If you are new to GIS and are interested in finding out more then there many facilities available on the internet to help get you started. If you prefer to read a book about GIS then you could do no better than obtain a copy of “Getting to know ArcGIS desktop”. This book covers the main GIS application areas and fortunately does not anticipate that you know much about the subject when you begin reading. Just reading the book without doing any of the exercises will give you a flavour of what GIS can do for your own personal or business requirements. There are chapters clearly explaining what GIS is and how it can help solve many geo-spatial problems. Of course not everybody has the time or inclination to read this sort of instructional manual, especially as it is almost 600 pages in length. In that case your alternative strategy may be to take one of the many training courses available on GIS. These courses can give you a very good grounding in the functionality of GIS systems through a couple of days training. Then it is up to you to put what you have learnt into practice.
Of course not everyone can justify the cost of buying software like ArcGIS or MapInfo which have as their primary target market as businesses, local and central government organisations. However access to such proprietary software is available on a limited trial basis if you just want to learn how to use a GIS or evaluate whether it is right for you. You can download the ArcGIS software for a 30 day trial or a 60 day trial if you have purchased the book. Similarly MapInfo also offer a 30 day trial of their software which is available for download from their website. This should give you sufficient time to use the software in conjunction with some instructional material to learn about the power of GIS.
If after having finished the trial period you still wish to use a GIS but cannot justify the cost of the proprietary software solutions then you could try one of the open source solutions now available. Quantum GIS is an open source solution which is now available for download and it is free to use. This GIS software is being constantly upgraded and again these upgrades are free to download. Like word processors all GIS software systems have many features in common. Someone who has been using a proprietary system for some time may prefer it to an open source solution because of familiarity with its functionality, However, the open source may be more than sufficient for his or her requirements. Again because of the popularity of systems like Quantum GIS there are now many training companies and universities offering GIS training courses on a regular basis.
If after having finished the trial period you still wish to use a GIS but cannot justify the cost of the proprietary software solutions then you could try one of the open source solutions now available. Quantum GIS is an open source solution which is now available for download and it is free to use. This GIS software is being constantly upgraded and again these upgrades are free to download. Like word processors all GIS software systems have many features in common. Someone who has been using a proprietary system for some time may prefer it to an open source solution because of familiarity with its functionality, However, the open source may be more than sufficient for his or her requirements. Again because of the popularity of systems like Quantum GIS there are now many training companies and universities offering GIS training courses on a regular basis.
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