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December 22, 2005
Geospatial Applications: Free GIS Program No Longer Available
The GIS computer program fGIS is no longer available for free download from the Digital Grove Web site at www.digitalgrove.net/. I wrote articles about fGIS in this column in July and August. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources was making fGIS available under a licensing agreement with the software developer. The licensing agreement ended in November. The developer intends to make a similar program available in January. The new program, called Digital Grove Field Editor, will be sold for $130. The price will be lower if multiple copies are purchased. I know of no other free GIS computer programs, although there are several free “viewers.” Viewers are different from true GIS programs. Viewers allow users to look at GIS maps or images, but do not allow users to edit existing data or to make new GIS map layers. An Internet search for free GIS programs turns up several programs, but a careful reading about each program or a trial use will determine that each actually is just a GIS viewer. Examples include ArcExplorer and TatukGIS Viewer. The TatukGIS Viewer is probably the most functional free GIS viewer available. It is available for download at www.digitalgrove.net/Toolbox.htm. The TatukGIS Viewer opens most GIS layer formats and raster image file types. It can export geo-referenced maps for use in other GIS programs. This viewer also allows users to measure areas on maps and images. TatukGIS Viewer users can alter the appearance (colors, styles, fills, outlines, symbols, transparency, etc.) of GIS layers. The size of the TatukGIS Viewer is only 2.5 megabytes, which makes it fast to download and it takes up little computer space. Visitors to the Digital Grove Web site also will find several low-cost GIS programs. Individuals interested in learning more about GIS computer software programs for specific applications can contact me at (701) 231-8213 or john.nowatzki@ndsu.edu. More information about geospatial technology is available from the NDSU Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department Web site at www.ageng.ndsu.nodak.edu. Follow the links to Extension programs and geospatial technology education. ### Source: John
Nowatzki, (701) 231-8213, jnowatzk@ndsuext.nodak.edu |
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