Happy 41st birthday, GRASS GIS!

Today, we celebrate a true geospatial legend: GRASS GIS!

GRASS GIS logo 41st birthdayTurning 41, this icon has seen it all, from the days of early computers to the modern, sleek, and powerful tool it is today. Born in 1983, GRASS GIS has grown up with us, from magnetic tapes to the cloud, emerging stronger than ever.

A look at the past and the future

Starting with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, GRASS GIS quickly became a pioneer in the free and open source community. Now it hasn’t just survived, it’s thriving, with a global community pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in spatial analysis and geospatial management. Speaking of pushing boundaries, we’re excited to hint at the upcoming release of GRASS GIS 8.4.0!
EDIT: GRASS GIS 8.4.0 has been released.

This latest version is packed with exciting enhancements:

  • New GUI history support , making it easier to use and more efficient.
  • Improved Python API support, enabling modern scripting and automation.
  • Support for the JSON output format (format="json") has been added to several tools.
  • New modules and features that streamline workflows and extend analytical capabilities.

Today, GRASS GIS delivers four decades of technological evolution as a lean, streamlined analytical engine with robust, versatile tools used worldwide. The project continues to evolve, with a community-driven approach that keeps it on the cutting edge.

To many more years!

Here’s to GRASS GIS, the geospatial guru, and its outstanding global community of developers, users, and enthusiasts! Happy birthday, and may your code always compile without errors!