[AccessD] OT: Today's GIS

John B. john at winhaven.net
Tue Sep 16 08:17:37 CDT 2003


:o)

Yes, when they made the move to Arc8, which basically wants you to use a
RDBMS for data storage rather than the "Info" flat file system used
previously, most of the users rebelled. I would estimate that in Wisconsin
(ArcInfo is the State mandated standard) that no one moved to using a RDBMS
for over a yer and we're probably up to about 20% doing it. Hard to change
almost 20 years of engrained habit.

The really nice thing is that the ESRI line VBA capable and they are
promoting the use of VBA instead of their own Macro languages.

BTW for those of you who don't know what GIS is - it's Geographic
Information System. Basically smart maps (and other graphics). Very powerful
environments that allow one to connect intelligent graphics elements to
information attributes that can be entered, edited and recalled via the
graphics (and via queries). These graphic elements "know" about themselves
and where they fit in the world. Queries can be attribute queries, spatial
queries or a combination of both. On this list we all know attribute
queries. A spatial query would be something Show me all of the residential
areas that are adjacent to a water feature. A combination query would be one
that uses the graphics elements and attribute information that has no
graphic element such as "phone number". One such as Marty described, in
laymen's terms: "let me see all of the residential units that have changed
phone service within the last year". Cool stuff.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of Haslett,
> Andrew
> Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2003 2:14 AM
> To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'
> Subject: RE: [AccessD] OT: Today's GIS
>
>
> Lets hope ESRI get everything working properly in their latest releases.
> ;=)
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim Lawrence (AccessD) [mailto:accessd at shaw.ca]
> Sent: Tuesday, 16 September 2003 4:07 PM
> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> Subject: RE: [AccessD] Today's GIS (was Info: Free Windows Fortran 77
> Compiler)
>
>
> There has been some major chances in GIS capabilities over the last twenty
> years. The new state art is ARCInfo. It is a full object oriented data and
> graphic package with an extensive set of tools that can link it into
> virtually any data sources and combine them  together. It is fully
> programmable as well. Some pretty heady stuff. As you have
> observed, the GIS
> packages are much more than just a CAD program.
>
> I may eventually start working in GIS, again...one of these days...an old
> friend is now incharge of the local government services and has
> extended an
> offer.
>
> Still debating.
>
> Jim
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of MartyConnelly
> Sent: Monday, September 15, 2003 7:58 PM
> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> Subject: Re: [AccessD] Today's GIS (was Info: Free Windows Fortran 77
> Compiler)
>
>
> I took a GIS course, a couple of years back at U Vic to keep my hand in.
> It was all Unix MapSys.
>  I am still surprised how many people don't think out of the box with
> GIS. I once had to find out how many people had moved  in a year in a
> municipality surrounded by Ottawa. So I did it with address matching and
> maps showing the actual moves; took about a month to do. I came up with
> a figure of  30%. The urban planners started berating me about the
> figure being way too high.
>  So I showed them the figures I got from Bell Canada. The number of new
> residential phone connects in the year was 33% in that municipality. At
> that time there were no cell phones.
> One phone call to Bell could have given them a ball park figure rather
> than using GIS.
>
> John B. wrote:
>
> >If you haven't worked in GIS for awhile I think you'de be pleasantly
> >surprised how far they've come.
> >
> >I was a GIS Project Manager in the late 90's just as Intergraph
> made a huge
> >switch in philosphy. They adapted Windows NT as their OS of choice and
> >jumped from Unix to NT, Eventually, after they migrated their customer
> base,
> >they got out of the Unix OS(Clipper) business all together, although they
> do
> >support using other OS based DBs via networks.
> >
> >There are basically two main companies involved in GIS now, Intergraph
> >(which is publicly held) and ESRI (which is privately owned). Intergraph
> has
> >a lot of other companies using their technologies to target specfic
> >tasks/audiences. ESRI has a lot of companies writing add-ons or
> supplements
> >to their software.
> >
> >It's an amazing set of technologies!
> >
> >
> >
> >>-----Original Message-----
> >>From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> >>[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of MartyConnelly
> >>Sent: Sunday, September 14, 2003 10:02 PM
> >>To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> >>Subject: Re: [AccessD] Info: Free Windows Fortran 77 Compiler
> >>
> >>
> >>Cadastral from french cadastre meaning to register. Hence a Land
> >>registry system.
> >>
> >>However don't go near the Quebec  Land Registry based on old
> >>Seigneurial  land titles everything was measured in perches or some
> >>other obscure 17'th century measurement.
> >>
> >> Yup I worked on two GIS cadastral mapping systems linked to land
> >>assessment databases
> >>one in Ottawa with a Honeywell 6000 GCOS mainframe and one PDP 11/70
> >>Intergraph system in Calgary.
> >>
> >>Gustav Brock wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>>Hi Jim
> >>>
> >>>Sounds impressive. But cadastral? Even my trusted "American Heritage
> >>>Dictionary" (bought in Olympia 1986 for USD 4.95) had to give up on
> >>>this. Google, however, revealed this page among others:
> >>>
> >>> http://www.co.blm.gov/cadastral/cadhome.htm
> >>>
> >>>Is that what your project was about?
> >>>
> >>>/gustav
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>>Wow, that dates things...I was pretty decent Fortran programmer
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>back in the
> >>
> >>
> >>>>late seventies, early eighties...I build a complete cadastral AutoCAD
> >>>>application that translated coordinates from Clarke's 1886
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>global positional
> >>
> >>
> >>>>formula spheroid to conic and mecaider map projections, on an
> Intergraph
> >>>>system, running on an old PDP11-70 VAX. I was a lot brighter then and
> >>>>remember little about it except that one period missing in a
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>the code could
> >>
> >>
> >>>>result in 100 plus pages of errors. I hope they have improved
> the error
> >>>>handling routines.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>>Thanks for the heads up Marty and maybe I will take a stroll
> down memory
> >>>>lane. (Even though it is a bit over-grown.)
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>>Jim
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>>-----Original Message-----
> >>>>From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> >>>>[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of
> MartyConnelly
> >>>>Sent: Saturday, September 13, 2003 5:09 PM
> >>>>To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> >>>>Subject: [AccessD] Info: Free Windows Fortran 77 Compiler
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>>I was looking at the Fortran95.Net compiler on this site when I came
> >>>>across this free for personal use Fortran 77 compiler. a bit dated
> >>>>but... Still useable with some of the good stat-math packs that are
> >>>>floating around on the net.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>>http://www.salfordsoftware.co.uk/compilers/ftn77pe/index.shtml
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>_______________________________________________
> >>>AccessD mailing list
> >>>AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
> >>>http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
> >>>Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>_______________________________________________
> >>AccessD mailing list
> >>AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
> >>http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
> >>Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >AccessD mailing list
> >AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
> >http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
> >Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> AccessD mailing list
> AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> AccessD mailing list
> AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
>
> IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ ********************
> This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and may
> contain information protected by law from disclosure.
> If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender
> immediately and delete this email from your system.
> No warranty is given that this email or files, if attached to this
> email, are free from computer viruses or other defects. They
> are provided on the basis the user assumes all responsibility for
> loss, damage or consequence resulting directly or indirectly from
> their use, whether caused by the negligence of the sender or not.
> _______________________________________________
> AccessD mailing list
> AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
>
>




More information about the AccessD mailing list