Using LibLAS with GRASS

Hamish has announced a short tutorial about how to libLAS and GRASS together to process LiDAR data encoded in ASPRS LAS format:

It is actually quite a simple task, but sometimes the incantations and programs to use are not so obvious if you haven’t used the software extensively.

Indeed, I’m sure many of us will find Hamish’s writing helpful. I still have a hope to find time to instrument GRASS with libLAS support implemented as a module. Another option is to find someone who would be interested in doing it – I’m good in delegating, aren’t I? If there would be anyone, please don’t hesitate to drop a message on liblas-devel.

EEA / Microsoft partnership

It is 3 months old news, but I’ve found it very recently. In the middle of May 2008, European Environment Agency announced they signed a partnership with Microsoft. The aim of this collaboration is (or was) to create ”an environmental information platform” based on Microsoft’s Virtual Earth.

In July 2008, EEA/Microsoft launched Eye on Earth platform with Water Watch component combining scientific data and Web Mapping to present water quality in European countries:

Currently, it includes information on the water quality for more than 21.000 bathing sites throughout Europe

More on http://www.eyeonearth.eu/

C++ Concurrency in Action

By the beginning of the year 2009, new must-read book for C++ hackers is rolling around. Anthony Williams is writing book titled: C++ Concurrency in Action (ISBN: 1933988770):

I will be covering all aspects of multithreaded programming with the new C++0x standard, from the details of the new C++0x memory model and atomic operations to managing threads and designing parallel algorithms and thread-safe containers. The book will also feature a complete reference to the C++0x Standard Thread Library.

from Anthony’s blog

Since June, Anthony’s book is available through Manning Early Access Program. The final release is planned on February 2009.

In the meantime, Anthony has published an article Simpler Multithreading in C++0x introducing multithreading support and thread library as a new feature in the C++0x standard.

Extended STL

Extended STLThe Extended STL is a new C++ book written by Matthew Wilson. The first volume Collections and Iterators will be available in June 2007. Second volume Algorithms, Functions and Exotic Matter been also planned but it is still very much up in the air. The book will discuss:

principles and practices of STL extension, many of which are used in the implementation of the STLSoft libraries

The first Matt Wilson’s book – The Imperfect C++ – presented C++ language programming in a very practical way. This book has two faces. It is a C++ introductory book and it also presents various C++ weaknesses and their solutions at the same time. The Extended STL will be a kind of continuation and focus on the Standard Template Library. According to my understanding, Matt will try to present programmers with solutions of how to use C++ techniques and STL concepts with existing code bases and technologies, for instance how to use STL collections with COM objects.

Certainly, the range of topics will be much wider. As presented in the TOC, most of must-understand concepts will be presented there, like RAII, constraints and contract programming, and much more.

I think the new book will also be a perfect completion to Nicolai M. Josuttis’ The C++ Standard Library – A Tutorial and Reference.

New edition of ATL Internals book

ATL Internals cover imageEvery programmer using ATL and WTL knows that ATL Internals is a must-read book providing comprehensive background information about ATL.

ATL is my favourite library to use as a base for Windows development. It helps to solve wide variety of problems, on both sides: client and server, especially strongly simplifies creation of COM components. ATL-based binaries are very small and robust. ATL is also an underlaying layer for WTL which is a GUI toolkit, light-weight and modern alternative to MFC.

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Table of Contents has been published

Charles Petzold TattooToday, Charles Petzold announced that he has published Table of Contents of his new book:

I’ve created a page on my web site for the new book and included a Table of Contents that goes as far as I know. I hope to keep it updated as the rest of the book becomes firmer in my mind.

Charles Petzold is working on new book Applications = Code + Markup. A Guide to the Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation and he seems to not to go slow because it’s comming this fall 2006:

Yesterday I hit the 400 book pages mark. My goal of 5 books page per calendar day starting November 1st implies that I’m about a week behind. It appears now that Part 1 of the book (which sticks entirely to C# code) will be about 400 pages long.

If you are interested in what’s new in the book, visit Petzold Book Blog.