GRASS Roots

Jim Westervelt
CERL, Champaign, Illinois, USA

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     Last modified: August 16, 2004
     Presentation date: 09/12/2004 2:30 PM in FE
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abstracts
GRASS, the Geographic Resource Analysis Support Software, is nearing 25 years of age and has recently attracted a whole new generation of users and developers. For this community, many of whom are younger than GRASS, a glimpse into the early years of GRASS design and development will be surprisingly familiar. The environment within which GRASS was developed and the needs of its community then, mirror the current environment and needs. A short history of GRASS in the form of short stories will
take us from the conception of the baby GRASS through its childhood, its teen years, and into adulthood. We then conclude with a comparison of user needs that shaped GRASS at its beginning with those that shape its future.