This news is a bit late, but the free multi-platform GIS gvSIG has just officially released version 1.10. Listed changes:
- gvSIG 1.9 bug fixes
- Windows Vista and Windows 7 compatibility
- Binaries compilation for JVM 1.6 (with JVM 1.5 compatibility)
- Sextante 0.6 extension integration (GRASS 6.4 interface included)
- NavTable extension integration (latest version)
- Pie and bar chart legend
- Relative path support
Probably the biggest change is the integration of the Sextante plug-in, previously available separately as an extension. This integrates not just a GRASS 6.4 interface, but also many of the spatial analysis / conversion / utility modules previously available in the SAGA GIS program. I was never a big fan of SAGA’s data viewing capabilities, but if the need ever arose for an unusual GIS processing capability, there was a good chance I’d find it in SAGA’s modules; having them now available from gvSIG with Sextant is a big plus. Documentation for Sextante is available here, though annoyingly you’ll have to register to be allowed access to the PDF files. A free, multi-platform GIS, gvSIG has an excellent mix of ease of use and capabilities; highly recommended, even if only for a test drive or occasional use of some its more advanced capabilities.
Oxford Archaeology Digital has a version of gvSIG based on 1.10 that cleans up the installation process a bit, and smooths out some of the rough edges in the translation from gvSIG’s native Spanish to English; find it here.