| Product Reviews |
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Welcome to Directions Magazine's Product Reviews. Most of our reviews are
conducted by an independent reviewer and if you would like us to review your
software solution (stand alone or internet-based), please send your request
to Editor@DirectionsMag.com. In your request, please include, Company Name,
Product Name, 150 word product description, Contact Name, phone, and email.
If your company is already listed in our Company Directory, please make sure
that your product information is updated in this area, as well.
Thank you.
Product Review: DeLorme XMap 5.0 GIS Enterprise: 05-22-2007
DeLorme XMap 5.0 GIS Enterprise is one of the components of a three-tiered software solution suite from DeLorme that provides increasing levels of functionality for GIS professionals. DeLorme has taken the approach of providing scalable solutions with its software and data products so that users only purchase the required amount of software and data they need. Paul Amos reviews the product.
Product Review - MapPoint 2006: 06-01-2006
MapPoint 2006 is the next version of Microsoft's desktop mapping software. It is really two separate products: a desktop mapping system and an in-vehicle navigation system. Depending on how you use it, you may see the improvements made from the previous version, MapPoint 2004, as valuable or not. Microsoft touts the vehicle navigation features of this version, and thus potential purchasers should consider whether the desktop mapping features are adequate for the type of analyses required. But the product lacks key features in desktop mapping and falls short of being a viable in-vehicle navigation system. Read more...
RouteMAP IMS 3.0: 10-23-2005
RouteMAP IMS 3.0 from ESRI is an out of the box solution for adding maps to existing web sites. Several things make this product unique. First,
ESRI licenses users to install RouteMAP IMS on their
server(s). Not only does this provide licensees the ability to
selectively add mapping features it also gives web masters and
developers the ability to seamlessly customize the look and feel of
RouteMAP IMS so it matches the graphics of their site...Read more.
Product Review: MapInfo Professional Version 8.0: 07-11-2005
MapInfo Professional version 8.0 is the latest release of MapInfo’s flagship desktop location intelligence software product. Read Paul Amos' review of the latest version.
Navman Sport.Tool R300 GPS: 07-10-2005
GPS is becoming ubiquitous. It’s in handheld games, phones, car navigation systems and many other everyday objects. One of the newer markets for GPS is for recreational and more competitive distance athletes. The latest entry into the space is from Navman, a division of Brunswick, a company known for its marine electronics instruments and car navigation devices. This article reviews the Navman Sport.Tool R300 GPS.
BusinessMAP Version 4: 05-21-2005
With Version 4, ESRI's BusinessMAP continues to provide good value and functionality in desktop mapping software. While the product primarily supports sales and marketing professionals with integrated links to personal information management software, BusinessMAP Version 4 continues it’s appeal to other professionals who simply need mapping software.
Product Overview: TerraSeer Space Time Intelligence System: 03-31-2005
As mapping systems move forward in technology, one advance quickly becomes the expected thing. If 3D is close, can 4D be far behind? Here's an overview of STIS (or Space Time Intelligence System, for long) that works in 4D. By Hal Reid, Senior Technical Editor.
Product Overview: NavPro – an Online Map Service From Maps.com: 03-24-2005
One of the visions for GIS is that it becomes an innocuous part of everything we do. MapQuest, Google Maps and other have pushed that vision. Another approach is Maps.com, a full service mapping company. Their product range includes wall maps, customized maps, and a new subscription product, NavPro, that provides maps on the Web. Hal Reid describes NavPro.
Product Overview: Cubistix Front End: 02-03-2005
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is recognized as one of the most critical issues in contemporary business. CRM is both a business strategy and a technology. This article discusses a product from Cubistix that marries various Microsoft products (including MapPoint 2004) together to affordably address CRM/GIS needs.
Product Review: GeoExpress 5.0 with MrSID by LIZARDTECH: 02-01-2005
GeoExpress 5.0 with MrSID from LIZARDTECH is a digital image manipulation program for viewing, extracting, and compressing large raster files. GeoExpress includes the Multi-resolution Seamless Image Database, MrSID, a wavelet-based image encoder. What is a wavelet-based image encoder? Read more...
Product Update - Mapinfo Professional 7.8: 09-15-2004
MapInfo has announced an upgrade to its flagship desktop GIS product, MapInfo Professional-version 7.8. The 7.8 release of MapInfo Pro includes many enhancements of which existing users will want to take note. The product has received Microsoft Windows XP
certification and it was re-certified on Oracle 10g primarily to maintain database security. Read more...
Product Review: Anacubis Desktop: 08-07-2004
Anacubis Desktop is a Competitive Intelligence set of tools and comes from the i2 Group that initially created similar (but more
comprehensive), software for Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analysts. The role in both cases is to show the relationships
between data as visual representations. As Business Geographers, we thoroughly understand that a picture is worth a
thousand words. A thematic or dot density map can show things that the tabular data just can’t. This product does the same
thing, only uses icons, colored lines (e.g. red for competitor) and iconic filters to let the user visualize the relationships in data.
This might be sourced from industry information from Hoovers.com, patent information (as an intellectual property
visualization), data from subscription services like LexisNexis, D&B or your own Excel spreadsheet.
Product Overview: PCI Geomatics’ GeoRaster ETL: 07-21-2004
PCI Geomatics is raster centric company and focuses on satellite image processing and digital air photo data manipulation. PCI’s GeoRaster ETL is a gateway to Oracle. ETL has access to the many formats that makes it an excellent supplemental tool for Oracle, which does not have native support for satellite formats.
Product Overview: Keigan System's Keigan GRID: 07-14-2004
Keigan Grid is a collection of COM-compliant grid mapping and spatial analysis objects. It can be used to create custom spatial analysis solutions, or to expand and
enhance existing products. The key to Keigan’s product is the plethora of
map operations that were formally adopted from Dana Tomlin’s Map Algebra, to which Keigan add even more functionality. Read More.
Product Review: Terrain Navigator Pro: 07-07-2004
Terrain Navigator Pro is a software program that provides access to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) topographic quadrangle maps and USGS Digital Ortho Quarter Quads (DOQQs). The
software and data are packaged together except for the aerial photography that must be downloaded using the Internet on a subscription basis. The
software does an excellent job of working seamlessly between the different quadrangle maps and the ability to display the quads in 3D is an extremely
powerful visualization of the information on the quadrangle maps. Read the entire review here.
Product Overview: MapInfo's MapXtreme 2004 on Microsoft® .NET: 06-30-2004
In May, MapInfo Corporation announced the release of MapXtreme 2004 on Microsoft® .NET. The product represents the merging of two products,
MapXtreme and MapX, into a single development platform and leverages the Microsoft Visual Studio .NET environment. Read more about the benefits of this software product for web and client-based application development.
Product Review – TatukGIS Viewer, version 1.1.1.166: 06-04-2004
The TatukGIS viewer is one of those products that you keep finding more and more functionality the more you use it. Because it reads so many file types,
both vector and raster, I have found it extremely useful in addition to what it is designed for just for viewing graphics files and for map files when you
didn’t want to load an entire desktop program just to see part of a project or an image. Read more about the latest functionality of this version.
BusinessMAP, ver. 3.5: 04-21-2004
BusinessMAP 3.5 has done a very good job of solving the issues of cost and ease of use in a desktop mapping product. It comes complete with a very robust amount of high quality data and also has built-in links to the web and your PDA. With the additional data support of aerial photographs, topographic maps, and international data BusinessMap is a very comprehensive software solution. Read the entire product review.
FME Spatial Data Provider Server 2004: 03-18-2004
The FME Spatial Data Provider (SDP) Server provides a direct link for reading and serving spatial data from native formats to ESRI’s ArcGIS v.8.3 and Autodesk’s MapGuide v.6.0 or higher without the need for translating the existing data source. The FME SDP Server is an Open GIS Consortium based OLE DB provider that supports over 100 spatial data source formats. Read more about the capabilities and limitations of this product...
GISConnect for AutoCAD Version 1.0: 02-27-2004
GISConnect version 1.0 for AutoCAD is an add-on tool for the AutoCAD environment that combines the power of ArcGIS’s advanced database and geospatial
capabilities with the extensive use of AutoCAD® drawing tools. GISConnect for AutoCAD provides a bridge of interoperability between the CAD environment and GIS datasources. The product allows CAD users to incorporate
geographically referenced data into their CAD drawings through the GISConnect toolbar and menu. Read the complete product review...
Matrox Parhelia, 128MB Multiple Monitor Graphics Board: 02-06-2004
In today’s computing environment, with IM, email and everyone having several applications open at once, more than one monitor really makes sense. The Matrox Parhelia board will support up to three monitors in various combinations and configurations. This can include CRTs, LCDs and even a TV.
Quick Take Product Overview: POWERmap by Platts: 01-06-2004
POWERmap is a desktop mapping application that was developed by Platts, a company engaged providing data and applications to the power industry and
specifically the natural gas, electric, and coal markets. POWERmap contains about 65 mapping layers covering those industries. It is built on an open architecture
using MapInfo technology and users can import or export any information they need such as from a proprietary database.
AccuGlobe 2004: 12-18-2003
AccuGlobe is a new desktop GIS software application developed through a partnership between GeoMicro, Inc. and Digital Data Technologies, Inc. (DDTI).
AccuGlobe was developed by DDTI using GeoMicro’s fourth generation AltaMap components that are OLE/COM objects used to incorporate GIS functionality
into customized applications. The scheduled release date for AccuGlobe is November 19, 2003. AccuGlobe has similar functionality to most of the well-known
desktop GIS software applications. The product was designed to give most users the functionality they need on a daily basis.
MapOCX Pro v6.0 USA: 11-19-2003
MapOCX Pro v6.0 is a developer's toolkit for incorporating detailed maps into a Windows programming environment. The product is not software for end users, it
simply provides developer tools to incorporate mapping functionality into applications built within programming environments such as Microsoft Visual Basic and/or
Borland Delphi. Read more about this product.
DeLorme XMap 4.0: 09-16-2003
DeLorme XMap 4.0 is a scalable mapping software program that provides GIS tools at an affordable price. The base package includes the functionality discussed in
this review with some custom datasets. DeLorme’s XMap 4.0 has a different feel than most commercial GIS software packages. Read the entire product review here...
The TomTom Navigator USA: 08-05-2003
The TomTom Navigator is a personal navigation system that runs on a PocketPC-based personal digital assistant (PDA). The display of the vehicle position along major roads was excellent, although some problems with map accuracy were encountered in some residential areas. Read the entire review for how LBS technology is moving into personal electronics.
Map-In-A-Box: 04-30-2003
This month, we review Map-In-A-Box, an add-on to MapInfo Professional 6.0 (or higher) that seamlessly integrates Microsoft’s MapPoint 2002 functionality into MapInfo Professional. Map-In-A-Box is available in a North American version and a European version. The North American version includes seamless geographic data for the United States and Canada while the European version has seamless geographic data across the European Union. The integration of
the MapPoint data within MapInfo is very useful for users that want to view seamless maps that cross country boundaries, geocode data and find street data in multiple countries.
Quick Take Product Overview: HP xw4100 Workstation - A Machine Built with the GIS Professional in Mind: 04-25-2003
GeoMedia Professional version 5.1: 04-21-2003
GeoMedia Professional is designed for users that need additional functionality to create and edit spatial data. The software builds on the current GeoMedia software
with specific tools for GIS data capture and editing. GeoMedia Professional uses standard RDBMS technologies for its data model to store, access and manage
spatial data using Access and Oracle databases.
Quick Take Product Overview: AltaMap 4.0: 04-13-2003
GeoMicro provides its clients with integrated mapping solutions. AltaMap has been successfully deployed within local governments,
utilities, and engineering companies. This article will focus on the use
of GeoMicro’s solutions for Asset Tracking and Location Based Services.
AltaMap AVL and LBS solutions combine the ease of use and scalability -
of a mapping service with the customization and analytical capabilities”
of a GIS map server.
Safe Software's FME Professional Suite 2003: 02-13-2003
Summary: The FME Professional Suite simplifies the process of converting data among different spatial data formats. The product can translate data among a wide variety of data formats from the multiple GIS software vendors. The Universal Translator is intuitive and very user friendly. The user is able to quickly and easily convert files among multiple GIS software products using the Universal Translator. For users that require advanced functionality with regards to transforming their spatial data, the FME Workbench provides the tools for performing these types of data transformations. The FME Universal Viewer is ideal for someone that needs to preview data in particular software vendor’s format, but does not have access to use that software vendor’s program to view the spatial data.
GeoColors Pro v. 2.03: 01-28-2003
Quick Take Product Overview: Safe Software's Feature Manipulation Engine (FME): 01-20-2003
Directions Magazine wanted to recognize Safe Software's 10 years in business. We also wanted to get an overview of Safe's FME technology and what is in store
for the products in light of the coming adoption of .NET. We interviewed Safe CEO Don Murray and Dale Lutz , vice president of product development to get the
answers:
Quick Take Product Overview: Maporama: 12-13-2002
Maporama has gained wide acceptance in Europe as one of the premier suppliers of location-based services and consumer mapping navigation. Directions Magazine asked Maporama to provide a more in-depth understanding of their technology and to elaborate on t
MapInfo Professional Version 7.0: 12-12-2002
MapInfo Professional version 7.0
is the latest release by MapInfo Corporation of their desktop GIS software
product.
Quick Take Product Overview: MapPoint Data Service: 11-13-2002
Triscape Map Explorer: 10-23-2002
Quick Take Product Overview: HP Mobile Workstation -- Compaq Evo Mobile Workstation N800w: 09-26-2002
HP Introduces Mobile Workstation with Powerful Graphics Technology and Thin, Lightweight Design
Manifold® System Release 5.00 - Professional Version: 09-18-2002
Quick Take Product Overview: Topo USA 4.0: 08-20-2002
Quick Take Product Overview: Call Smart: 08-13-2002
Autodesk MapSeries - Part 2 of 2: 08-06-2002
For the second part of the Autodesk Map Series review, we will review the functionality in Autodesk OnSite
6 and Autodesk Raster Design 3.
Autodesk MapSeries - Part 1 of 2: 07-16-2002
MapInfo Professional® Puts Maps in Microsoft’s® SQL Server: 05-22-2002
BusinessMAP Travel Edition v 1.0: 05-16-2002
Quick Review - Safe Software Feature Manipulation Engine for MapPoint 2002: 01-30-2002
A Review of IDRISI32: 10-25-2000
Idrisi is a strong candidate to supplement your main GIS with image and raster analysis functions; but trying to use it as your main GIS software could be frustrating
ArcInfo 8 in Detail: 02-09-2000
Our Daniel Elroi begins a detailed look at what's new in ArcInfo 8, the latest version of ESRI's flagship product.
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