I couldnt agree more with the previous postings. GIS is about concepts, not about learning which buttons get you to an end result. Given infinity, a monkey could write a work of Shakespeare. Given even less time, a monkey could press enough buttons to perform “GIS Analysis” using the ESRI suite.
On a previous post someone replied with something that has really stuck with me. It may have been Dylan. (quote not verbatim) “Using a computer graphics package does not make one an artist. Using a word processor does not make one a writer. Using GIS software does not make one a GIS Professional”. The key here is that GIS is about the concepts and analytical capabilities, the chosen software is just the tool to do it. GRASS is an excellent tool for many reasons.
Now for the bad news: Living in the US where ESRI is dominant (easily seen on job postings), I would have to unfortunately admit that it is important to at a minimum be able to say you have used ESRI ArcMap when job hunting. Unfortunately (from a US perspective), much like “computers” are synonymous with Windows, GIS is synonymous with ESRI.
Now for the big “However…”. For companies/agencies looking to start up GIS or take it to the next level besides simple editing and map printing, or even migrate away from an ESRI suite due to the enormous yearly “maintenance fees” & bugs, GRASS and other open source GIS and databases have huge advantages. From experience I can say that since ESRI re-wrote their GIS in 2000 to “ArcMap”, the quality of the software has tanked. In retrospect I am thankful, because it is what drove me to open source GIS like GRASS. One obvious drawback to ArcMap is the massive costs. Take the startup costs alone (these are from memory and may be dated they are not exact quotes): ArcMap Arc/Info = $14,000USD. Raster analysis extension = $2,500USD. 2.5 (3d) analysis extension = $2,500USD. (those extensions may be $5,000)
Looking at it from a student’s perspective, think of how much power is given to the student to be able to go to an agency or company and say “ArcMap… yeah I can use that software. But if you really want cost savings and a robust, scalable GIS, you might want to consider GRASS GIS on Linux or Mac. The initial cost savings are in the tens of thousands of dollars, the quality of software is far superior, and there are no yearly maintenance fees.” That is empowering and enriching students rather than robbing them.
So, the answer has two “yes’s”. Yes, due to market saturation (in the US), students should be equipped with the knowledge to push ESRI buttons. And yes, learning GIS concepts and applications for real world applications should be done with open source software GIS such as GRASS as it causes the student to come away with a solid understanding of what GIS is and how it works. Also given the fact that GRASS is part of many open source GIS solutions, students can then explore other open source GIS software like GDAL/OGR, Quantum GIS, Mapserver, and PostGIS/PostgreSQL.
Take the semester to teach GIS concepts with GRASS GIS on Mac/Linux. Then take a day to show how to push buttons on Windows/ArcMap. Be sure to explain open source advantages and how to join the revolution. Then let the students make the decision. It will be an easy one.
Mark
On 9/18/06, Roy Sanderson <R.A.Sanderson@newcastle.ac.uk > wrote:
Hello Tom, Michael and others
Thanks for your comments on this. I was somewhat baffled by the external
examiner’s report, as student feedback had been very positive on the
course. Perhaps he thought GRASS was only used in education? I did
demonstrate a few ArGIS features to the students at the end of the course,
but it was noticable that only one of them wanted to use it when it came to
their projects, and the rest stuck to GRASS.
Best wishes
Roy
At 10:43 18/09/06 -0400, Thomas Adams wrote:
Michael,
Completely agree. One might also go to
http://grass.itc.it/community/index.php to see the international use of
GRASS GIS and to http://gmt.soest.hawaii.edu/ for the use of GMT, which
many GRASS GIS users also use extensively. The assertion that GRASS is
not used outside of Newcastle is an openly inflammatory and contentious
remark and clearly not grounded in fact.
So, one would also presume that UNIX, Linux, and MacOS X should not be
used in an academic setting for the same reason, that is, that
MS-Windows dominates, so…?
Tom
Michael Barton wrote:
Roy,
You’ll probably get a lot of response on this, but I’ll add a bit here. In
terms of not being known outside Newcastle, take a look at the
user/developer map on the GRASS web site. I’m in Arizona, USA–quite a ways
from Newcastle–and we are using GRASS in research projects and teaching it
to students here.
Because many companies use ESRI products, it will be useful for students
seeking employment in those companies to have some familiarity with ESRI
software. However, they will go farther if they have a good
understanding of
GIS concepts, and especially how to use GIS to solve problems, than simply
the techniques of how to push which buttons. People who actually know what
to use GIS for, can get up to speed in different systems pretty fast. So an
overview of different software, including ESRI, might be a good addition to
a course that uses GRASS to more effectively teach how to use GIS.
Also, those who are employed in places where the results are more important
than the software used might do better with GRASS–e.g. those focusing on
research or in consulting.
Michael
Michael Barton, Professor of Anthropology
School of Human Evolution & Social Change
Center for Social Dynamics & Complexity
Arizona State University
phone: 480-965-6213
fax: 480-965-7671
www: http://www.public.asu.edu/~cmbarton
From: Roy Sanderson < R.A.Sanderson@newcastle.ac.uk>
Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 08:51:47 +0000
To: < grassuser@grass.itc.it >
Subject: [GRASS-user] ArcGIS, GRASS and employability
Hello
Last spring I converted a short course I give to some of our MSc students,
from ArcGIS 9 to GRASS 6.0. Whilst the students had had no prior exposure
to GIS (or indeed Linux), it was obvious that they progressed through
their
work much more rapidly and learnt more in terms of the fundamental
concepts, and I was pleased with the overall results.
However, the External Examiner’s report for the MSc has criticised the
change to GRASS, stating that “it isn’t known outside Newcastle” and that
it is harming the students’ employment prospects on graduation. The
examiner is clearly wanting me to go back to using something like
ArcGIS or
MapInfo in the GIS module.
It would be useful if anyone could provide me with a few facts/figures on
the use of GRASS outside of academia, especially in any large commercial
companies etc.
Many thanks
Roy
Roy Sanderson
Institute for Research on Environment and Sustainability
Devonshire Building
University of Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 191 246 4835
Fax: +44 191 246 4999
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/environment/
r.a.sanderson@newcastle.ac.uk
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Thomas E Adams
National Weather Service
Ohio River Forecast Center
1901 South State Route 134
Wilmington, OH 45177
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