: generate DMS geographical coordinates from address, can process 500 addresses each time and return a KML file to use with GoogleEarth.ĮxpertGPS™ : not free but a trial of 30 days is available, which is more than enough for this step. Other free tools that can expedite data preparation: QGIS = Quantum Graphical Information System Other than free QGIS offers the most similar interface to ArcGIS: a 3 in 1 console with display, working directory and menu of commands. We'll just have to see how more developed it can become in the future. Its interface is similar to a programming interface e.g. With a very short history it is not yet sophisticated enough even though it is more flexible with file size than GRASS. It is also free, easy to install and has been released up to version 2.1. SAGA = a System for an Automated Geographical Analysis is developed by a group of German scientists in the early 1990s. These disadvantages are limited when GRASS is coupled with QGIS. Being very similar to the commercial product, GRASS is very specific with the projection of the input file and the path to the target input file, among others. Being the leading substitute for ArcGIS, however, GRASS does not handle vector files of size close to 1 GB very well nor data table of size larger than 4 MB and does not have a function to calculate area (which is surprising).
The most updated version is 6.4 and quite friendly to install. GRASS = Geographic Resource Analysis Support System is considered the leading open source substitute for GIS.
3 Questions to ask before feeding data into any GIS program.1 An overview of available GIS softwares.
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