GRASS GIS manual: gis.m

Note: A new GRASS GIS stable version has been released: GRASS GIS 7. Go directly to the new manual page here

NAME

gis.m - GIS manager for GRASS

KEYWORDS

SYNOPSIS

gis.m
gis.m help
gis.m [dmrc=string] [--verbose] [--quiet]

Parameters:

dmrc=string: Name of GIS manager settings file (.grc)

DESCRIPTION

The GRASS GIS Manager provides an interactive graphical interface to GRASS commands. By default, it is started automatically with each GRASS session. The GIS Manager can be quit by selecting the 'File->Exit' menu item. The GIS Manager can be restarted from the GRASS command line shell by typing "gis.m".

The GIS Manager includes a set of pull-down menus for all GRASS GIS functions (analysis, file I/O, GIS configuration and management), two rows of buttons that manage display layers, an upper window in which layers to display are organized, and a lower window which contains options panels for layers in the layer tree.

GIS Manager window

The top left button opens a new map display window. Each map display has a unique set of layers to display and region setting (zoom). Other buttons add layers of different types for display in the selected map display window. There are additional buttons for saving or opening group display file, starting XGANIM (display animator) display interfaces (requires motif), and digitizing. Mouse-over help is available for all buttons.

Map layers are listed in the window below the buttons. Layers can include raster and vector maps, text, map enhancements (scale and north arrow, and grids), and commands (where any GRASS command be written). Layers are displayed in as arranged in the layer tree: the bottom layer is displayed first and the top is displayed last, as if layers are a series of stacked overlays. Any layer can be renamed by double clicking on its name and typing a new name.

The check box to the left of each layer makes it active or inactive for display. Only active layers are displayed/redisplayed when the display button is pressed. Layers can be organized into groups; entire groups can be activated or deactivated for display. Groups can be saved to a file and opened in subsequent sessions, restoring all layers and their display options.

When a layer is selected with the mouse, its options are shown in the panel below the layer tree window. Help for each layer type can be accessed by pressing the GRASS button in the option panel.

Each map display has a unique layer tree and region setting (zoom). Buttons on each map display manage the map in the display (zoom and pan), provide tools for query and distance measurement, and exporting or printing the display. The geographic coordinates under the cursor are displayed in the indicator window (lower right window frame). It is important to note that zooming in any display will have NO effect on the 'computational region' setting (set with g.region). Only by selecting the "Set current region to match display" item in the zoom menu (in the map display tool bar) will the current display extents be copied to the computational region extents.

A separate console window shows all commands issued and all command output (upper window). GRASS commands (and any other UNIX/Linux/DOS commands) can be entered into and run from the console (lower window). If any of the arguments contain a space then the entire option must be quoted in Tcl/Tk style, e.g.:

 v.db.select roads "where=label ~ 'highway'"
  or
 v.db.select roads {where=label ~ 'highway'}
  or
 v.db.select roads where=label\ ~\ 'highway'

GIS MANAGER BUTTON FUNCTIONS

Top Row

Open new map display: Opens a new map display and resets layer tree.
Add raster layer: Adds a raster map to the layer tree. Raster display options include: displaying a selected subset of raster cells, defined by their cat values; draping (or "fusing") a second map over the base map; and displaying legends for the base map and draped map. See d.rast and d.his (for draping/fusing).
Add RGB or HIS raster layer: Combines and displays three raster maps defined as red, green, and blue channels; or combines and displays two or three raster maps defined as hue, intensity, and (optionally) saturation channels. See d.rgb and d.his.
Add histogram layer: Adds a layer to display histogram of a raster map or image. See d.histogram.
Add cell values layer: Adds map of raster cells with cell values printed inside. Only works when <10,000 cells are displayed. See d.rast.num.
Add raster arrows layer: Adds map of raster cells with directional arrows drawn. Arrow direction and length are determined by separate aspect/directional map and (optional) slope/intensity map. See d.rast.arrow.
Add raster legend: Adds a legend for a single raster map to the layer tree. Multiple options for formatting the legend are available. See d.legend.
Add vector layer: Adds a vector map to the layer tree. A large number of options are available for displaying the vector map, including: outline and fill color, icon type and size for points, line widths for all vector types, automatic labeling using an attribute column, querying cats or attributes to limit vectors displayed, and restricting vector display depending on region size. See d.vect.
Add thematic map layer (for all vector types): Adds layer for thematic display values from a numeric attribute column associated with a vector map. Options include: thematic display type (graduated colors or point sizes), methods for creating display intervals, SQL query of attribute column to limit vector objects to display, control of point icon types and sizes, control of thematic color schemes, creation of legend for thematic map, and saving the results of thematic mapping to a ps.map instructions file for later printing. See d.vect.thematic.
Add thematic charts layer (for vector points): Adds layer in which pie or bar charts can be automatically created at vector point locations. Charts display values from selected columns in the associated attribute table. Options include: chart type, layer and attributes to chart, chart colors, and chart size (fixed or based on attribute column). See d.vect.chart.
Add raster labels layer for vector objects (from existing labels file): Add raster text layer from a labels file for vector objects created with the v.label module (accessed from button in options panel). A labels file can also be created with a text editor. See d.labels.
Add text layer: Adds layer to display a line of text using default GRASS font (selected with d.font). Options include: text placement (screen coordinates); and text size, bolding, and color. See d.text.
Add PostScript labels layer for vector objects (from existing labels file): Add PostScript text layer from a labels file for vector objects created with the v.label module (accessed from button in options panel). A labels file can also be created with a text editor. See d.labels.
Add PostScript text layer: Adds layer to display a line of PostScript text. Options include: text placement by coordinates (geographic or screen); text alignment, font and line spacing; and text size, bolding, and color.

Bottom Row

Add scalebar and north arrow layer

Adds layer to display a combined scalebar and north arrow. Options include scalebar placement (using screen coordinates or a mouse), scalebar format, and scalebar colors. See d.barscale.

Overlay grids and lines

Adds layer to display regular grid (for all locations), or geodesic and rhumblines (for latitude/longitude locations only). Grid options include: grid and border colors, grid origin, and grid line spacing. Geodesic and rhumbline options include: line color, and xy coordinates (geographic) of line endpoints. See d.grid, d.geodesic, and d.rhumbline.

Add command layer

Adds a layer in which a GRASS GIS command or command list can be entered. For a command list use the pipe symbol as "|" as separator. For example:

  d.rast soils | d.rast -o roads | d.vect streams col=blue

Note that when an option of the command contains spaces, you need to escape them with the backslash ('\') character, for example:
d.text.freetype text=Population\ density

Add group

Adds an empty layer group. Layers can then be added to the group.

Duplicate selected layer or group

Adds a new layer that duplicates the selected layer.

Cut selected layer or group

Deletes the selected group or layer.

Erase all layers and create a new group

Removes all layers in the layer tree and creates a new, empty group to which new layers can be added.

Open an existing group file

Opens an previously saved group file, containing a set of display layers and their option settings.

Save layers to group file

Saves current set of layers and their options to a group file.

Animate raster map series

Starts the interactive Animation Tool interface to display a series of raster maps as an animation. See the Animation Tool help page.

Digitize raster or vector maps

Starts the raster digitizing or vector digitizing module, depending on whether a raster or vector map is selected. Raster digitizing always creates a new map. Vector digitizing will either edit an existing map (if an existing vector map is selected in the layer tree) or create a new vector map (if the name of the new vector to be created is entered in the 'vector name' field of the options panel for a vector map layer). See r.digit and v.digit.

MAP DISPLAY BUTTON FUNCTIONS

Display active layers (current region): Displays all active layers at current resolution and region extents for that map display window.
Re-render and display all active layers and zoom to current region: Resets the region to the resolution and extents to the values set with g.region; forces re-display and re-rendering all active layers. See g.region.
NVIZ: Starts NVIZ, the n-dimensional visualization module and interactive graphical interface. All active raster and vector layers in the layer tree will be displayed in NVIZ. See the nviz manual.
Create fly through path for NVIZ: Starts a GRASS module for interactive creation of a fly-through path to be animated in NVIZ. See d.nviz.
Erase to white: Erases the currently selected monitor to a white background; also removes all frames. See d.erase and d.frame -e.
Arrow cursor: Select arrow cursor for map display.
Zoom in: Interactive zooming with the mouse in the active display monitor. Drawing a box with the mouse (left button) and zoom-in cursor causes the display to zoom in so that the area defined by the box fills the display. The map resolution is not changed. Clicking with the zoom-in cursor causes the display to zoom in by 30%, centered on the point where the mouse is clicked. Zooming resets the display region extents (both size and location of area displayed). It does NOT affect the computational region for other GIS processes. See g.region.
Zoom out: Interactive zooming with the mouse in the active display monitor. Drawing a box with the mouse (left button) and zoom-out cursor causes the display to zoom in so that the area displayed shrinks to fill the area defined by the box. The map resolution is not changed. Clicking with the zoom-out cursor causes the display to zoom out by 30%, centered on the point where the mouse is clicked. Zooming resets the display region extents (both size and location of area displayed). It does NOT affect the computational region for other GIS processes. See g.region.
Pan: Interactive selection of a new center of view in the active display monitor. Drag the pan cursor while pressing the left mouse button to pan. Panning changes the location of the region displayed but not the size of the area displayed or the resolution. Panning does NOT affect the computational region for other GIS processes. See g.region.
Revert zoom: Returns to the previous zoom. Up to 5 levels of zoom back are maintained. See g.region.
Zoom menu: Automatic zoom settings menu. Zoom to match the extents of a selected map or to match the extents of a saved region; save the current extents to a named region file; zoom to match the computational region (set with g.region) or to match the default region; set computational region (the mapset's WIND file) to match the current display extents (does not change the resolution). See g.region.
Query tool (select a map first): Query selected raster (only the base map of a draped map will be queried), RGB raster map (all three map channels will be queried), or vector map using the mouse. A map must be selected before query. Vector charts and thematic vector maps cannot be queried. The results of the query will be displayed in the console window. See r.what and v.what.
Distance measurement tool: Interactive measurement of lengths defined with the mouse. The length of each segment and the cumulative length of all segments measuered is displayed in the console window. Lengths are measured in the current measurement unit. See also d.measure.
Profile tool: Interactively create profile of a raster map. Profile transect is drawn with the mouse in map display. The profile may be of the displayed map or a different map. See the Profile Tool help page.
Print map: Prints map on the UNIX lpr printer or PostScript device; saves visible map display (including PostScript text and labels) to PDF or EPS file. Requires ghostscript for all output except EPS.
Export map display: Exports visible map display to different raster graphic formats. Exported map does not include PostScript text or PostScript labels.
Strict draw mode: Selects strict draw mode. In strict mode the aspect ratio and resolution from the last zoom are used when drawing the maps. The map will show only the area and resolution selected. It will not usually fill the screen. Strict mode only shows what is asked for.
Explore draw mode: Selects explore draw mode. In explore mode the region from the last zoom is expanded to fill the entire screen. The resolution is adjusted to match the screen resolution. Explore mode shows as much as possible.