GIS and Remote Sensing Unit at FEM-CRI

GIS development

We believe in the development approach of Open Source software which is perfectly in line with academic research and the long-term experience of the group members. Open Source in general refers to software development methods where the source code is maintained in a public repository with a group of developers, often volunteers, working on it. After peer-review of code style, functionality and quality, software packages are regularly released under commonly accepted free software licenses which regulate the distribution terms ensuring free redistribution, permission of modifications and derived works. The aim is to receive quality software at lower costs which is flexible, interoperable and free of any vendor lock-in.

We are co-developer of the Open Source Geographical Information System (GIS) software package GRASS GIS and contribute to further GIS libraries and tools. These packages are used in our scientific work and expanded following the philosophy illustrated above. Group individuals are member of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) which supports and promotes the use and collaborative development of Open Source geospatial technologies and data around the world.