[GRASS5] National Center for Open Source Policy and Research

GRASS GIS GRASS GIS developer
1

I just came across this new center to help encourage open source software
for government agencies. If I understand it correctly, if US government
agencies use GRASS and register it here the center will help with
distribution of software and information. Might be something to send on out
to the user list.

<http://www.ncospr.org/index.php&gt;

Michael

__________________________________________
Michael Barton, Professor of Anthropology
School of Human Evolution and Social Change
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-2402

phone: 480-965-6213
fax: 480-965-7671
www: http://www.public.asu.edu/~cmbarton

2

I'm not sure how much this can help GRASS in the US.

Several years ago the GAO decided that all federal agencies would use one GIS
provider. They chose ESRI software and that is one of the factors that gave
ESRI such a huge share of the US market. Federal support for other GIS
software -- notably GRASS and MOSS -- stopped at about that time. Major uses
of GRASS by Federal agencies (NRCS in particular) were ported to ArcInfo.
Research institutions that worked with NRCS (e.g. Texas A&M Blacklands
Institute and the Cornell Soil and Water Lab) seem to have drifted away from
their commitment to GRASS.

There may be other restrictions on federal agency use of Open Source software.

Roger Miller

On Wednesday 26 October 2005 01:21, Michael Barton wrote:

I just came across this new center to help encourage open source software
for government agencies. If I understand it correctly, if US government
agencies use GRASS and register it here the center will help with
distribution of software and information. Might be something to send on out
to the user list.

<http://www.ncospr.org/index.php&gt;

Michael

__________________________________________
Michael Barton, Professor of Anthropology
School of Human Evolution and Social Change
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-2402

phone: 480-965-6213
fax: 480-965-7671
www: http://www.public.asu.edu/~cmbarton

_______________________________________________
grass5 mailing list
grass5@grass.itc.it
http://grass.itc.it/mailman/listinfo/grass5

3

There is no U.S. Federal policy on GIS. At best, GIS policy exists on an agency-by-agency basis (sometimes at the Dept. level, e.g. maybe at Interior). I can say unequivocally thet there is no Dept. of Commerce or NOAA or NWS policy on GIS.

Regards,
Tom

Roger Miller wrote:

I'm not sure how much this can help GRASS in the US.

Several years ago the GAO decided that all federal agencies would use one GIS provider. They chose ESRI software and that is one of the factors that gave ESRI such a huge share of the US market. Federal support for other GIS software -- notably GRASS and MOSS -- stopped at about that time. Major uses of GRASS by Federal agencies (NRCS in particular) were ported to ArcInfo. Research institutions that worked with NRCS (e.g. Texas A&M Blacklands Institute and the Cornell Soil and Water Lab) seem to have drifted away from their commitment to GRASS.

There may be other restrictions on federal agency use of Open Source software.

Roger Miller

On Wednesday 26 October 2005 01:21, Michael Barton wrote:

I just came across this new center to help encourage open source software
for government agencies. If I understand it correctly, if US government
agencies use GRASS and register it here the center will help with
distribution of software and information. Might be something to send on out
to the user list.

<http://www.ncospr.org/index.php&gt;

Michael

__________________________________________
Michael Barton, Professor of Anthropology
School of Human Evolution and Social Change
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-2402

phone: 480-965-6213
fax: 480-965-7671
www: http://www.public.asu.edu/~cmbarton

_______________________________________________
grass5 mailing list
grass5@grass.itc.it
http://grass.itc.it/mailman/listinfo/grass5
   
_______________________________________________
grass5 mailing list
grass5@grass.itc.it
http://grass.itc.it/mailman/listinfo/grass5

--
Thomas E Adams
National Weather Service
Ohio River Forecast Center
1901 South State Route 134
Wilmington, OH 45177

EMAIL: thomas.adams@noaa.gov

VOICE: 937-383-0528
FAX: 937-383-0033

4

Thanks. I stand corrected.

My sources were with the Department of Interior (USGS, BoR, BLM, NRCS, etc).

Roger Miller

Quoting Thomas Adams <Thomas.Adams@noaa.gov>:

There is no U.S. Federal policy on GIS. At best, GIS policy exists on an agency-by-agency basis (sometimes at the Dept. level, e.g. maybe at Interior). I can say unequivocally thet there is no Dept. of Commerce or NOAA or NWS policy on GIS.

Regards,
Tom

Roger Miller wrote:

I'm not sure how much this can help GRASS in the US.

Several years ago the GAO decided that all federal agencies would use one GIS provider. They chose ESRI software and that is one of the factors that gave ESRI such a huge share of the US market. Federal support for other GIS software -- notably GRASS and MOSS -- stopped at about that time. Major uses of GRASS by Federal agencies (NRCS in particular) were ported to ArcInfo. Research institutions that worked with NRCS (e.g. Texas A&M Blacklands Institute and the Cornell Soil and Water Lab) seem to have drifted away from their commitment to GRASS.

There may be other restrictions on federal agency use of Open Source software.

Roger Miller

On Wednesday 26 October 2005 01:21, Michael Barton wrote:

I just came across this new center to help encourage open source software
for government agencies. If I understand it correctly, if US government
agencies use GRASS and register it here the center will help with
distribution of software and information. Might be something to send on out
to the user list.

<http://www.ncospr.org/index.php&gt;

Michael

__________________________________________
Michael Barton, Professor of Anthropology
School of Human Evolution and Social Change
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-2402

phone: 480-965-6213
fax: 480-965-7671
www: http://www.public.asu.edu/~cmbarton

_______________________________________________
grass5 mailing list
grass5@grass.itc.it
http://grass.itc.it/mailman/listinfo/grass5

_______________________________________________
grass5 mailing list
grass5@grass.itc.it
http://grass.itc.it/mailman/listinfo/grass5

--
Thomas E Adams
National Weather Service
Ohio River Forecast Center
1901 South State Route 134
Wilmington, OH 45177

EMAIL: thomas.adams@noaa.gov

VOICE: 937-383-0528
FAX: 937-383-0033

_______________________________________________
grass5 mailing list
grass5@grass.itc.it
http://grass.itc.it/mailman/listinfo/grass5

5

According to the article I ran into, the NCOSPR has just opened. It seems
that at least some parts of the federal government have continued to use
open source software. Now, there is some degree of recognition that this
could be a good thing--at least enough of a recognition to start a new
center to coordinate it.

Michael
__________________________________________
Michael Barton, Professor of Anthropology
School of Human Evolution and Social Change
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-2402

phone: 480-965-6213
fax: 480-965-7671
www: http://www.public.asu.edu/~cmbarton

From: Thomas Adams <Thomas.Adams@noaa.gov>
Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 10:06:17 -0400
To: <roger@spinn.net>
Cc: <grass5@grass.itc.it>
Subject: Re: [GRASS5] National Center for Open Source Policy and Research

There is no U.S. Federal policy on GIS. At best, GIS policy exists on an
agency-by-agency basis (sometimes at the Dept. level, e.g. maybe at
Interior). I can say unequivocally thet there is no Dept. of Commerce or
NOAA or NWS policy on GIS.

Regards,
Tom

Roger Miller wrote:

I'm not sure how much this can help GRASS in the US.

Several years ago the GAO decided that all federal agencies would use one GIS
provider. They chose ESRI software and that is one of the factors that gave
ESRI such a huge share of the US market. Federal support for other GIS
software -- notably GRASS and MOSS -- stopped at about that time. Major uses
of GRASS by Federal agencies (NRCS in particular) were ported to ArcInfo.
Research institutions that worked with NRCS (e.g. Texas A&M Blacklands
Institute and the Cornell Soil and Water Lab) seem to have drifted away from
their commitment to GRASS.

There may be other restrictions on federal agency use of Open Source
software.

Roger Miller

On Wednesday 26 October 2005 01:21, Michael Barton wrote:

I just came across this new center to help encourage open source software
for government agencies. If I understand it correctly, if US government
agencies use GRASS and register it here the center will help with
distribution of software and information. Might be something to send on out
to the user list.

<http://www.ncospr.org/index.php&gt;

Michael

__________________________________________
Michael Barton, Professor of Anthropology
School of Human Evolution and Social Change
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-2402

phone: 480-965-6213
fax: 480-965-7671
www: http://www.public.asu.edu/~cmbarton

_______________________________________________
grass5 mailing list
grass5@grass.itc.it
http://grass.itc.it/mailman/listinfo/grass5
   
_______________________________________________
grass5 mailing list
grass5@grass.itc.it
http://grass.itc.it/mailman/listinfo/grass5

--
Thomas E Adams
National Weather Service
Ohio River Forecast Center
1901 South State Route 134
Wilmington, OH 45177

EMAIL: thomas.adams@noaa.gov

VOICE: 937-383-0528
FAX: 937-383-0033