FWTools: Open Source GIS Binary Kit for Windows and Linux

Overview

FWTools is a set of Open Source GIS binaries for Windows (win32) and Linux (x86 32bit) systems produced by me, Frank Warmerdam (ie. FW). The kits are intended to be easy for end users to install and get going with. No fudzing with building from source, or having to collect lots of interrelated packages. FWTools includes OpenEV, GDAL, MapServer, PROJ.4 and OGDI as well as some supporting components.

The FWTools kits also aims to track the latest development versions of the packages included as opposed to official releases. While this may mean the packages are less stable, it is intended to give folks a chance to use the latest and greatest. FWTools releases also are a means by which I make recent development version bug fixes available to a wider audience than would be prepared to build them from the source.

With FWTools releases, I also endeavor to build in as many optional components as possible. Thus, I include support for ECW, JPEG2000, HDF and other file formats that require extra libraries.

Linux FWTools releases are intended to be distribution and packaging system agnostic. They should install on pretty much any x86 style Linux system released within the last few years.

Download

Current Release: FWTools 2.0.6 (Linux x86 32bit), FWTools 2.4.7 (Windows 32bit)

All downloads: Primary Site, Mirror Site

Subpackages

OpenEV: A high performance raster/vector desktop data viewer and analysis tool.
MapServer: A web mapping package.
GDAL/OGR: A library and set of commandline utility applications for reading and writing a variety of geospatial raster (GDAL) and vector (OGR) formats.
PROJ.4: A cartographic projections library with commandline utilities.
OGDI: a multi-format raster and vector reading techology noteworthy for inclusion of support for various military formats including VPF (ie. VMAP, VITD), RPF (ie. CADRG, CIB), and ADRG.
Python: a scripting language.

Details of the subcomponents and version built in are contained on the platform specific and release specific pages.

Platform Installation and Packaging Details

FWTools on Linux

FWTools on Windows

Experimental FWTools3 on Linux

User Help Mailing List

Requests for assistance, discussion of how to do things with FWTools, or suggestions on how to improve it can be directed to the FWTools Mailing List. In depth help on individual packages would be best directed to the individual project web page.

Some auxiliary information is also available on FWTools within the GDAL Wiki.

Feedback

Problems with the FWTools builds and packaging itself may be reported or queried in the FWTools bugzilla repository. Bugs with individual packages should be reported via the project bug reporting mechanisms as described on project home pages.