Inside Briefs Where on Eartha? The unmistakable shape of the mountain that backdrops this city is a clue to its identity. If you think you know the name of the city, e-mail it to contest@delorme.com and you could be our next winner. This image, along with all of the others that have been featured in the Where on Eartha challenges, was created using XMap 4.5. In this case, a sample of TopoWorld imagery was draped over a digital elevation model to produce a stunningly realistic perspective. Last Month's Answer & Winner: Many of you were able to recognize the country in last month's Where on Eartha challenge as the Philippines. Close to the center of the island of Mindoro (in the middle of the image) is Mt. Patrick, which explains our admittedly tenuous link to the saint of the same name. Congratulations to Chris & Christi Everidge whose correct response was the first pulled out of the hat. They will be receiving a copy of XMap 4.5. We Want to Meet You! Visit Us At Upcoming Events GITA's Annual Conference Tampa Convention Center Booth 706 Tampa, FL April 23-26, 2006 Be sure to stop by and enter the drawing for an Earthmate Blue Logger GPS! April, 2006 XMap Developments Moving Up to GIS It has been well documented in this publication and others about how efficient and powerful DeLorme's XData tool is for business data management. If you need to quickly geocode a database of addresses for the purpose of managing customers, properties, or some other location-based data, XData works very well. For many, however, there comes a time when XData's features don't provide them with all of the functionality that they need. If this sounds like you, read on. We are often asked if XData is a GIS (Geographic Information System) tool; a question for which there is no straightforward answer. If you consider the fundamental definition of GIS as a mechanism for analyzing data as it relates to location, then it could be argued that XData falls within that interpretation, at least in its ability to render data in a spatial context. However when you consider the data management and analysis tools that are offered by modern GIS software products such as XMap/GIS Editor, it's easy to understand why many would scoff at the idea of XData being considered a GIS component. Without delving too deeply into the technical considerations, let's consider the benefits of moving data from XData into a GIS format: You can develop a classification to analyze patterns in your data based on a particular attribute field. For example, the volume of sales for each customer can be reflected by a chosen symbol or color. You can quickly and easily build queries to highlight objects in your data layer that match certain criteria. Want to see all of your customers who bought 50 or more units of your product? Simply use the query builder. You can even create a new data layer from the results of the query. The data is fully editable both in terms of the geometry and the attributes. Add, delete, or move your records, or edit any of the attribute fields to reflect changes in the characteristics of your customers. Additional attribute fields can be manually added or external databases can be imported and linked to an existing layer. For example, if you want to include more detailed contact information for each customer from a spreadsheet or database file, simply import and link the file to create the additional fields. Additional data layers can be imported or created to provide a more complete geographical perspective. A data layer reflecting demographic characteristics delineated by census blocks might show some correlation with the purchasing patterns of your customers and help you decide where to focus your marketing efforts. GIS data layers can be easily shared across platforms. If another organization needs to see your data, you can quickly and easily export a shapefile that can be read by virtually any GIS software. Your GIS layers can be published easily to your own XMap Web site to allow virtually unlimited access to your data. It is also worth mentioning that while XData is a tool for managing point data, in a GIS environment you can work with points, lines, or polygons. For those considering moving up from XData to GIS data management using XMap/GIS Editor, DeLorme will make the transition as painless as possible. All of your XData datasets and even your DeLorme Draw layers can be easily converted into Openspace GIS layers. If you would like to see the benefits that working within a GIS environment will bring to your organization, why not try XMap/GIS Editor free for 45 days. If you need some assistance in understanding how to get the full benefit of the GIS tools, contact us and we'll walk you through the process. DeLorme is Growing! DeLorme has been actively hiring developers and cartographers, ramping up to continuously improve the many new software and data products in our pipeline scheduled for release in 2006 and beyond. The primary reason for this expansion is to accommodate a growing team of DeLorme employees who are responsible for map data creation, quality assurance, and management. Consolidating the team will help ensure that DeLorme maps continue to increase in coverage, provide a superior level of accuracy, and be as up-to-date as possible. Many years ago, we came to realize that the only way to ensure that DeLorme maps meet our requirements (and yours) is to assume ownership of the map data and to take on the responsibility of editing and updating the roads and streets as needed. In other words, DeLorme products do not use map data from third-party data providers. Accurate map data management depends on input from numerous sources: we make use of the latest aerial imagery (including DeLorme's TopoBird imagery) for optimal horizontal accuracy; we consult with federal, state, and local authorities with the goal of ensuring that every new road and street is included in the database; and, perhaps most important, we listen to our customers and incorporate their edits when appropriate. Interested in spending a summer on the coast of Maine while gaining some valuable experience in the field of GIS and geographic data management? DeLorme is currently hiring Map Technicians for temporary assignments. For more information on this and other employment opportunities, visit http://www.delorme.com/companyinfo/careers.htm.

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