Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial Information Systems

A range of related software packages can be used in addition to GeoNetwork opensource to deploy a full Spatial Data Infrastructure. These include Web Map Server software, GIS desktop applications and Web Map Viewers.

Below you will find some examples of open source software available for each categories.

Web Map Server software

• GeoServer (All)
• MapServer (All)
• MapGuide Open Source (Windows & Linux)
• Deegree (All)

GIS Desktop software

• GRASS (All)
• gvSIG (All)
• uDig (All)
• Quantum GIS (All)
• OSSIM (Windows & OSX)

Web Map Viewer and Map Server Management

• OpenLayers (All)
• MapBender (All)

Note
All = The Windows, Linux and Mac OS X operating systems.
read more about free mapping softwares

What is ArcGIS Online?

ArcGIS Online is a complete, cloud-based, collaborative content management system that lets organizations manage their geographic information in a secure and configurable environment. The platform provides an on-demand infrastructure for creating web maps, web-enabling your data, sharing your map, data, and applications, and managing content and multiple users from your organization. It includes basemaps, data for your maps, applications, configurable templates, and GIS tools and APIs for developers. Organizations purchase a subscription which allows them to configure and manage their own ArcGIS Online site and set of resources. A subscription includes organizational accounts for members of the organization. Personal accounts are available for individuals who want to access content shared by Esri and GIS users and create, store, and share maps, apps, and data.

What can you do with ArcGIS Online?

A subscription to ArcGIS Online allows organizations to manage their geospatial content in a secure environment, publish maps and data in Esri's secure cloud, configure their own ArcGIS Online website, and create maps and apps from APIs, templates, and tools. It also gives them resources to share and collaborate with its members and beyond the organization. Organizations can share their geospatial content and provide access to critical information while staying in control of their data.

Manage your organization's geospatial content in a secure environment

Through a subscription, you get flexible data storage capabilities and administrative controls for managing user roles and access levels. Administrators of the subscription can invite specific users or groups of users with already established logins used in the organization and monitor usage through an intuitive dashboard. You can share content through groups with members of your organization, keep it private, or make it public. You stay in control of your data, lower your infrastructure costs, and empower your users and customers with easy-to-use, web-enabled content.

Publish maps and data as hosted services in Esri's secure cloud

Organizations can publish their maps and data as web services on ArcGIS Online. Esri takes care of hosting the services and scaling to meet demand. Web, desktop, and mobile applications can access the hosted services from anywhere on the Internet if the publisher chooses to allow it. The services can be published directly from ArcGIS for Desktop or the ArcGIS.com website.

Source arcgis.com

Online Spatial Data Sources - FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RESOURCES

THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY: (http://www.usgs.gov/). Home of the National Mapping Division, host for the Federal Geographic Data Committee (http://fgdc.er.usgs.gov/), the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, and headquarters for the data archive at the EROS Data Center (http://edcftp.cr.usgs.gov/).
THE UNITED STATES CENSUS BUREAU,  Department of Commerce: Home of the TIGER data for computer mapping.  (http://www.census.gov/)
TERRASERVER: An amalgam of government and private-sector companies, this site is part of the Microsoft network, in collaboration with the USGS, Compaq, Storage Works and Spin-2.  The site allows users to download aerial photos and satellite images, searchable by name or location in a variety of scales.  Claiming to be the largest online database, it contains over 3 TeraBytes of digital information. Very cool!  (http://www.terraserver.microsoft.com/)
NATIONAL GEOPHYSICAL DATA CENTER: Location for all sorts of geologial and earth resources information and data. (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/ngdc.html)
NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE: Center of information for mapping and charting of ports and oceans etc. (http://www.nos.noaa.gov/)
NATIONAL IMAGERY AND MAPPING AGENCY. The Agency's site provides ready access to the world's imagery, imagery intelligence and geospatial information.  (http://164.214.2.59/)
DEFENSE MAPPING AGENCY TERRAIN MAPPING PROJECT OFFICE: Data collections and information on terrain mapping. (http://164.214.2.53:8001/)
NASA: Source of much existing data, and includes details of planned future systems. Many links
to follow, including a master data base to facilitate searching. (http://www.nasa.gov/)

Download free shapefile maps

Thousands of shapefile maps can be downloaded for free from the following websites, including country shapefiles, shapefiles at province or state level, and other administrative boundaries maps. The shapefile (or ESRI shapefile) format is a geospatial vector format and one of the most common (if not the most common) map format.

Shapefile maps can be loaded into StatPlanet Lite and StatPlanet Plus to create interactive shapefile maps (see also: setting up a shapefile map). Please note that you need to download the map files in the ".SHP" format to load them into StatPlanet.

• Natural Earth - world maps - Excellent world shapefile maps with national boundaries, first order admin (provinces, states, etc.), disputed areas, coastlines, populated areas and more at various scale levels.
• Map Library - Country shapefile maps in the public domain. The World Bank alternative below sometimes has better maps, but not for as many countries.
• United Nations - UN-SALB (Second Administrative Level Boundaries) data set project. These maps are free but copyright rests with the UN. The maps are validated by the National Mapping Agencies (NMA) of each UN Member State. This website requires registration to download the maps.
• Geocommons - A huge database of user submitted maps. Search for any kind of map, then downlooad the shapefile as follows: click on 'Details' (not 'View map'). Select a dataset listed below. To download the shapefiles, select the 'Shapefile' button shown to the right of the map.
• World Bank - Country shapefiles can be downloaded through the World Bank's Mapping platform as follows: Click on 'explore countries' to select a country, click on 'download' in the top-right corner, and select 'Indicators (shapefile)'. This option is not available for all countries.
• MapCruzin - A great source for all kinds of shapefiles.
• Open Street Map - A growing collection of shapefile map downloads by continent, region and country. These maps are community edited and are not always complete. Shapefiles by country are also available from VDS tech.
• US Census Bureau - USA County and District Cartographic Boundary Files.

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