Many local authorities have been using proprietary software such as MapInfo and ArcGIS for many years now. Their level of investment means that the suppliers of this software are keen to retain this valuable market. Perhaps as much as 50% of the UK market is made up of various local and national government agencies who need the power of these desktop software products in their workplace. The fact that both MapInfo and ArcGIS are proven and reliable desktop GIS solutions means that they have a valuable customer base which needs support, training, additional software modules as well as various upgrades over time.

Aims of this course

Who is the course designed for?

This course is designed for anyone who wishes to make better use of MapInfo Professional whatever their working environment. Whether you are completely new, self taught or have some experience with MapInfo Professional this course will give you clear guidance to the key questions that you need to answer to benefit from using the software.

What can you learn from this course?

Through many examples, advice, tips, methods and exercises you will learn how to avoid some of the common pitfalls and make best use of MapInfo Professional in a language which is clear and available to everyone.

Pre-requisites

The pre-requisites necessary to make best use of MapInfo Professional are as follows:-

• A good understanding of the Windows interface and Internet Explorer ( file handling, directory creation).
  
• Ability to work with spreadsheet tables such as in Excel, for example.
  

Understanding databases such as Access for example would be advantageous. The familiarity with any software using layers and vector design such as AutoCAD or the use any form of GIS would also be helpful.

The main thing to remember, with regard to any desktop GIS system, is that if you get the basic set up correct in the first place, you will save a lot of hassle later on. By this, I mean you need to sit down and evaluate what you want to achieve from use of the GIS before attempting to create your project.

As the three major systems, ArcGIS, MapInfo and QGIS, place certain constraints on how you input, display and print data it is important to understand what is feasible and what is not. Remember that you are usually creating a series of layers on top of the base map which contains the foundational information  of the project. 

The speed with which computer technology has moved in the last twenty years has been almost breath taking. The power of today's computers makes the original IBM pc, which played a big part in bringing computing to the masses, seem absolutely minimal. Processing power is now significantly higher and storage capacity no longer an issue that held back many projects in the early days of the personal computer evolution.

If you are new to using a desktop GIS you may not fully appreciate how the various file formats are used. Unlike word processors GIS works with layers and needs to know whether you are loading vector or raster file layers. There are also other kinds of layers you can load but we will concentrate on vector and raster as these are the most common file types within a GIS software solution.

A map can be made up of many different layers. There is usually a base map layer to which all the other layers are added. Layer order is important to ensure that all layers are visible according to what you want your map to display. For instance, a raster layer over a vector layer could hide that layer's information. This problem is easily solved by reordering the layers so that all the appropriate data is visible.

If you are interested in learning about how to make effective use of a desktop GIS software solution, and how it could help your business, then you may be interested to learn that jps services will be holding Quantum GIS introductory training courses in Oxford. These one day introductory courses are taking place in September and October 2013 at John Eccles House, Robert Robertson Ave, Oxford, OX4 4GP.   

Within the last twenty years the cost of implementing a GIS software solution has steadily fallen making this valuable mapping tool available to more and more business sectors.

Back in the late 1970's the main suppliers of GIS systems such as IBM and Intergraph were mainly supplying custom built solutions on mainframe computers. These systems were only available to the biggest organisations with budgets often in excess of several million of pounds. The arrival of the personal computer in the 1980's meant that desktop GIS solutions could be provided to companies with much more limited resources.

If you have experienced both GIS and CAD software you will probably find that most of what I have to say regarding similarities and differences familiar. A basic similarity between the two software facilities is that they both use a layer function to display the graphic element of the drawing (CAD) and map (GIS). Perhaps that is the most common similarity whilst most of the differences lie in the purpose each software type aims to fulfil.

Computer aided design systems as their name implies provide a means of designing objects. For the architect it will be some form of building design, for the electrical engineer it may involve a complex wiring diagram, for a civil engineer it could be a highway, tunnel or bridge project and for a mechanical engineer it could be some form of engine or pump design.  

There have been many definitions of a geographical information system which have successfully covered the elements of what such a system should be. However, for the purpose of this particular discussion we will narrow the definition to that of a computer based definition of a geographic information system. This is because there is significant evidence to show that GIS is now more or less associated with digitally based computer solutions rather than paper based solutions. Accordingly we could define GIS as a computer based tool which is able to convert geographic data into geographic information.   

Once you have acquired an understanding of the functionality of a GIS system such as Quantum GIS you may have a need to link a relational database file at some point. Whilst attaching a CSV file from a spread sheet is a relatively simple procedure in QGIS, linking relational databases can be somewhat more involved because more parameters are involved. A popular relational database such as MySQL can be linked to QGIS through the standard interface if you have enabled the database server and have access via a password.