GIS is a vast field even if you dont throw in web access to data. narrow down
your interest or hire someone to do the GIS side and you do the web access side.
web server.. MapServer - works and is mature
and stable ESRI's GIS data server is
super expensive but the new version runs on Linux PDFMap - combine
this with mapserver so that your users can download maps they make SVG - ive seen
some cools things happening with SVG MRSID - for image compression, costs
for the compressor but i have built some
cool stuff with thier free server.
desktop... ESRI has a free
viewer which reads a XML file. its works ok. there is a Linux version but
i havnt used it yet. all of the free (not open source) GIS viewers suck in one
way or another cause the companys have some "real" version they really
want you to buy (ala ESRI). Free GIS.. if its open source and GIS its
at freegis.org but frankly there isnt allot built out yet thats simple yet modular
and will grow with GIS users as they begin to get specialized (image interp,
business siteing, habitat annalysis, etc).
theres GRASS and some others but nothing close to the commercial products (unfortuantely).
furthermore all of the commercial products are over priced. you have to spend
3,000$ US (single licence) to get anything at ESRI that works. If your going
to manage a GIS data collection you should get ArcView but try to find a free
solution for end users on the desktop. look at combining MapServer and some
of the Content Management systems that are out there for developing GIS access
online.
Slashdot Mirror
"We just got version 4.0 a couple days ago"
did you get the linux(redhat) version?
my agency is moving towards ArcIms. I took the training (waste of time). im interested in what it will be like to install ArcIms 4.0 on Debian.
GIS is a vast field even if you dont throw in web access to data. narrow down your interest or hire someone to do the GIS side and you do the web access side.
web server..
MapServer - works and is mature and stable
ESRI's GIS data server is super expensive but the new version runs on Linux
PDFMap - combine this with mapserver so that your users can download maps they make
SVG - ive seen some cools things happening with SVG
MRSID - for image compression, costs for the compressor but i have built some cool stuff with thier free server.
desktop... .. if its open source and GIS its
at freegis.org but frankly there isnt allot built out yet thats simple yet modular
and will grow with GIS users as they begin to get specialized (image interp,
business siteing, habitat annalysis, etc).
ESRI has a free viewer which reads a XML file. its works ok. there is a Linux version but i havnt used it yet. all of the free (not open source) GIS viewers suck in one way or another cause the companys have some "real" version they really want you to buy (ala ESRI).
Free GIS
theres GRASS and some others but nothing close to the commercial products (unfortuantely). furthermore all of the commercial products are over priced. you have to spend 3,000$ US (single licence) to get anything at ESRI that works. If your going to manage a GIS data collection you should get ArcView but try to find a free solution for end users on the desktop. look at combining MapServer and some of the Content Management systems that are out there for developing GIS access online.
"They are based in Olympia Washington, Redmonds" actually i think they are "based in" Redlands.. http://www.esri.com/company/contactusa.html