#1   Report Post  
Old 03-04-2003, 01:32 PM
Joe Zorzin
 
Posts: n/a
Default GIS software?

I just posted the following in comp.infosystems.gis.
******************************


I'd really like ArcGIS (I'm a forestry consultant) but can't afford their
outrageous prices. So, I'm considering either MapMaker or Manifold. I've
downloaded the Gratis version of MapMaker and I'm having a problem getting
it to print- but I'm sure I could solve that problem if I really tried. I've
spoken to the company and they've shown an interest in helping to solve it.

I was hoping that Manifold had a similar stripped down program, but no luck
with that. Basically, I'd like to bring up ortho photos for a base map- use
GPS on property corners, then upload those to the photos- then layout cruise
plots which could then be downloaded to the GPS- use the software to do
stand typing, acreage calculation, etc.

I'd also use the GPS to track trails, etc. I don't think I really need
ArcGIS, other than it's the standard software and it would be nice to have-
it would almost certainly be overkill.

Any comments will be appreciated.


  #2   Report Post  
Old 03-04-2003, 03:20 PM
D McKenney
 
Posts: n/a
Default GIS software?

try looking at PCDraft and Terrain Navigator. Garmin gps directly connects
to Terrain Nav and the image from terrain nav can be brought into pcdraft as
a tif image, it can then be grouped and resized. might work with
orthophotos,too. Terrain Nav professional includes the orthophotos, I think
and state plane coords. This is not a real gis but a poor, dirt foresters
gis. for less than $750 I'll bet you can get the gps receiver and both
software applications. ddm
"


  #3   Report Post  
Old 03-04-2003, 03:56 PM
JC
 
Posts: n/a
Default GIS software?

On Thu, 3 Apr 2003 06:17:46 -0500, "Joe Zorzin"
wrote:

I just posted the following in comp.infosystems.gis.
******************************


I'd really like ArcGIS (I'm a forestry consultant) but can't afford their
outrageous prices. So, I'm considering either MapMaker or Manifold. I've
downloaded the Gratis version of MapMaker and I'm having a problem getting
it to print- but I'm sure I could solve that problem if I really tried. I've
spoken to the company and they've shown an interest in helping to solve it.

I was hoping that Manifold had a similar stripped down program, but no luck
with that. Basically, I'd like to bring up ortho photos for a base map- use
GPS on property corners, then upload those to the photos- then layout cruise
plots which could then be downloaded to the GPS- use the software to do
stand typing, acreage calculation, etc.

I'd also use the GPS to track trails, etc. I don't think I really need
ArcGIS, other than it's the standard software and it would be nice to have-
it would almost certainly be overkill.

Any comments will be appreciated.


Joe'
Have you considered ArcView 3.3. Unless you have some other more
exotic applications in mind, it woul;d seem to do everything you
specified. I kinow there are rumors that ESRI will phase out support
for this product and I don't have any information about that. However,
3.3 is based om Arcview 3.2, a fairly stable product. I believe the
only major change is in the projection engine. Not full-featured, but
a little more reasonably priced.
JC
  #4   Report Post  
Old 03-04-2003, 06:56 PM
Dan Houston
 
Posts: n/a
Default GIS software?

On Thu, 3 Apr 2003 06:17:46 -0500, "Joe Zorzin"
wrote:

I'd really like ArcGIS...

================================================
Hi Joe,
Here's what we have found to work well. We do all of our
base-mapping (including acreaage calculations) with FORS/map, a 2-D
mapping program put out by FORS (Forest Resources Systems Institute),
which went out of business last fall. The underlying engine for the
mapping application is VisualCadd (VCADD), a wonderful (and affordable)
CADD program. A number of add-ons have been developed by 3rd-party
developers, including FORS/map, as well as one which permits you to
import images (such as orthos or topo maps). We use our GPS to fix our
locations, such as property corners, on the topo maps produced from
DeLorme's 3-D TopoQuads program. This system is relatiively simple,
compared to ESRI's ArcView, but meets our needs very well (and very
inexpensively). DeLorme also markets a fairly sophisticated program
called "XMap", which incorporates many GIS features, but I have not used
it. Anyway - a long answer to a short question. If you hear of any
FORS/map copies around for sale, let me know!
I don't know what the future holds for FORS/map, now that FORS has
closed up shop. I'm hoping it reincarnates in the near future, but it
may be dead and done for. I have been attempting to locate other users,
but have not heard from anyone else yet - maybe this is why they went
out of business. I'm very sorry about that, because, for us, it did a
wonderful job.
Regards,
Dan
=================================================
Daniel B. Houston Ph.D., C.F. Tel: 330-264-9918
Consulting Forester Fax: 330-264-9920
SYLVANCARE FORESTRY CONSULTING
1823 Burbank Road
Wooster, OH 44691 E-mail:
=================================================

  #5   Report Post  
Old 03-04-2003, 11:08 PM
Geoff Kegerreis
 
Posts: n/a
Default GIS software?

Joe,

I have also been screwing around with mapmaker gratis and found it to be a
pretty nice program (although very commericalized as to practically forcing you
to purchase the pro version). I have been taking the GPS tracks, uploading them
to maptech terrain navigator, changing the colors on the tracks, etc. and then
exporting them to my desktop as a .tiff file, opening them up in photosuite,
modifying them and saving them as a .bmp image in an internal file folder, and
finally calibrating them using the distance/known point system in the bitmap
calibration, and then loading that final file as a bitmap (raster) file. I
still have not been able to find out how to use their calibration ratios, but
instead adjust the pixel-meter ratio until the screen size is the proper scale
on the map & on the screen and then when it is printed. I have also witnessed
some technical glitches with this program. I do not believe that Arcview can do
anything more that would be practical for us (consultants) than mapmaker can.

Some main problems with this system... #1 is that Maptech's terrain navigator
will only allow certain zooms for their topomaps, therefore trying to put in
cruise points on a scale of say 3 x 3 chains is not practical. Ideally, it
would be nice to be able to scan in a platmap, an aerial photo and a topomap and
then start creating drawings on your live layer and then upload that to your CE
machine and start painting and cruising, but I don't know of anything that does
that yet - we're not far away though... If current technology maintains the
speed it has been going for the last 2 years, we should see something from
someone by next year or in another 2 years.

Ideally, a program that does all these things should not be more than $500 per
state.

Joe Zorzin wrote:

I just posted the following in comp.infosystems.gis.
******************************

I'd really like ArcGIS (I'm a forestry consultant) but can't afford their
outrageous prices. So, I'm considering either MapMaker or Manifold. I've
downloaded the Gratis version of MapMaker and I'm having a problem getting
it to print- but I'm sure I could solve that problem if I really tried. I've
spoken to the company and they've shown an interest in helping to solve it.

I was hoping that Manifold had a similar stripped down program, but no luck
with that. Basically, I'd like to bring up ortho photos for a base map- use
GPS on property corners, then upload those to the photos- then layout cruise
plots which could then be downloaded to the GPS- use the software to do
stand typing, acreage calculation, etc.

I'd also use the GPS to track trails, etc. I don't think I really need
ArcGIS, other than it's the standard software and it would be nice to have-
it would almost certainly be overkill.

Any comments will be appreciated.




  #6   Report Post  
Old 04-04-2003, 12:32 AM
Mike H
 
Posts: n/a
Default GIS software?

Joe Zorzin wrote:
I just posted the following in comp.infosystems.gis.
******************************


I'd really like ArcGIS (I'm a forestry consultant) but can't afford their
outrageous prices. So, I'm considering either MapMaker or Manifold. I've
downloaded the Gratis version of MapMaker and I'm having a problem getting
it to print- but I'm sure I could solve that problem if I really tried. I've
spoken to the company and they've shown an interest in helping to solve it.

I was hoping that Manifold had a similar stripped down program, but no luck
with that. Basically, I'd like to bring up ortho photos for a base map- use
GPS on property corners, then upload those to the photos- then layout cruise
plots which could then be downloaded to the GPS- use the software to do
stand typing, acreage calculation, etc.

I'd also use the GPS to track trails, etc. I don't think I really need
ArcGIS, other than it's the standard software and it would be nice to have-
it would almost certainly be overkill.

Any comments will be appreciated.


I use the updated Mapmaker for most things but it is an odd sort o
cludge sometimes. Sometimes it only prints the top layer. Arcview is
too expensive but has become the norm for natural resource agencies.
Everybody expects you to be able to read their shp files, same as
everybody expected AutoCad five years back. Haven't tried this but
their other stuff is top of the line:

http://www.cmtinc.com/nav/frprod.html

  #7   Report Post  
Old 04-04-2003, 10:44 AM
Joe Zorzin
 
Posts: n/a
Default GIS software?


I'm having trouble with MapMaker Gratis printing. It won't print, and
usually crashes. The people at that firm are very helpful- one guy spent a
long time on the phone with me trying to get it to print. Apparently the
problem is with my XP OS.

We here in Mass. now have excellent aerial photography- the state recently
released their GIS orthophotos. I now have all of western Mass. on 2 CDROM
in SID format. MapMaker can't read SID format- so I first load the images
into "Mr. Sid Geoviewer"- then export the needed acreage to a GeoTIFF file
which will contain the georeferancing info. Then that can load into
MapMaker. Apparently the commercial version of MapMaker will interface with
GPS so that you can then upload the pinned corners of the property and lay
out cruise lines and then pin the cruise plots on the image- then download
them to your GPS. I'm hesitating buying the commercial version until I can
fix the printing problem. I like the way MapMaker can bring up the image to
any scale you like.

I also have Terrain Navigator- nice program, but as you say, you can't print
to any scale. I've been having fun with my Meridian Platinum, pinning the
corners of my vast 3 acre lot and hiking around the surrounding hills, going
to friend's houses- then bringing those waypoints up on TN.

Since I can't get MapMaker to print, I'm printing the images from within Mr.
SID Geoviewer- then using a drafting pen to lay out bounds and preliminary
stand mapping. But using that drafting pen really sucks! It's messy, you
have to clean the pen after each use- and it's archaic.
--
Joe Zorzin
http://www.forestmeister.com


"Geoff Kegerreis" wrote in message
...
Joe,

I have also been screwing around with mapmaker gratis and found it to be a
pretty nice program (although very commericalized as to practically

forcing you
to purchase the pro version). I have been taking the GPS tracks,

uploading them
to maptech terrain navigator, changing the colors on the tracks, etc. and

then
exporting them to my desktop as a .tiff file, opening them up in

photosuite,
modifying them and saving them as a .bmp image in an internal file folder,

and
finally calibrating them using the distance/known point system in the

bitmap
calibration, and then loading that final file as a bitmap (raster) file.

I
still have not been able to find out how to use their calibration ratios,

but
instead adjust the pixel-meter ratio until the screen size is the proper

scale
on the map & on the screen and then when it is printed. I have also

witnessed
some technical glitches with this program. I do not believe that Arcview

can do
anything more that would be practical for us (consultants) than mapmaker

can.

Some main problems with this system... #1 is that Maptech's terrain

navigator
will only allow certain zooms for their topomaps, therefore trying to put

in
cruise points on a scale of say 3 x 3 chains is not practical. Ideally,

it
would be nice to be able to scan in a platmap, an aerial photo and a

topomap and
then start creating drawings on your live layer and then upload that to

your CE
machine and start painting and cruising, but I don't know of anything that

does
that yet - we're not far away though... If current technology maintains

the
speed it has been going for the last 2 years, we should see something from
someone by next year or in another 2 years.

Ideally, a program that does all these things should not be more than $500

per
state.

Joe Zorzin wrote:

I just posted the following in comp.infosystems.gis.
******************************

I'd really like ArcGIS (I'm a forestry consultant) but can't afford

their
outrageous prices. So, I'm considering either MapMaker or Manifold. I've
downloaded the Gratis version of MapMaker and I'm having a problem

getting
it to print- but I'm sure I could solve that problem if I really tried.

I've
spoken to the company and they've shown an interest in helping to solve

it.

I was hoping that Manifold had a similar stripped down program, but no

luck
with that. Basically, I'd like to bring up ortho photos for a base map-

use
GPS on property corners, then upload those to the photos- then layout

cruise
plots which could then be downloaded to the GPS- use the software to do
stand typing, acreage calculation, etc.

I'd also use the GPS to track trails, etc. I don't think I really need
ArcGIS, other than it's the standard software and it would be nice to

have-
it would almost certainly be overkill.

Any comments will be appreciated.




 
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