full FFTW3 support for fast Fourier transforms
  • NetBSD configuration fixes
• New quality control systems:
  • New internal GRASS test suite (scripts collection in "testsuite/")
  • New external GRASS test suite (TU Berlin)
  • New external GRASS Quality Assessment and monitoring system (École Polytechnique de Montréal and ITC-irst)
  • CVS-commit reports into IRC '#grass' channel via CIA - The open source informant
• Graphical User Interface (GUI):
  • All modules: Major improvements in the auto-generated GUIs
  • gis.m: NEW - GIS manager added as a replacement for d.m (optional)
  • d.m: Legacy support provides access to the latest features while preserving code maturity
  • QGIS integration: fixes for the GRASS plugin and toolbox available from Quantum GIS
  • Continued behind-the-scenes infrastructure refinements for the next generation GUI
• GRASS Extensions Manager (GEM): NEW
  • Configure, compile and install additional GRASS modules without needing the GRASS source code. Simplifies the addition of new modules or themed module groups.
• Modules/Scripts:
  • Message translation (i18N): added and extended to more than a dozen languages, Tcl/Tk GUI and shell script messages are now translatable
  • Documentation/man pages: various fixes and improvements (more examples added, including graphics, improved style, new introductory pages)
  • Raster modules: improved support for meta-data and map history
  • d.correlate: NEW - create a graph of the correlation between data layers
  • d.graph: rewritten and extended, merged with d.mapgraph; support for symbols
  • d.grid: added support for geographic grid overlay on non lat/lon map projections and display of coordinate values
  • d.labels, v.label: d.paint.labels renamed d.labels; significant fixes and improvements to the label subsystem
  • d.m: improved layout; added functionality
  • d.menu: NEW - creates and displays a menu within the active graphics monitor (tool for interactive scripts) (port from GRASS 5)
  • d.mvmon: NEW - moves displayed maps to another monitor
  • d.out.file: NEW - saves active display monitor graphics to an image file (PNG,JPEG,...)
  • d.out.gpsdrive: NEW - exports display monitor to a GpsDrive compatible backdrop image
  • d.polar: NEW - draws a polar diagram for an angle map such as topographic aspect or flow direction
  • d.rast.arrow: many enhancements, support for magnitude as well as 360 degree directional inputs
  • d.text: added support for text rotation
  • d.vect: variable vector line width added, random colors for points and lines, dynamic width and colors from attribute data
  • d.vect.thematic: NEW - customizable thematic mapper for vector map displays
  • g.html2man: fixes for improved man page output
  • g.transform: NEW - utility to compute coordinate transformations based upon GCPs, including error analysis
  • gis.m: NEW alternative graphical GIS manager (see above)
  • i.in.spotvgt: NEW - import SPOT-VGT NDVI satellite imagery into a raster map
  • i.landsat.rgb: NEW - auto-enhancement of colors for LANDSAT imagery
  • i.ortho.photo, i.rectify: no longer signal completion with email notification
  • i.spectral: fix for finding gnuplot
  • i.points, i.vpoints: various fixes, including reverse transform overlay of vector maps from the target projection
  • m.proj: NEW - utility to convert coordinates from one projection to another (automated frontend for cs2cs)
  • NVIZ: integrated into single user interface; animation labels; new fly-through navigation; direct output of animations to MPEG with FFMPEG library; menus polished; full Tcl/Tk 8.4 support
  • ps.map: many improvements (extended RGB support, etc), new vector fill patterns including vector legend support
  • r.carve: NEW - hydrologic module for transforming vector stream data into a raster map, including the subtraction of stream depth from the output DEM
  • r.flow: block erroneous Lat/Lon calculations
  • r.in.srtm: support for US 1-arcsec tiles
  • r.in.wms: NEW - download and import data from WMS servers
  • r.in.xyz: NEW - creates a raster map from an assemblage of many coordinates using univariate statistics (LIDAR/Swath bathymetry import tool)
  • r.lake: NEW - raises lakes in a DEM from a seed at a given water level
  • r.le: many stability fixes
  • r.mapcalc, r3.mapcalc: acos(), asin(), pow(), &&& and ||| added for more intuitive handling of null data
  • r.mask: NEW - create a MASK for limiting raster operations (port from GRASS 5)
  • r.out.gdal: added support for multiple CREATEKEY and METAKEY parameters
  • r.out.vtk: NEW - converts raster maps into the VTK-ASCII format for 3D visualization
  • r.profile: improved handling of input data
  • r.sim.sediment: NEW - overland flow hydrologic erosion model based on duality particle-field concept (SIMWE)
  • r.sim.water: NEW - overland shallow water flow hydrologic model based on duality particle-field concept (SIMWE)
  • r.sun: fixed units in description; new shadow algorithm; correction factor for shadowing to account for the Earth's curvature
  • r.support: NEW - raster map layer support module (port from GRASS 5)
  • r.thin: fixed maximum iterations for lines
  • r.to.rast3: NEW - converts 2D raster map slices to one 3D raster volume map
  • r.to.vect: add flag to not build topology (for r.in.xyz + v.surf.rst)
  • r3.*: many code improvements and extended functionality for 3D raster volume (voxel) data
  • r3.cross.rast: NEW - Creates a cross section 2D raster map from a g3d raster volume map based on a 2D elevation map
  • r3.out.vtk: NEW - converts 3D raster maps into the VTK-ASCII format for visualization
  • v.centroids: NEW - adds missing centroids to a vector map's closed area boundaries
  • v.db.addcol: NEW - creates one or more columns in the attribute table connected to a vector map
  • v.db.addtable: NEW - creates a new attribute table and connects it to an existing vector map
  • v.db.droptable: NEW - removes an existing attribute table from a vector map
  • v.db.reconnect.all: NEW - reconnect vector maps to a new database
  • v.db.select: multiple column support added
  • v.db.update: NEW - allows the user to assign a new value to a column in an attribute table
  • v.drape: NEW - converts a 2D vector map into a 3D vector map by sampling an elevation raster
  • v.digit: new layout, tools added, bugs fixed
  • v.dissolve: NEW - dissolve boundaries between adjacent areas in a vector map
  • v.external: GID search added; auto-search of FID added
  • v.extrude: NEW - extrudes flat vector objects into 3D vector faces of a defined height
  • v.in.dxf: NEW - rewritten for GRASS 6, support for 3D features added
  • v.in.ogr: repaired the --overwrite flag, selective import with WHERE option
  • v.in.e00: various fixes
  • v.in.gns: NEW - imports US-NGA GEOnet Names Server (GNS) country files
  • v.in.gpsbabel: NEW - import Waypoints, Routes, and Tracks from a GPS receiver or a GPS ASCII file into a vector map (supports many GPS formats)
  • v.in.mapgen: NEW - imports Mapgen or Matlab vector maps (port from GRASS 5)
  • v.kernel: speed improvements
  • v.lrs.*: NEW - Linear Reference System for vector line networks
  • v.out.ogr: 3D 'face' export added (3D vectors, for Google Earth KML format, etc.)
  • v.out.vtk: NEW VTK vector export
  • v.patch: attribute transfer, if table structures are identical
  • v.rast.stats: NEW - calculates univariate statistics from a GRASS raster map based on vector objects
  • v.report: NEW - calculates and reports geometry statistics for vector maps
  • v.surf.rst: default npmin option fixed; fix for reading spatially variable smoothing parameter
  • v.to.rast: added option to compute the direction (angle) of lines
  • v.to.rast3: NEW - converts a vector points map into a 3D raster map
  • v.univar.sh: NEW - calculates extended univariate statistics on a selected vector map attribute table column
  • v.what.vect: NEW - uploads the values of a given vector map into a coinciding vector point map's attribute table
  • Misc. display modules: Increased support for true-color RGB decorations
  • Misc. vector modules: Support for dynamic fill color and dynamic feature sizing from DB attribute columns
  • Scripts: Fixes for awk and related calculation problems for various locales
  • Scripts: Variable test portability issues fixed

For a comprehensive list of changes to modules see the 6.1 and 6.2 ChangeLog files.

For a complete list of commands available in GRASS 6.2.0 see the online manuals.

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