GIS Software

There many, many different software packages available.  Some of them are free and some of them cost.  I will cover a few that are on the cost list in this post.  Free GIS software has been covered in another post (coming soon).  If you are trying to decide which software to use, it is important to establish what tasks you want accomplish and what your inputs and output will be.  Your budget is also a significant factor too.

 

ArcGIS is the name of a software product line produced by ESRI. At the desktop GIS level, ArcGIS can include: ArcReader, which allows one to view and query maps created with the other Arc products; ArcView, which allows one to view spatial data, create maps, and perform basic spatial analysis; ArcEditor which includes all the functionality of ArcView, includes more advanced tools for manipulation of shapefiles and geodatabases; or ArcInfo the most advanced version of ArcGIS, which includes added capabilities for data manipulation, editing, and analysis. There are also server-based ArcGIS products, as well as ArcGIS products for PDAs. Extensions can be purchased separately to increase the functionality of ArcGIS.

 

I use ArcGIS both at work and in school.  I have not used any of these other products.  I feel the ArcGIS is the best software available. I would highly recommend this software depending on what you need to accomplish.  There is some good free software that can do a lot.

 

MapInfo Professional is a Geographic Information System software product produced by MapInfo Corporation which is part of Pitney Bowes.

 

MapInfo Professional has the ability to combine and display, on a single map, data from a variety of sources that are in different formats and projections. The software is capable of overlaying raster and vector layers on the same map; the former can be made semi-transparent, so that they can serve as more than mere backdrops.

 

MapInfo is popular both in business and the public sector, where a typical user is analyzing pre-built map data layers. The software is traditionally desktop-oriented and often compared to ESRI’s ArcView 3.x product

 

Microsoft MapPoint is both a technology and a specific software program created by Microsoft that allows users to view, edit and integrate maps. The software and technology are designed to facilitate the geographical visualization and analysis of either included data or custom data. Numerous acquisitions (Vexcel, Vicinity Corporation, GeoTango, etc.) have supplemented both data and feature integration.

 

MapPoint is intended for business users but competes in the low-end GIS market. It includes all of the functionality of the most recent version of Streets and Trips, the consumer mapping software, at the time of development, as well integrates with Microsoft Office, data mapping from various sources including Microsoft Excel, and a Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) interface allowing automation of the MapPoint environment.

 

**Data compiled from www.wikipedia.com