Toolboxes

See original post by Jarosław Jasiewicz

Hi all!

That rather radical ideas I present here are rather for future, at least for GRASS 8,
but I'd like present it now for long-term reflection.

Probably all notice that for over two years there is big increase in add-on repository
(including me). There are modules of different quality: from fully GRASS toolsets,
to shell or python scripts, from  actively developed tools to abandoned,
from all-purpose tools to very specialized etc. I also think that that activity
will be grown due to substitute shell script by python

Similar situation is in main GRASS branch: there are modules for all like conversion tools,
interpolation methods, georeferencing etc, and very specialized modules for very limited
group of users (like wild fire), there are also some modules out of date.

I'm not enthusiastic about moving new modules into main branch. Almost every module has
different coding style and it will lasting in future that GRASS would be difficult to maintain.
On the other hand some people complains that some interesting modules are only available as
add-ons (I assume for some reasons they cannot install it)

So my suggestion is to rearrange future GRASS form two layers (main branch/add-on) into
three layers architecture:

1) GRASS core layer: much limited limited than now, only GIS environment and basic,
all-puropse tools, slow changes, great stability
2) GRASS toolset layer: oficcial GRASS thematic tools and toolsets (like terrain analysis,
hydrological analysis, photo-interpretation, landscape analysis etc,) every toolset with its
maintainer, rapid development, new ready to use tools after quality control may appear here,
also some of current main branch tool shall be moved to that layer
3) GRASS community layer:  everything else like experimental, actively development new tools,
that what do not pass quality control, simple scripts, etc....

What benefits:
for developers and contributors: much clear situation and better publication path.
Toolset layer should be much more open for new tools than current GRASS main branch

for users: faster access to new tools.
There is no doubt that new tools are faster developed (less risk) than GRASS core
Binaries with toolsets could be maintained as separate apt/urpmi/pacman/yum/exe etc packages,
so it may appear in linux repository separetly form GRASS core.

There is only loose ideas. Most of them are of course taken from R (core/toolsets/rest of packages;
separate core and package development) but I think it is worth of some discuss ...

regards
Jarek

Repository layout

Current repository layout

- grass
|- trunk
 |- raster/
 |- vector/
 |- ...

- grass-addons
|- raster/
|- vector/
|- ...

Proposed repository layout

- grass
|- trunk
 |- raster/
 |- vector/
 |- ...

- grass-tools
|- trunk
 |- raster/
 |- vector/
 |- ...

- grass-addons
|- raster/
|- vector/
|- ...

Proposed toolboxes

Toolbox is a topic-based set of modules used for solving common GIS analysis, like hydrology, networking, LRS, etc. Toolbox should be easily installed by the user using g.extension

• add toolbox

g.extension toolbox=hydrology operation=add

Source code of the selected modules is downloaded from SVN, compiled and afterwards also installed to the user-specified (~/.grass7) or system (/usr/lib/grass7) directory.

• remove toolbox

g.extension toolbox=hydrology operation=remove

• list of modules of selected toolbox

g.extension -l toolbox=hydrology

User can also add/remove selected module

g.extension module=r.stream.angle operation=add

List of toolboxes

Toolbox name	Toolbox code	Description	Correlate toolbox
3D Raster	R3	All `r3.*` modules
3D Visualization	V3	nviz_cmd
Cartography	CA	ps.map, ps.output
Database	DB	All `db.*` modules	Vector analysis
Geostatistcal	GS	v.krige maybe other
GUI	GI	wxGUI
Hydrology	HY	r.watershed, r.terraflow, `r.stream.*` modules in addons, maybe other	Raster analysis
Imagery	IM	All `i.*` modules
Landascape analysis	LA	All `r.li.*` modules, maybe other	Raster analysis
Lidar analysis	LI	All `v.lidar.*` modules, v.surf.bspline
Linear Reference Systems	LS	All `v.lrs.*` modules	Vector analysis
Network analysis	NA	All `v.net.*` modules, maybe other	Vector analysis
Raster analysis	RA	A lot of basic `r.*` modules (like r.buffer, r.reclass, r.fillnull...)
Terrain analysis	TA	Different kind of analysis: soil (r.sun,), terrain (r.slope.aspect, r.los), geomorphometry (r.param.scale)	Raster analysis
Vector analysis	VA	A lot of basic `v.*` modules (like v.buffer, v.centroid, v.overlay...)	Database

List of modules (trunk)

Display

Module	Core/Tools/Addons	Toolbox(es)
d.barscale	?
d.colorlist	?
d.colortable	?
d.correlate	?
d.erase	?
d.font	?
d.fontlist	?
d.geodesic	?
d.graph	?
d.grid	?
d.his	?
d.histogram	?
d.info	?
d.labels	?
d.legend	?
d.linegraph	?
d.nviz	?
d.path	?
d.polar	?
d.profile	?
d.rast	?
d.rast.arrow	?
d.rast.edit	?
d.rast.leg	?
d.rast.num	?
d.rgb	?
d.rhumbline	?
d.shadedmap	?
d.text	?
d.thematic.area	?
d.title	?
d.vect	?
d.vect.chart	?
d.vect.thematic	?
d.where	?

Database

Module	Core/Tools/Addons	Toolbox(es)
db.columns	?
db.connect	?
db.copy	?
db.createdb	?
db.databases	?
db.describe	?
db.drivers	?
db.dropcolumn	?
db.dropdb	?
db.droptable	?
db.droptable	?
db.execute	?
db.in.ogr	?
db.login	?
db.out.ogr	?
db.select	?
db.tables	?
db.test	?

General

Module	Core/Tools/Addons	Toolbox(es)
g.access	C
g.cairocomp	C
g.copy	C
g.dirseps	C
g.extension	C
g.filename	C
g.findetc	C
g.findfile	C
g.gisenv	C
g.gui	C
g.list	C
g.manual	C
g.mapset	C
g.mapsets	C
g.message	C
g.mkfontcap	C
g.mlist	C
g.mremove	C
g.parser	C
g.pnmcomp	C
g.ppmtopng	C
g.proj	C
g.region	C
g.remove	C
g.rename	C
g.tempfile	C
g.transform	C
g.version	C

Imagery

Module	Core/Tools/Addons	Toolbox(es)
i.albedo	?
i.atcorr	?
i.biomass	?
i.cca	?
i.cluster	?
i.eb.eta	?
i.eb.evapfr	?
i.eb.h_SEBAL01	?
i.eb.soilheatflux	?
i.emissivity	?
i.evapo.time	?
i.fft	?
i.fusion.brovey	?
i.gensig	?
i.gensigset	?
i.group	?
i.his.rgb	?
i.ifft	?
i.image.mosaic	?
i.in.spotvgt	?
i.landsat.rgb	?
i.latlong	?
i.maxlik	?
i.modis.qc	?
i.oif	?
i.pca	?
i.rectify	?
i.rgb.his	?
i.smap	?
i.spectral	?
i.sunhours	?
i.target	?
i.tasscap	?
i.vi	?
i.zc	?

Misc

Module	Core/Tools/Addons	Toolbox(es)
m.cogo	?
m.measure	?
m.proj	?

Postscript

Module	Core/Tools/Addons	Toolbox(es)
ps.map	?

Raster

Module	Core/Tools/Addons	Toolbox(es)
r.basins.fill	?
r.bitpattern	?
r.blend	?
r.buffer	?
r.buffer2	?
r.carve	?
r.category	?
r.circle	?
r.clump	?
r.coin	?
r.colors	?
r.colors.out	?
r.colors.stddev	?
r.composite	?
r.compress	?
r.contour	?
r.cost	?
r.covar	?
r.cross	?
r.describe	?
r.distance	?
r.drain	?
r.external	?
r.external.out	?
r.fill.dir	?
r.fillnulls	?
r.flow	?
r.grow	?
r.grow.distance	?
r.gwflow	?
r.his	?
r.horizon	?
r.in.arc	?
r.in.ascii	?
r.in.aster	?
r.in.bin	?
r.in.gdal	?
r.in.gridatb	?
r.in.mat	?
r.in.png	?
r.in.poly	?
r.in.srtm	?
r.in.wms	?
r.in.xyz	?
r.info	?
r.kappa	?
r.lake	?
r.li.cwed	?
r.li.dominance	?
r.li.edgedensity	?
r.li.mpa	?
r.li.mps	?
r.li.padcv	?
r.li.padrange	?
r.li.padsd	?
r.li.patchdensity	?
r.li.patchnum	?
r.li.richness	?
r.li.shannon	?
r.li.shape	?
r.li.simpson	?
r.los	?
r.mapcalc	?
r.mask	?
r.mfilter	?
r.mode	?
r.neighbors	?
r.null	?
r.out.arc	?
r.out.ascii	?
r.out.bin	?
r.out.gdal	?
r.out.gridatb	?
r.out.mat	?
r.out.mpeg	?
r.out.png	?
r.out.pov	?
r.out.ppm	?
r.out.ppm3	?
r.out.tiff	?
r.out.vrml	?
r.out.vtk	?
r.out.xyz	?
r.param.scale	?
r.patch	?
r.plane	?
r.profile	?
r.proj	?
r.quant	?
r.quantile	?
r.random	?
r.random.cells	?
r.random.surface	?
r.reclass	?
r.reclass.area	?
r.recode	?
r.region	?
r.regression.line	?
r.report	?
r.resamp.bspline	?
r.resamp.filter	?
r.resamp.interp	?
r.resamp.rst	?
r.resamp.stats	?
r.resample	?
r.rescale	?
r.rescale.eq	?
r.ros	?
r.series	?
r.shaded.relief	?
r.sim.sediment	?
r.sim.water	?
r.slope.aspect	?
r.solute.transport	?
r.spread	?
r.spreadpath	?
r.statistics	?
r.statistics2	?
r.statistics3	?
r.stats	?
r.sun	?
r.sunmask	?
r.support	?
r.support.stats	?
r.surf.area	?
r.surf.contour	?
r.surf.fractal	?
r.surf.gauss	?
r.surf.idw	?
r.surf.idw2	?
r.surf.random	?
r.terraflow	?
r.texture	?
r.thin	?
r.tileset	?
r.timestamp	?
r.to.rast3	?
r.to.rast3elev	?
r.to.vect	?
r.topidx	?
r.topmodel	?
r.transect	?
r.univar	?
r.uslek	?
r.usler	?
r.volume	?
r.walk	?
r.water.outlet	?
r.watershed	?
r.what	?
r.what.color	?

3D raster

Module	Core/Tools/Addons	Toolbox(es)
r3.cross.rast	T	3D Raster
r3.gwflow	T	3D Raster
r3.in.ascii	T	3D Raster
r3.in.v5d	T	3D Raster
r3.info	T	3D Raster
r3.mapcalc	T	3D Raster
r3.mask	T	3D Raster
r3.mkdspf	T	3D Raster
r3.null	T	3D Raster
r3.out.ascii	T	3D Raster
r3.out.v5d	T	3D Raster
r3.out.vtk	T	3D Raster
r3.stats	T	3D Raster
r3.timestamp	T	3D Raster
r3.to.rast	T	3D Raster
r3.univar	T	3D Raster

Vector

Module	Core/Tools/Addons	Toolbox(es)
v.autokrige	?
v.buffer	?
v.build	?
v.build.all	?
v.build.polylines	?
v.category	?
v.centroids	?
v.class	?
v.clean	?
v.colors	?
v.convert	?
v.convert.all	?
v.db.addcolumn	?
v.db.addtable	?
v.db.connect	?
v.db.dropcolumn	?
v.db.droprow	?
v.db.droptable	?
v.db.join	?
v.db.reconnect.all	?
v.db.renamecolumn	?
v.db.select	?
v.db.univar	?
v.db.update	?
v.delaunay	?
v.dissolve	?
v.distance	?
v.drape	?
v.edit	?
v.external	?
v.extract	?
v.extrude	?
v.generalize	?
v.hull	?
v.in.ascii	?
v.in.db	?
v.in.dxf	?
v.in.e00	?
v.in.geonames	?
v.in.gns	?
v.in.lines	?
v.in.mapgen	?
v.in.ogr	?
v.in.postgis	?
v.in.region	?
v.in.sites	?
v.in.sites.all	?
v.in.wfs	?
v.info	?
v.kcv	?
v.kernel	?
v.krige	?
v.label	?
v.lidar.correction	?
v.lidar.edgedetection	?
v.lidar.growing	?
v.lrs.create	?
v.lrs.label	?
v.lrs.segment	?
v.lrs.where	?
v.mkgrid	?
v.neighbors	?
v.net	?
v.net.alloc	?
v.net.allpairs	?
v.net.bridge	?
v.net.centrality	?
v.net.components	?
v.net.connectivity	?
v.net.distance	?
v.net.flow	?
v.net.iso	?
v.net.path	?
v.net.salesman	?
v.net.spanningtree	?
v.net.steiner	?
v.net.timetable	?
v.net.visibility	?
v.normal	?
v.out.ascii	?
v.out.dxf	?
v.out.gps	?
v.out.ogr	?
v.out.postgis	?
v.out.pov	?
v.out.svg	?
v.out.vtk	?
v.outlier	?
v.overlay	?
v.parallel	?
v.patch	?
v.perturb	?
v.proj	?
v.qcount	?
v.random	?
v.rast.stats	?
v.reclass	?
v.report	?
v.sample	?
v.segment	?
v.select	?
v.split	?
v.support	?
v.surf.bspline	?
v.surf.idw	?
v.surf.rst	?
v.to.3d	?
v.to.db	?
v.to.points	?
v.to.rast	?
v.to.rast3	?
v.transform	?
v.type	?
v.univar	?
v.vol.rst	?
v.voronoi	?
v.what	?
v.what.rast	?
v.what.vect	?

Various

Module	Core/Tools/Addons	Toolbox(es)
nviz	?
nviz_cmd	?
wximgview	?
wxpyimgview	?
xganim	?
ximgview	?

List of selected AddOns modules

See GRASS AddOns for full list of available modules. Feel free to extend this list.

Module	Core/Tools/Addons	Toolbox(es)	Note
r.stream.angle	T	HY
r.seg	T	IM	It could be rename to `i.seg`
i.topocorr	T	IM
r.diversity	T	LA
Ps.output	?
...	?

How to implement

propose 1

• add html tag <param> in the description.html with these options:

<param name = "core"> for core module
<param name = "tool" value="tool_code/codes"> for toolbox
<param name = "addons" [value="tool_code/codes"]> for addons, value is optional

• create a script to generate a xml file for each toolbox
• add toolbox option in g.extension to read the xml and install the modules