Hi I am currently undertaking the BTech in GIS at BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology).  Graduation requires that I do a project, which I just got.  This project will create a web map using open source GIS software.

Can anyone out there please suggest some good open source software?  How does it compare with ArcGIS?  Also web mapping, any good examples or advice to follow?

Thanks!

Sean

Check out GeoNetwork (http://geonetwork-opensource.org/).  Open source web mapping cannot be compared to proprietary desktop software such as ArcGIS - like comparing apples to oranges.

Hi Sean,

A good place to start is the OSGeo-Live 5.0 DVD.  This is a bootable DVD that takes you straight into a prepared system containing many open source GIS software projects already set up for you so that you can try them all out and determine which ones are useful for your particular project.  You can download it from the OSGeo site at: http://live.osgeo.org then copy the iso to DVD or USB depending on what you prefer to boot from.

Comparing open source and proprietary software depends on what you are trying to achieve.  I like the freedom that open source gives you just to  download, explore and use.  They generally rely on open standards so different packages can be made to work together.  There is no proprietary lock-in and no danger of the licence running out at awkward times and having to jump through all sorts of hoops to renew the licence.  I find the software generally mature enough these days for serious use, especially for a university project if that is what you are using it for.

Good luck.

Neil.

Have you tried GRASS?  I downloaded it and have only used a little bit, but it seems like a good program.  Finding documentation and tips online for it seems like it's pretty easy.

Jorge

Fremont, California

Dear Sean,

For the purpose of your project I would recommend to use QGIS for creation of layers (shape file and rasters). QGIS can use a lot of the mentioned functionalities of GRASS as it has a GRASS-plugin.

For serving the shapes and rasters online in a webmap I would use geoserver to serve them as a wms (web mapping service) and consume it on the same machine with openlayers.

we have a lot of content regarding this:

http://www.digital-geography.com/tag/openlayers/

http://www.digital-geography.com/tag/qgis/

you may find a good overlook here: http://www.digital-geography.com/types-of-web-maps-concepts-and-possibilities/

best wishes, riccardo

is there any open source GIS is making use of various common online web map applications like Google and Microsoft Bing?