Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Apple Maps VS GRASS GIS

Compare Apple Maps VS GRASS GIS and see what are their differences

Apple Maps logo Apple Maps

Maps features an all-new design with smart features to make finding and getting to your destination easier than ever.

GRASS GIS logo GRASS GIS

GRASS GIS is a free Geographic Information System (GIS) software used for geospatial data management and analysis, image processing, graphics/maps production, spatial modeling, and visualization.
  • Apple Maps
    Image date //
    2024-01-08
  • GRASS GIS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-09-18

GRASS GIS offers powerful raster, vector, and geospatial processing engines in a single integrated software suite. It includes tools for terrain and ecosystem modeling, hydrology, visualization of raster and vector data, management and analysis of geospatial data, and the processing of satellite and aerial imagery. It comes with a temporal framework for advanced time series processing and a Python API for rapid geospatial programming. GRASS GIS has been optimized for performance and large geospatial data analysis.

Apple Maps videos

New Apple Maps Features That Beat Google Maps!

More videos:

  • Review - Why Apple Maps is the BEST navigation system
  • Review - Google Maps vs Apple Maps - A Quick Comparison of Both in 2020

GRASS GIS videos

GRASS GIS Tutorials - Tutorial 2 - Understanding GRASS GIS Data Structure

More videos:

  • Tutorial - GRASS GIS Tutorial 2 - Understanding GRASS GIS Data Structure
  • Tutorial - GRASS GIS Tutorials - Tutorial 1 - Installation - REVISED

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Apple Maps and GRASS GIS)
Maps
68 68%
32% 32
Travel & Location
100 100%
0% 0
Mapping And GIS
0 0%
100% 100
Web Mapping
72 72%
28% 28

Questions and Answers

As answered by people managing Apple Maps and GRASS GIS.

How would you describe your primary audience?

GRASS GIS's answer:

GRASS GIS primarily caters to geospatial professionals, researchers, and students in fields like geography, environmental science, urban planning, and geology. It is also used by government agencies and non-profit organizations for spatial data analysis and environmental modeling.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

GRASS GIS's answer:

As an open-source tool, GRASS GIS doesn't have "customers" in the traditional sense. However, it is widely used by various government agencies, academic institutions, and environmental organizations worldwide. Notable users include space agencies, numerous universities and research institutions as well as companies involved in geospatial studies and analysis.

What's the story behind your product?

GRASS GIS's answer:

GRASS GIS was initially developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a tool for land management and environmental planning. It was first released in the early 1980s and has since evolved into a robust, multi-functional GIS platform, largely due to contributions from a global community of developers. GRASS GIS is a founding member project of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo.org).

What makes your product unique?

GRASS GIS's answer:

  • Open-Source and Free: GRASS GIS is completely open-source, allowing users to freely use, modify, and distribute it.
  • Advanced Geospatial Capabilities: It offers a wide range of tools for spatial modeling, geostatistics, and data management, making it suitable for advanced geospatial analysis.
  • Strong Community Support: Being open-source, it has a strong community of developers and users contributing to its continuous improvement.
  • Integration with Other Open-Source Tools: It can be integrated with other open-source GIS software like QGIS, providing a comprehensive GIS solution.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

GRASS GIS's answer:

  • Cost-Effectiveness: Being free and open, it is an excellent choice for those with a strong need for quality.
  • Customizability: Users can customize and extend its functionalities to suit their specific needs.
  • Comprehensive Geospatial Functions: It offers a wide range of geospatial functions that are comparable, and sometimes superior, to those in proprietary GIS software.
  • Strong Data Handling: It can handle large datasets efficiently, which is beneficial for complex geospatial analyses.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

GRASS GIS's answer:

GRASS GIS is primarily written in C, Python, and C++. It uses a range of geospatial libraries and technologies, including GDAL for data conversion, PROJ for coordinate transformations, and can interface with SQL databases.

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Apple Maps and GRASS GIS

Apple Maps Reviews

7 Alternatives to Google Maps for Navigation
Apple Maps also has turn-by-turn navigation, so you can follow your route with ease. Plus, it can automatically find your nearest transit stations to help you get around. When you draw two fingers on the map, you can view its 3D map in a growing list of cities.
8 Best Roadtrippers Alternatives for Efficient Trip Planning in 2023
Roadtrippers’ paid version may provide personalized itineraries, but Apple Maps excels in delivering a broad range of navigation tools, making it an essential companion for various travel needs.
Going Beyond: The Best Alternatives to Google Maps in 2024
Regarding privacy-conscious alternatives to the Google App, Apple Maps stands out as one of the top choices. Designed exclusively for iOS devices, Apple Maps has undergone significant improvements since its initial release.
Source: stratoflow.com
Top 15 Google Maps Alternatives (2024 Edition)
While on the go, you will get real-time turn-by-turn driving directions from Apple Maps directly to your Apple devices. Apple Maps is thus an excellent tool to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible.
8 GPS Phone Trackers to Track a Cell Phone Location Online For Free
The main function of Google Maps and Apple Maps itself is to provide services such as maps and navigation. At the same time, by sharing the location, it can also track the current location of the device user, which is very practical. Both Google Maps and Apple Maps are free.

GRASS GIS Reviews

The Top 10 Alternatives to ArcGIS
Grass GIS is a spatial database and software suite used for creating and managing maps, editing data, conducting spatial analysis, and sharing information. It is an open source software that runs on all major platforms, making it a convenient option for a variety of different users. There are many plugins and extensions available for Grass GIS, allowing you to customize it...
30 Best GIS Software Applications [Rankings]
GRASS GIS is one of those suites that let you geoprocess until the night falls. It’s a loaded gun with sophisticated tools. It’s so powerful that you can unleash GRASS GIS in QGIS as a separate toolbox. But its clunky interface and stubborn map projection rules hold it back.
Top 6 Free and Open-Source GIS Software
The free, open-source, and cross-platform compatible solution is the best GIS software solution that comes with the most enhanced features. GRASS was developed by the US government and is well-known by companies across the globe. The raster-based GIS software provides users advanced features such as an image processing system, vector GIS, graphics production system, spatial...
Source: linuxways.net
3 open source alternatives to ArcGIS Desktop
Let's begin with GRASS. GRASS, which stands for Geographic Resources Analysis Support System). It has a very long history, dating back to original development which began in 1982 under the US government. In the time since, GRASS has been adopted by the academic community, where its development continues today.
Source: opensource.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GRASS GIS should be more popular than Apple Maps. It has been mentiond 8 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Apple Maps mentions (1)

  • TikTok bans distract from wider privacy concerns, says digital rights advocate
    Regarding bullet 6, I thought Apple Maps doesn't collect travel history? I looked on apple.com/maps and this is what they say:. Source: about 1 year ago

GRASS GIS mentions (8)

  • Geospatial Nix – create, use and deploy today
    Https://grass.osgeo.org/
        GRASS GIS offers powerful raster, vector, and geospatial processing engines in a single integrated software suite. It includes tools for terrain and ecosystem modeling, hydrology, visualization of raster and vector data, management and analysis of geospatial data, and the processing of satellite and aerial imagery. It comes with a temporal framework for advanced time series...
    - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • What's missing from C# in Godot 4?
    We haven't looked at integrating GRASS yet, as we're more interested in data display, not deep analysis. Just another example of a C/C++ library with front end bindings for Python. Numbers are crunched in C/C++, results returned to Python. Source: 12 months ago
  • Discussion Thread
    Anyone have good advice for where to learn how to use GRASS. Source: 12 months ago
  • GIS Developer career path
    Outside of personal experience, based on second-hand insight: GRASS is an extremely powerful tool, if you're not familiar with it already, and you can use it from the CLI and from Python. If you'd like to step out of Python at some point, I hear Java is used a lot for enterprise GIS, while Julia looks like the language of the future (especially now with JuliaGeo), but that still remains to be seen. Source: over 1 year ago
  • What other tools do you use to help you do GIS?
    Sometimes some modules from GRASS like r.lake at the moment. Source: over 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Apple Maps and GRASS GIS, you can also consider the following products

Google Maps - Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

QGIS - QGIS is a desktop geographic information system, or GIS.

OpenStreetMap - OpenStreetMap is a map of the world, created by people like you and free to use under an open license.

ArcGIS - ArcGIS software is a data analysis, cloud-based mapping platform that allows users to customize maps and see real-time data ranging from logistics support to overall mapping analysis.

OsmAnd - Global mobile map viewing and navigation for online and offline OSM maps

SAGA GIS - SAGA - System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses - is a Geographic Information System (GIS)...