------------------------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE
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=>  SPATIAL CONTEST
=>  SPONSORSHIP NOTICE
=>  FEATURE ARTICLE
=>  SPATIAL NEWS
=>  SPATIAL BOOK REVIEW: How to Lie With Maps
=>  SPATIAL DATA ON-LINE
=>  GIS IN CANADA
=>  GIS EDUCATION
=>  SPATIAL EVENTS
=>  SPATIAL GLOSSARY
=>  SPATIAL FREEBIES
=>  CLASSIFIED ADS
=>  SPATIAL WEBMASTER TIPS
------------------------------------------------------------
SPATIAL CONTEST
------------------------------------------------------------

This month we are pleased to be giving away copies of Microsoft
MapPoint. We will be awarding 3 lucky winners fully functional
copies of MapPoint software. To be eligible simply add your link
to our Free-for-all links page or if you don't have a link to post
then post a thread on the SpatialNews discussion Forum. Winners 
will be announced on May 31st., the middle of June and at the end
of June - Good luck and thanks again to our contest sponsor, 
Microsoft. 

To find out more visit http://www.SpatialNews.com and jump to the
contest page.

Please note that only SpatialNews subscribers from May onward are
entered, otherwise you have to add a link or post a thread to be 
eligible.

Good Luck
------------------------------------------------------------
SPONSORSHIP NOTICE
------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to all of our sponsors SpatialNews & Spatial Graphics 
has made a move to a new url. 
We're now at http://www.SpatialNews.com 

I'm working on some new concepts for this site - essentially
to be built around this newsletter. Look for guest columnists,
a virtual GIS user group where you can share ideas with others
and lots more! Let us know if you want to become a sponsor.

------------------------------------------------------------
FEATURE ARTICLE
------------------------------------------------------------
Well, SpatialNews finally has a new home. Hopefully by now you've
been there, but in case you haven't its located at 
http://www.SpatialNews.com

It's been alot of work but now slowly, the new web site is begining
to take shape. There are still details to work out and don't be 
surprised to see many changes over the next few months.

Since starting this newsletter 6 months ago, I've received alot of
encouragement from people and alot of compliments as well - much 
appreciated! I realise that at times the zine may be a bit rough
around the edges (by my standards) but the overall objective is
always to provide quality and up-to-date content.

Much of what is done in this newsletter and on the website comes from
ideas and recurring questions posted to GIS forums and discussion 
groups. The objective of SpatialNews is to help GIS professionals 
(and novices as well) and to point you to valuable resources and 
deliver timely GIS and related news. Hopefully during the process,
SpatialNews helps to foster a "Community" feeling.

So about the web site. 

The Press Room
http://news.geocomm.com/press_room.html
If you don't have alot of time I would 
suggest you make your first stop the Press Room. This is where
daily GIS/CAD/ or Mapping related news releases are posted (or
pointed to). If you're company sends out press releases be sure
to include us in your mail out and let us help you get the word
out.

The SpatialNews Page
http://news.geocomm.com/spatialnews.html
This is where this newsletter will reside in html format
You can always find past issues as well.

The "Web Maps" Page
http://news.geocomm.com/webmaps.html
There's lots of buzz around these days about getting your spatial
data on the web. This page will provide numerous resources dealing
with this topic. If you have a slick web mapping app. be sure to
let us know and we'll feature you r site on this page.

The "Map Viewers" Page
http://news.geocomm.com/viewers.html
There are lots of freely available map viewers around. These are
products that will enable non-gis users to look at your data and
associated attributes without having to waste time translating
data into a format that is compatible with an in house system. 
Most are very simple to operate and provide only very limited
functionality.

The "Resources" Page
http://www.coastnet.com/~letham/gis.html
For now this points to the "old" Spatial Graphics site. In time
these pages will be updated and integrated into the new format 
(dead links will be fixed too - sorry!!)

The "Bookstore" Page
http://news.geocomm.com/books/books.html
For now, a simple page with several popular GIS book reviews.
Keep an eye open for specials such as the current 50% off NY Times
best sellers. Also big plans and big changes for this page!

The "Community Pages"
These are the pages that are there for you! These include:
GIS related discussion forum
http://news.geocomm.com/usergroup/gisforum.html

Add a Link page, feel free to post your web sites address here
http://news.geocomm.com/guest/guestbook.html

Free GIS/Mapping related classified ads
Post a job available/wanted; data wanted; services available or ??
http://news.geocomm.com/classified.html

So there's the tour. Your comments are always welcomed and 
appreciated. If you maintain a website we would welcome you to
add a link to SpatialNews.com and please tell us you did so.
------------------------------------------------------------
SPATIAL NEWS
------------------------------------------------------------
MrSID Publishing Edition is comming very soon. At that
time, there will be online demos with sample images so you can
try it for yourself. To be notified of shipping and to sign up
to win a free copy of the MrSID Publishing Edition, visit
http://www.lizardtech.com/publishing.

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There is a NEW GISCanada message board to post and receive job
and GIS information about Canada.  The address is a little long,
so bookmark for easier use.  Login in and post any information 
relating to GIS in Canada.

It can be found at:
http://206.86.100.18:8080/BBSMessageBoard.showBoard?boardName=giscanada

email:            gis_canada-owner@egroups.com
Homepage :   http://www.egroups.com/list/gis_canada
Subscription:  gis_canada-subscribe@egroups.com
 

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Global Gazetteer: new url, new web site, more data
http://www.allm-geodata.com

The GLOBAL GAZETTEER is the ultimate world gazetteer, essential 
for anyone requiring point data for mapping, address correction,
etc.

It contains over 3.5 million places (and 35K ports and airports, 
many with runway lengths), but has unique selection capabilities
to provide only the exact amount of data required for your project
objectives or budget. Settlement data is enriched with 
administrative area, population, postcode, height, area, telephone
dialling code, administrative function within country (e.g. is the
place a provincial capital, or lower level seat). There are over 
1.1 million postcodes on file, as well as some 290,000 places with
precise populations.

They also have details over 80,000 administrative areas throughout 
the world, with similar information, including the capitals of the
areas.

They are actively looking for resellers for the data, and would be very
pleased to talk about terms and licensing agreements.

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Avenza Global Technologies Corp., of Burlington, Ontario, Canada,
the developers of MAPublisher, are pleased to announce the release
of MAPublisher Version 3.5 for Macromedia FreeHand 8 for the
Microsoft Window 95/98 and NT operating platforms.  Shipping began
on May 10, 1999. 

MAPublisher is a suite of GIS and cartographic plug-in tools that
allows the import of top GIS and CAD file formats into high-end
graphics and illustration environments with all the attribute 
databases intact and ready to use. 

Included in this suite of powerful mapping filters are import
tools, projection editors, legend tools, labeling tools, database
management tools and many others comprising a complete cartographic
solution. MAPublisher Version 3.5 is available at $299 for a 
limited time only, after which it will be available at the regular
price of $495. 
http://www.avenza.com 

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Blue Marble Geographics announces the release of the MapInfo ADRG
Raster Handler, an extension that allows you to display 
geo-referenced ADRG images directly within the MapInfo environment. 
ADRG provides a rich source of raster map information for MapInfo 
users. 

ADRG (Arc Digitized Raster Graphics) is an image format developed 
and distributed on CDROM by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency
(NIMA) in the United States. The main purpose of ADRG is to serve
as a raster display background for different applications.  ADRG
provides a rich, inexpensive, and comprehensive source of scanned
map images for viewing in MapInfo. The raster handler works
seamlessly within the MapInfo environments, such as MapInfo 
Professional and Map X. 

Register, download, and purchase the MapInfo Raster Handler online
with Blue Marble Geographics at http://www.bluemarblegeo.com. 

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Global Geomatics announces that its OGDI product line can now be
used with ArcView® GIS software from ESRI. The ArcView®/OGDI 
combination gives end-users complete, real-time access to widely
distributed geospatial vector and raster native databases,
regardless of their format, kind of data or type of projection. 
On the Internet or a corporate Intranet, ArcView® can now be a
truly distributed application. Global Geomatics OGDI is particularly
noteworthy because all adjustments to coordinate systems and
cartographic projections are done "on-the-fly," even for raster
images. 

For more information, a FREE download and a test-drive on Global
Geomatics web site, visit
http://www.globalgeo.com/products/default.asp?profile=arcview 

------------------------------------------------------------ 
SPATIAL BOOK REVIEW: How to Lie With Maps
------------------------------------------------------------
How to Lie With Maps
by Mark Monmonier, H. J. De Blij  - only $11.96 (paperback) 
(Review supplied by Amazon.com)

Originally published to wide acclaim, this lively, cleverly 
illustrated essay on the use and abuse of maps teaches us how
to evaluate maps critically and promotes a healthy skepticism
about these easy-to-manipulate models of reality. As Monmonier
shows, maps not only point the way and provide information,
maps lie. In fact, they must. 

To show how maps distort, Monmonier introduces basic principles
of mapmaking, gives entertaining examples of the misuse of maps
in situations from zoning disputes to census reports, and covers
all the typical kinds of distortions from deliberate 
oversimplifications to the misleading use of color.

------------------------------------------------------------
SPATIAL DATA ON-LINE: PLACE NAMES
------------------------------------------------------------
So you need some place names. Here's some resources to help get
you going.

US Gazetter from the US Census Bureau
http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/gazetteer
This gazetteer is used to identify places to view with the 
Tiger Map Server and obtain census data from the 1990 Census
Lookup server. You can search for places, counties or MCDs
by entering the name and state abbreviation (optional), or
5-digit zip code.

U.S. Gazetteer Place and Zipcode Files
http://ftp.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/places.html
As part of the Tiger Mapping Service, they provide a 1990 
Census gazetteer of counties, places and zipcodes in the 
United States, so you can find a place by name without having
to know the LAT/LON coordinates.

GNIS Data Sets
Available Via Anonymous FTP
http://mapping.usgs.gov/www/gnis/gnisftp.html
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) data base is 
currently organized by individual State and Territory files.

National Address Server - University of Buffalo
http://www.cedar.buffalo.edu/adserv.html
Given a valid U.S. postal address, this server attempts to 
rewrite the address in the proper format along with the ZIP+4
code. If it is successful, you can retrieve a Postscript or a
GIF file of the address for printing, with a barcode!

Canadian Geographic Names from NRCAN
http://GeoNames.NRCan.gc.ca/english/Home.html
Users can perform queries to obtain basic locational information
and generatesimple sketch maps which show general locations of 
selected features.

Global Gazetteer: new url, new web site, more data
http://www.allm-geodata.com

SpatialNews GIS Resources Page
http://www.coastnet.com/~letham/utility.html#13000places
Last but not least, here is a file free for you to download. It
contains over 13,000 world place names derived from a Waypoint
ASCII database. Please note there are duplicates as many of these
are airport locations.
(Note: I've come accross website where people are selling this
exact same dataset!)

GIS Data Depot

The GIS Data Depot www.gisdatadepot.com provides the GIS Community
with a single location on the Internet to access over a terabyte
of CAD/GIS data for free. You find data for every country in the
world from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. The GIS Data Depot is an
unbelievable web site with an astonishing array of data for the
United States - almost all of which is available for free
download or via custom created CDs for only a nominal fee.
You can quickly find free Digital Orthophotos, Digital Raster
Graphics, DEMs, DLGs, and numerous county, state,or national
datasets in GIS formats without having to search the web or the
numerous clearinghouse that now exist. The backbone of their web
site is a dedicated T-1 line - so your downloads will be as fast
as your bandwidth allows.

If you have data that you would like to share with others in the 
GIS Community, the GIS Data Depot is a great way to distribute
your data without having to deal with the expensive and burdensome
system administration issues associated with maintaining a web
server. 

http://www.gisdatadepot.com/

------------------------------------------------------------
GIS IN CANADA, EH! The National Soil DataBase (NSDB)
------------------------------------------------------------

The National Soil DataBase (NSDB)
http://res.agr.ca/CANSIS/NSDB/_overview.html
I don't usually share this resource with just anyone but I'm 
feeling pretty generous today!

Don't let the Title fool you. This site is also the gateway to
a ton of Spatial Data ready for you to download for free and use
in you GIS app's. Who says you can't find free data in Canada!
You just have to come to SpatialNews.com to help find it - I had
to get that plug in!   ; )

The NSDB is the set of computer readable files which contain soil, 
landscape, and climatic data for all of Canada. It serves as the 
national archive for land resources information that was collected
by federal and provincial field surveys, or created by land data 
analysis projects. 

------------------------------------------------------------
GIS EDUCATION: ESRI Virtual Campus
------------------------------------------------------------

FREE ARCVIEW TRAINING at the ESRI Virtual Campus
http://campus.esri.com/free/

I believe I've already given this utility a plug but its definitely
worth mentioning again. ESRI has put together an excellent on-line
tutorial to help you get rolling. Visitors register, download 
required data, complete lesson plans, followed up with a short
exam. If you pass you get a nifty little certificate you can
print out and hang on your wall.

FROM ESRI Get started with Avenue programming training from
the convenience of your home or office with the free Basics of
Avenue module from the ESRI Virtual Campus. Basics of Avenue
introduces object-oriented programming concepts, shows how to 
construct Avenue statements, and demonstrates how to write 
Avenue scripts.On line courses include: 
The Basics of ArcView 
What's New in ArcView Basics of
ArcView 3D Analyst 
Basics of ArcView Spatial Analyst 
Basics of ArcView Network Analyst 
Basics of ARC/INFO 
Basics of Avenue 
Analyzing Habitat Loss for
Endangered Species 
Introduction to Spatial Hydrology 

Good Luck

------------------------------------------------------------
SPATIAL EVENTS:
------------------------------------------------------------

Mid-west/Great lakes ARC/INFO Users Group Conference
Kansas City, Missouri
Thursday-Friday, November 4-5, 1999

The MWGLAIUG Conference is an opportunity for ESRI Users from 
Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, 
Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Minnesota and 
Wisconsin to meet and discuss ESRI Software and GIS. The focus
of the conference is to learn about advancements in ESRI software,
obtain solutions to technical challenges and apply these solutions.
This conference will be a two day in-depth technical snap-shot of
the ESRI User conference to be held in San Diego this year. David
McGuire from ESRI will be a key-note speaker at the conference. 
Look for the information post-cards being mailed to all ESRI users 
in the Great Lakes / Mid-West area. For more information go to the
conference web site:

http://msdis.missouri.edu/mwglaiug

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Business Geographics '99
October 4-6, 1999
Navy Pier, Chicago
Business Geographics '99 is the only conference that focuses 
exclusively on business applications of geospatial technology.
http://www.bgc99.com/

------------------------------------------------------------
SPATIAL GLOSSARY:
------------------------------------------------------------
http://atlas.gc.ca/schoolnet/teachkit/carto/htmle/cartglos.html

Orthographic map projection 
A planar map projection which is tangent to the globe at a single
point, but may be oriented at any aspect. The projection views the
Earth from an infinite point in space. In the polar case, parallels
are represented by a system of concentric circles sharing a common
point of origin from which radiate the meridians,spaced at true 
angles. This projection shows true direction, but only between its
centre and other locations on the same map

------------------------------------------------------------
SPATIAL FREEBIES:
------------------------------------------------------------

I'm sure by now you've heard of SAFE Software and you've heard
of the FME translator(Feature Manipulation Engine). Well here's
where you can take FME for a test drive if you haven't already 
done so. Please note, there is also documentation and a tutorial
available for download.
http://www.safe.com/testdrv.htm

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I always wait in anticipation for Mentor Software's next Freebie.
This time they have put out the "State Planes Locator"
This little module enables its users to look up a specific county
and destermine the stateplane zone whichis official for that county.

http://www.mentorsoftwareinc.com/FREEBIE/FREE0599.HTM

------------------------------------------------------------
CLASSIFIED ADS:
------------------------------------------------------------
The GISjobs.com Salary Survey form has been FULLY AUTOMATED
AND UPDATED as you have requested!  Now each time a survey
form is submitted, all the results are calculated INSTANTLY!
You will always have the most up to date salary survey results
available for FREE!! The survey form is located at: 
http://www.gisjobs.com/survey/index.shtml

Check out GISJobs.com for GIS job postings and  resumes 
at http://www.gisjobs.com
 

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EVERNAME - CARTOGRAPHIC PLACEMENT TOOL FOR MAPINFO

EverMap Company, LLC. has released its new EverName automated
cartographic label placement software. EverName, an advanced
cartographic label placement tool is an add-on to the MapInfo
Professional, a popular desktop mapping system from MapInfo Corp.
EverName software is tightly integrated with MapInfo, it uses the
same tables and map layers so there is no need in special data
conversion. It provides a flexible and easy to use user interface
for the optimized labeling of the point and polygon referenced 
features on the map. EverName optimizes label positions based on
user-defined rules, label priority, font size and is able to
produce maps with minimum number of overlaps between labels. 
Trial version is available for download at http://www.evermap.com
EverMap Company, LLC.
info@evermap.com
 

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4th. BEACH SOFTWARE - WORKSPACE CONTROL FOR MAPINFO
4thbeach Software is pleased to announce the release of 'Workspace
Control Version 1.0', a software program that provides the user with
powerful tools to simplify the maintenance of MapInfoÖ Professional
Workspaces.

Workspace Control provides tools for obtaining detailed information on
tables and simplifies tasks such as copying, moving, renaming and
packing when maintaining workspaces.

Edit workspaces of any size using the built-in editor. View text with
color coded syntax highlighting. Use the find & replace options and
testing the workspace will load with an integrated debugger.

To see the entire functionality and power of Worspace Control, visit
our website or download an evaluation copy from
http://www.4thbeachsoftware.com

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West-Side Automation is seeking an InFoCAD workstation operator
(NT, 4.x - 5.x) for full time, permanent employment. The ideal 
candidate will have experience in importing DXF and doing clean
& build into topologically structured themes. Most of the data
are cadastral, with some areal (not aerial), and  sub-surface
utilities mixed in. There is limited attribute database building
required, but we can handle this via existing staff. There is 
also a need to conflate themes from dissimilar sources into 
spatial registration.
ron@West-Side.net

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ACS Government Solutions Group has an immediate opportunity in their 
Anchorage, AK office for a RDBMS Specialist.

Candidates must have a minimum four years experience with
SunSO/Solaris, Solaris Disk Management tools, Network File Systems, 
supporting Sun/Solaris Workstations, supporting GIS applications, 
Arc/Info, Arc/View, Oracle databases. 

If interested, please Mail, Fax or E-mail your resume to:

ACS, Government Solutions Group, Inc.
Attn: John Cassisa, HRD
990 N. Corporate Dr. # 209
New Orleans, LA 70123-3385
E-mail:  john.cassisa@cdsi.com    Fax#  888-884-2374

(Jobs wanted/available ads are run for free}

------------------------------------------------------------
SPATIAL WEBMASTER TIPS: ListBot
------------------------------------------------------------
This is the section where I give away some of my favorite 
web marketing tools and other tips.

Have you ever considered starting your own mailing list. If
you sell products or services this would be an excellent way
to keep in touch with your client base - it also a nice way
to get more personal with your clients while at the same time
not being invasive. If you don't have a business you can use 
Listbot to setup a family of friends mailing list as well.

This list is generated using Listbot. The process is very simple
to set up and you can easily personalize and configure you mailing
list so that it reflects your corporate image.

Generally you have to use the Listbot logo to have a "subscribe"
utility on your website but you can also get around this by
simply setting up a mailto:subscribe-listname@listbot.com

I've had no problems to speak of after six months and actually, 
their free services have increased in that time and the limitations
have been reduced.

You can find out more at http://www.listbot.com
------------------------------------------------------------
SPATIAL GOLD SUBSCRIBERS
------------------------------------------------------------
A special thanks to all of you who have made it possible
for me to continue this publication.Please visit our subscribers websites by clicking on the hotlinks.

DMTI
http://www.desktopmapping.com
info@desktopmapping.com 

Northwood Geosciences
http://www.northwoodgeo.com

EverMap Company, LLC.
info@evermap.com
http://www.evermap.com

http://www.gisjobs.com
info@gisjobs.com

Safe Software Inc. 
http://www.safe.com
info@safe.com

Le Groupe KOREM inc. 
http://www.korem.com/ 
sl@korem.com

http://www.globalgeo.com
info@globalgeo.com

SCAN Conversion Services Inc.
http://www.scan-conversions.com
stewart@scan-conversions.com

The Global Gazetteer 
http://www.allm-geodata.com
apritchard@cix.compulink.co.uk

ThinkSpace 
http://www.thinkspace.com
info@thinkspace.com

Mentor Software Inc.
http://www.mentorsoftwareinc.com
annforte@mentorsoftwareinc.com
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If you're interested in upgrading to a "Gold" subscription 
to SpatialNews you'll be helping to maintain the existence
of this newsletter and contribute to its improvement.
Contact editor@geocomm.com for details.

------------------------------------------------------------
SpatialNews is a trademark of GeoComm International.
   Entire contents copyright © 1999 by GeoComm International
------------------------------------------------------------
List Maintenance:

To subscribe
Send an e-mail to editor@geocomm.com

----------------------------------------------------
   Glenn J. Letham (B.Sc.)
   Managing Editor
   editor@geocomm.com
   http://www.SpatialNews.com
---------------------------------------------------

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