# Can someone show me where I can find free GIS software?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-show-me-where-i-can-find-free-gis-software/330927>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 14, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-show-me-where-i-can-find-free-gis-software/330927 "2005-11-14T02:43:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ficer67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@Ficer67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ficer67)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-show-me-where-i-can-find-free-gis-software/330927/1 "2005-11-14T02:43:10Z")

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I work for a Survey Company now. My boss would benefit from using GIS software to manage some of his projects, but until he sees actual results, he in not going to purchase anything. So could someone clue me into where I can get some shareware or freeware GIS software. Ultimately, I need to be able to import enough information into CADD so we can draw our projects.

Thanks

Ficer67

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**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-show-me-where-i-can-find-free-gis-software/330927/2 "2005-11-14T03:16:33Z")

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[Google](http://www.google.com/search?q=GIS+freeware&sourceid=mozilla&start=0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8)?

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**Author:** ![Stan\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@Stan\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Doubt)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-show-me-where-i-can-find-free-gis-software/330927/3 "2005-11-14T05:07:25Z")

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I haven’t worked much in that direction, usually I’m importing/viewing AutoCAD, but for freeware GIS check out TatukGIS Viewer or ESRI ArcExplorer. I find the former program to be a little better, but they are both pretty sketchy when working with big shapefiles.

here are a couple helpful links for viewer software:

[http://www.digitalgrove.net/Toolbox\_viewers.htm](http://www.digitalgrove.net/Toolbox_viewers.htm)  
[http://spatialnews.geocomm.com/features/viewers2002/](http://spatialnews.geocomm.com/features/viewers2002/)

If you need to **edit** shapefiles, you can download a free copy of ESRI ArcPad that will work for twenty minutes at a time. Though it is designed for Windows CE devices, it works just fine on desktops. The program even allows you to save before being kicked off after twenty minutes are up.