Merge branch 'master' into return-nans-quickly

1 files changed, 69 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/docs/source/about.rst b/docs/source/about.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..198dbead
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/source/about.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+###############################################################################
+About
+###############################################################################
+
+PROJ is a generic coordinate transformation software, that transforms geospatial
+coordinates from one coordinate reference system (CRS) to another. This
+includes cartographic projections as well as geodetic transformations.
+
+PROJ includes :ref:`command line applications<apps>` for easy conversion of
+coordinates from text files or directly from user input. In addition to the
+command line utilities PROJ also exposes an
+:ref:`application programming interface<reference>`, or API in short. The API
+let developers use the functionality of PROJ in their own software without having
+to implement similar functionality themselves.
+
+PROJ started purely as a cartography application letting users convert geodetic
+coordinates into projected coordinates using a number of different cartographic
+projections. Over the years, as the need has become apparent, support for datum
+shifts has slowly worked it's way into PROJ as well. Today PROJ support more
+than a hundred different map projections and can transform coordinates between
+datums using all but the most obscure geodetic techniques.
+
+Citation
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+To cite PROJ in publications use:
+
+  PROJ contributors (2018). PROJ coordinate transformation software
+  library. Open Source Geospatial Foundation. URL http://proj4.org/.
+
+A BibTeX entry for LaTeX users is
+
+.. code-block:: latex
+
+  @Manual{,
+    title = {{PROJ} coordinate transformation software library},
+    author = {{PROJ contributors}},
+    organization = {Open Source Geospatial Foundation},
+    year = {2018},
+    url = {http://proj4.org/},
+  }
+
+License
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+PROJ uses the MIT license. The software was initially released by the USGS in
+the public domain. When Frank Warmerdam took over the development of PROJ it
+was moved under the MIT license. The license is as follows:
+
+     Copyright (c) 2000, Frank Warmerdam
+
+     Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a
+     copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"),
+     to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation
+     the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense,
+     and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the
+     Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+
+     The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included
+     in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+
+     THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS
+     OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+     FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL
+     THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+     LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING
+     FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER
+     DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+