This chapter focuses on OpenEV, but there are many other GIS and mapping programs available. Some are open source and some are commercial.
Here is a list of some of the free and open source desktop GIS and mapping programs available today:
For more comprehensive lists of open source GIS and mapping tools, see:
Many of the major vendors distribute their own free viewers. These aren’t considered freeware because you may not be able to freely distribute the programs. However, they are freely available to use:
Freeware applications include:
There are also several commercial GIS and mapping programs available. This is a short list with an approximate single-user license cost (U.S. dollars) based on Internet price lists.
http://www.manifold.net/ ($245)
http://www.mapinfo.com/ ($1,490)
If you use ArcView 3 and would like to start moving to an open source product, the Gix Exporter (http://gix.sourceforge.net/) may come in handy. It is an extension for ArcView 3 that can export to MapServer map files and JUMP, QGIS, Thuban, and OpenEV project formats. It can also export to a few vector graphics formats.