grass

The GRASS 8.5.0RC1 release provides more than 2515 improvements and fixes with respect to the release 8.4.2. The release includes the refreshed branding from "GRASS GIS" to "GRASS" and a new logo.

Highlights

• New grass.tools Python API to call GRASS tools as Python functions, with direct NumPy array and raster pack I/O
• Completely new documentation rewritten in Markdown and rendered with MkDocs
• Parallelization added to r.mapcalc, r.texture, r.horizon (raster mode), and v.surf.rst cross-validation, with the nprocs parameter extended to r.blend, r.grow, r.mapcalc.simple, and i.image.mosaic
• Added JSON output across dozens of tools (g.list, g.region, r.info, r.univar, r.stats, r.report, v.info, v.what, v.db.connect, and many more)
• New r.smooth.edgepreserve tool for edge-preserving raster smoothing
• v.class and d.vect.thematic: "discontinuities" algorithm fixed and reenabled
• Expanded grass.jupyter: query button and drawing of simple geometries in InteractiveMap, interactive computational region updates, parallelization in TimeSeriesMap and SeriesMap, and a save() method for Map3D
• Multiple masks per mapset, driven internally via the GRASS_MASK environment variable, with a new r.mask.status tool for reporting mask state, respected by r.mask
• RegionManager and MaskManager context managers in grass.script for scoped region and mask changes
• GUI improvements: projects can be added directly in the Data Catalog, column statistics can be computed on SQL-filtered or interactively selected rows in the attribute table manager, the Python editor is now dockable, the command history panel supports copying commands, and the Graphical Modeler variable syntax changed from %variable to %{variable}
• Conda package now available as an installation option
• CMake support for building GRASS and addons, alongside the existing Autotools build, including native Windows builds with the MSVC compiler
• Fixed more than 500 security issues reported by Coverity Scan
• Updated requirements: GDAL 3.7+, PROJ 9.0+, C++17, Autoconf 2.72, Python 3.10+, and the CBLAS and LAPACKE C interface for BLAS and LAPACK

New Addon Tools

• i.hyper (toolset): Hyperspectral data processing — import, preprocessing, visualization, and export
• i.sam2: Image segmentation using SAMGeo with text prompts
• r.buildvrt.gdal: Build GDAL Virtual Rasters (VRT) over GRASS raster maps
• r.colors.qml: Apply the style (color, category) from a QML file
• r.colors.toqml: Export GRASS raster colors and category labels to a QGIS .qml style file
• r.curvenumber: SCS curve number lookup from land cover, hydrologic soil group, hydrologic condition, and antecedent runoff
• r.earthworks: Terrain modeling with cut and fill operations
• r.gravity.terrain: Calculate gravity terrain corrections
• r.hand: Height Above Nearest Drainage (HAND) analysis and flood inundation mappi

The GRASS GIS 8.4.2 release provides more than 35 improvements and fixes with respect to the release 8.4.1.

Highlights

• g.region correctly respects rows and cols when saving a computational region.
• v.overlay removes collapsed (zero-length) lines after snapping.
• A new srtm_percent color table is available.
• The Simple Python Editor supports scripts without required parameters.
• The GraphicalModeler preserves previously defined where option values.

Errata

• Fixed an incorrect radiation conversion in i.evapo.mh that overstated evapotranspiration by using 86.4 instead of the correct factor (0.0864 MJ m⁻² day⁻¹). (#5600)

What's Changed

Tools

• g.region: fix save option behavior (#5627) by @petrasovaa
• g.region: remove unnecessary temp_window variable (#5658) by @petrasovaa
• g.remove: improve user message to contain more details (#5484) by @neteler
• i.evapo.mh: fix radiation conversion factor (#5600) by @jayneel-shah18
• r.geomorphon: rename variable 'dirname' (#6632) by @nilason
• r.plane: replace misused gisprompt to options (#5601) by @nilason
• r.slope.aspect: replace GSAG test data with AAGRID (#5792) by @marisn
• r.surf.idw: fix SHORT overflow (#6396) by @neteler
• r.texture: Update tests (#3786) by @cyliang368
• v.overlay: fix collapsed lines after snapping (#6388) by @metzm
• v.overlay: preserve SQL type text (#6406) by @metzm
• v.surf.idw: improve user messages (#6397) by @neteler

Graphical User Interface

• GUI: propagate previously defined where option value (#5747) by @landam
• gui: add README.md and LICENSE.TXT for icons (#5387) by @neteler
• wxGUI/datacatalog: fix adding newly created project into projects tree only once (#6453) by @tmszi
• wxGUI/dbmgr: fix Edit selected record dialog date column type TextCtrl widget validator/hint (#6165) by @tmszi
• wxGUI/gconsole: avoid infinite GUI-in-GUI loops for python scripts with no required params (#5603) by @pesekon2
• wxGUI/gmodeler: fix setToolBar failing on macOS (#5298) by @pesekon2
• wxGUI: fix URL of gismentors.zip data file (#6193) by @neteler

Python

• ctypesgen: Add 'bool' to ctypes type map, needed for C23 (#5621) by @nilason

Libraries and General Functionality

• lib/gis: fix source typo (#5224) by @luzpaz
• lib: Add new SRTM_percent color table (backport of #4608) (#6020) by @echoix

Windows

• win: Trim trailing whitespace in R batch files (#4790) by @echoix

Packaging, Configuration, Portability, and Compilation

• configure: fix detection of AGL framework for macOS (#6560) by @nilason
• make: pass GDAL include dirs to libgproj (#6631) by @parona-source

Docker

• docker: add package to docker image to be able to run gui (backport of #5476) by @benaloha
• docker: backport updates for Ubuntu 24.04 to releasebranch_8_4 (#6540) by @ninsbl
• docker: use GDAL-GRASS 2.0.0 (G84) (#6637) by @nilason

Continuous Integration, Infrastructure, Tests and Code Quality

• CI(OSGeo4W): Upgrade image to windows-2022 (backport of #5562) (#5902) by @echoix
• CI: Fix r.texture test on macOS for v8.4 (#6478) by @neteler
• CI: fix wrong indent style and OSGeo4W compilation (G84) (#6468) by @neteler
• CI: minimalistic flake8 backport to re-enable pre-commit and CI (#6404) by @neteler
• CQ: Replace crlf check with validation against an .editorconfig file (#6070) by @echoix
• CQ: always include stdbool.h if bool is used in C code (#5618) by @nilason
• CQ: always include stdbool.h if bool is used in C code, part 2 (#5618) by @nilason
• CQ: remove misused gisprompt options (#5493) by @nilason
• pytest: use correct type of quotes for SQLite (#5199, G84) (#6638) by @nilason
• style: trim trailing whitespace by @nilason
• CI(deps): Update alpine:3.21 Docker digest to a8560b3 (#5121) by @renovate[bot]

New Contributors

• Alfred Wingate (@parona-source) made their first contribution in #6631
• @benaloha made their first contribution i

The GRASS GIS 8.4.1 release provides more than 80 improvements and fixes with respect to the release 8.4.0.

Highlights

• r.sim.water: tool and its documentation received various updates
• GUI: stability fixes
• manual pages: many minor corrections including external URL updates
• Mac binaries are now notarized

New Addon Tools

• r.slopeunits: toolset that creates, cleans and calculate metrics for slope units
• r.hydrobasin: New addon for OpenMP parallel watershed delineation based on Cho (2025)
• r.in.vect: new addon to import a vector map as raster layer
• r.maxent.setup: new addon and refactoring r.maxent.predict and r.maxent.train
• r.buildvrt.gdal: Create GDAL VRTs for GDAL linked raster maps

What's Changed

Modules

• g.download.location: Fix typo in g.download.project call (#4205) by @wenzeslaus
• g.download.location: Print target path in error message (#4155) by @neteler
• g.download.project: rename g.download.location (#4187) by @petrasovaa
• r.horizon: change JSON format (#3888) by @petrasovaa
• r.in.gdal/r.external: add basic support for GDALs GDT_Int8 (#4256) by @ninsbl
• r.sim: properly fix turning off parallelization with mask on (#5052) by @petrasovaa
• r.sim.water: add info to manual, add info about progress (#4662) by @metzm
• r.sim.water: build topology for vector output (#4969) by @metzm
• r.sim.water: fix logfile writing (#4522) by @petrasovaa
• r.sim: fix turning off parallelization with mask on (#5037) by @petrasovaa
• r.sim: properly fix turning off parallelization with mask on (#5052) by @petrasovaa
• r.univar: fix MASK check with nprocs > 1 (#4297) by @petrasovaa
• t.rast.to.vect: Fix passing column parameter to r.to.vect (#4215) by @petrasovaa

Graphical User Interface

• GUI: EPSG code source: replace epsg.io with spatialreference.org (#4535) by @neteler
• GUI: fix crashing due to File menu translation issues (#4513) by @petrasovaa
• GUI: fix for Python3.13 (#4653) by @petrasovaa
• gui: Happy new year 2025 by @neteler
• wxGUI/history: fix the run of a special cmds only once (#4322) by @tmszi
• wxGUI: Update link to the Natural Earth sample dataset (#4223) by @ecodiv

Python

• grass.temporal: fix regression in printing metadata (#4328) by @petrasovaa

Documentation and Messages

• doc: i.atcorr: update man page to fix numbering of AVIRIS bands and make style consistent (#4445) by @YannChemin
• doc: Reword text to be less verbose in r.geomorphon (#5034) by @gregorywaynepower
• doc: change Python API URL from grass-devel to grass-stable by @neteler
• doc: fix typo and add bold weight to first mention of important terms in r.geomorphon manual page (#4831) by @gregorywaynepower
• doc: fix various issues in html pages in preparation for markdown (#5053) by @petrasovaa
• docs: add Intro: Graphical User Interface by @neteler
• docs: add README.md to doc/development/rfc/ (#4316) by @neteler
• docs: add guidelines for writing a meaningful pull request (#4197) by @neteler
• docs: add intro text to imageryintro.html (#4536) by @neteler
• docs: r.resamp.filter: update manual (#4856) by @metzm
• docs: r.sim.water: add info to manual, add info about progress (#4662) by @metzm
• docs: r.sim.sediment.html: fix typo by @neteler
• docs: enable btree2/kdtree lib doxygen file for Programmer's manual (#4786) by @neteler
• docs: fix broken HTML (#4720) by @neteler
• docs: i.albedo and r.li manual HTML fixes (#4654) by @neteler
• docs: minor fixes to g.gisenv, i.

The GRASS GIS 8.4.1RC1 release provides more than 70 improvements and fixes with respect to the release 8.4.0.

Highlights

• r.sim.water: tool and its documentation received various updates
• GUI: stability fixes
• manual pages: many minor corrections including external URL updates
• Mac binaries are now notarized

New Addon Tools

• r.slopeunits: toolset that creates, cleans and calculate metrics for slope units
• r.watersheds: New addon for OpenMP parallel watershed delineation based on Cho (2025)
• r.in.vect: new addon to import a vector map as raster layer
• r.maxent.setup: new addon and refactoring r.maxent.predict and r.maxent.train
• r.buildvrt.gdal: Create GDAL VRTs for GDAL linked raster maps

What's Changed

Modules

• g.download.location: Fix typo in g.download.project call (#4205) by @wenzeslaus
• g.download.location: Print target path in error message (#4155) by @neteler
• g.download.project: rename g.download.location (#4187) by @petrasovaa
• r.horizon: change JSON format (#3888) by @petrasovaa
• r.in.gdal/r.external: add basic support for GDALs GDT_Int8 (#4256) by @ninsbl
• r.sim: properly fix turning off parallelization with mask on (#5052) by @petrasovaa
• r.sim.water: add info to manual, add info about progress (#4662) by @metzm
• r.sim.water: build topology for vector output (#4969) by @metzm
• r.sim.water: fix logfile writing (#4522) by @petrasovaa
• r.sim: fix turning off parallelization with mask on (#5037) by @petrasovaa
• r.sim: properly fix turning off parallelization with mask on (#5052) by @petrasovaa
• r.univar: fix MASK check with nprocs > 1 (#4297) by @petrasovaa
• t.rast.to.vect: Fix passing column parameter to r.to.vect (#4215) by @petrasovaa

Graphical User Interface

• GUI: EPSG code source: replace epsg.io with spatialreference.org (#4535) by @neteler
• GUI: fix crashing due to File menu translation issues (#4513) by @petrasovaa
• GUI: fix for Python3.13 (#4653) by @petrasovaa
• gui: Happy new year 2025 by @neteler
• wxGUI/history: fix the run of a special cmds only once (#4322) by @tmszi
• wxGUI: Update link to the Natural Earth sample dataset (#4223) by @ecodiv

Python

• grass.temporal: fix regression in printing metadata (#4328) by @petrasovaa

Documentation and Messages

• doc: i.atcorr: update man page to fix numbering of AVIRIS bands and make style consistent (#4445) by @YannChemin
• doc: Reword text to be less verbose in r.geomorphon (#5034) by @gregorywaynepower
• doc: change Python API URL from grass-devel to grass-stable by @neteler
• doc: fix typo and add bold weight to first mention of important terms in r.geomorphon manual page (#4831) by @gregorywaynepower
• doc: fix various issues in html pages in preparation for markdown (#5053) by @petrasovaa
• docs: add Intro: Graphical User Interface by @neteler
• docs: add README.md to doc/development/rfc/ (#4316) by @neteler
• docs: add guidelines for writing a meaningful pull request (#4197) by @neteler
• docs: add intro text to imageryintro.html (#4536) by @neteler
• docs: r.resamp.filter: update manual (#4856) by @metzm
• docs: r.sim.water: add info to manual, add info about progress (#4662) by @metzm
• docs: enable btree2/kdtree lib doxygen file for Programmer's manual (#4786) by @neteler
• docs: fix broken HTML (#4720) by @neteler
• docs: i.albedo and r.li manual HTML fixes (#4654) by @neteler
• docs: minor fixes to g.gisenv, i.atcorr, v.centroids, v.overlay, v.type (#4484) by @neteler
• docs: move Programmer's manual creation to INSTALL.md (#4336) by @neteler
• docs: remove trunk f