Many thanks to all those who offered to help me convert my files. The outpouring of help is actually quite impressive.
However, at the present moment, I am going to refrain from taking anyone up on their offer to convert my files. The present discussion has caused me to want to step a little lightly around my data. The data was compiled for my previous employer for redistricting purposes (probably no surpise), and is a mixture of census data and election counts, political and planning boundaries, etc. As I indicated before, I took care to obtain permission from my previous employer to use the data in my academic work, and I have also spoken in the past with the consultant who compiled the original dataset. But, despite those efforts, I am going to take it a bit more slowly in regards to this data. I think that I will inquire about a student discounted license for Maptitude. If its less than $200 I might consider it, despite the fact that I have already obtained a student discounted copy of ArcGIS 8. And let me tell you, if the people at Caliper are as difficult about a student discount as the people at ESRI were, it will not be worth it! To those who offered specific help, in the coming weeks, once I have exhausted other options, I might email you about your offer. Many thanks, Jason McDaniel --- In [email protected], "Richard Hoskins" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Jason: Write your files on a CD - be sure to get them all, and I'll take a > crack at converting them to .shp files. I can't believe Caliper will care > and of course and in fact would be encouraging and I am encouraging you to > get Maptitude as your backup GIS when you get some $. If you are a > matriculated student I believe Caliper has a deal or maybe not at every > school - sorry, but I am not positive about that. Other vendors have similar > deals for students. > > I am a intermediate level user of ArcGIS and I hope an advanced user of > Maptitude(least with regards to time) and even with v9 of ArcGIS - it has > some very rough spots and crevasses. And for $500 Maptitude is a real deal. > I use Maptitude routinely to create .shp files for GeoDa. I have never had > one fail except from ArcView 3 made .shp files which are notorious for > having topological flaws. I used to use Maptitude to fix .shp files that > would not run in ESRI software. > > I use GeoDa quite a lot, a fine piece of work. > <http://sal.agecon.uiuc.edu/default.php> > http://sal.agecon.uiuc.edu/default.php for everyone else. I have been a > beta tester since the project started. It has lots of spatial analytical > tools that you cannot find anywhere. GIS companies are not convinced that > the market is large enough to warrant adding those features to their > software so it is appropriate for a grant funded project. Definitely not a > competitor as it is not a full GIS and never will be. So you will need a > real GIS to support your work with GeoDA. > > I think we should all work together. Most of have scant funds, no time, no > staff, on and on, but we do have some pretty good technology to leverage dim > resources. Let's help each other out - > > Dick Hoskins, PhD MPH > Spatial Epidemiology Unit > Asst Secretary's Office, EHSPHL > WA State Dept of Health > MS 47812 > Olympia, WA 98504-7812 > > > _____ > > From: valisjason1 [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Monday, January 10, 2005 9:36 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [Maptitude] Re: Possible to convert maptitude to .shp? > > > As dumb as I sound? Excellent. > > Anyway, to the reasonable people who responded with great information, I > want to asuage > your ethics concerns. I came by the data quite legitimately while working > with a local > elected official in Southern California. Upon leaving that employment I was > officially > granted use of the data by said elected official. I am now attempting to > use the data in a > PhD dissertation in a program that requires shp files, but is not ArcGIS. > It is called GeoDa, > and is a quite powerful spatial analysis shareware package developed by Luc > Anselin at the > Univ. of Illinois. I actually have most of the data that I need in the > required format, but I > have a large amount of maptitude format data that I want to explore for > possible inclusion > in my regression models. > > I appreciate the concerns of people who think that I am trying to violate > copyright and > intellectual property rules. I hope that I have answered those concerns. I > also appreciate > the concerns of people who are loyal to Caliper and Maptitude. I think its > apparent that I > unintentionally stepped into a hornets nest akin to the past years war > between wintel and > mac users. Unfortunately, going from consultant fees to graduate student > life does not > afford me the opportunity to purchase Maptitude. And, as I am doing my > research in the > field I can not, at present, utilize any Maptitude software to which my > university has > license (though I am actually unsure if its readily available in any event). > > > As per my comment about GIS experts, I am a novice in use of GIS software. > I have taught > myself to use ArcGIS and GeoDa for the purposes of my academic research. > Therefore, I > did not view my question as one of asking you to help my violate > intellectual property > rights, but rather akin to making data in SPSS format usable in R. > > I am a member of many different message forums, and because of that I > suggest that if > you desire to have any appeal to newbies that you use less flame and more > attempts at > understanding the exact nature of an inquiry. Unfortunately, I now have the > impression > that the Maptitude community here is quite insular. Perhaps that is > suggestive of a > particular corporate culture. > > In any event, to those who offered helpful information, I give you my > regards, > Jason McDaniel > > --- In [email protected], [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > Jason, > > I really don't think you're as dumb as you sound but you're question has > > nothing to do with being a GIS expert, it's more about ethics. Not to > > mention the stones to openly ask to pirate proprietary data from the > > source; the folks at Caliper are active participents of this user group. > > Have the decency to at least pretend to be interest in paying the $500 > > bucks to Caliper and then pretend you're not using the stuff with a > > competitors software; or better yet pay the thousands and thousands of > > dollars to ESRI for the same data. > > > > > > Viktor Keenan de la Hoz - Senior GIS Technician > > City of Phoenix - Street Transportation Department > > Design and Construction Management Division > > (602) 534-0498 > > > > "There is no such thing as a dumb question, only dumb people." > > > > > > > > > > "valisjason1" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > 01/10/2005 09:28 AM > > Please respond to Maptitude > > > > > > To: [email protected] > > cc: > > Subject: [Maptitude] Re: Possible to convert maptitude to > .shp? > > > > > > > > > > Gee, thanks for the helpful messages guys. I didnt realize one had to be > > a GIS expert to > > post to this board. And, as a matter of fact, I did manage to get an > > "almost" free copy of > > ArcGIS from ESRI. > > > > I dont even need the map file, just the data underneath. Is there > > absolutely NO WAY to get > > at the underlying data, in the .bin file I believe? No workaround that > > some GIS geek > > worked out? > > > > Thanks again, > > Jason > > > > --- In [email protected], Chris Wagner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Viktor, > > > > > > Hey can I get one too......... ;-) > > > > > > Chris Wagner > > > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > Jason, > > > > > > > > You've got stone, I'll give you that much but come on! Why don't you > > > > ask ESRI for a free license key of a copy of ArcGIS you found. > > > > > > > > Viktor Keenan de la Hoz - Senior GIS Technician > > > > City of Phoenix - Street Transportation Department > > > > Design and Construction Management Division > > > > (602) 534-0498 > > > > > > > > "There is no such thing as a dumb question, only dumb people." > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > *"valisjason1" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>* > > > > > > > > 01/07/2005 02:02 PM > > > > Please respond to Maptitude > > > > > > > > > > > > To: [email protected] > > > > cc: > > > > Subject: [Maptitude] Possible to convert maptitude to > > > > .shp? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I have come in to possession of a large supply of maptitude data > > > > files. I do not have > > > > Maptitude. Is it possible to convert these maptitude data files so > > > > that I can use them in > > > > ArcGis? I know the Maptitude website says that their data files are > > > > proprietary, but I > > > > thought I would ask. > > > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > Jason > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > > > *Yahoo! Groups Links* > > > > > > > > * To visit your group on the web, go to: > > > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Maptitude/ > > > > > > > > * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > > > > > * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of > > > > Service <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/>. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > _____ > > Yahoo! Groups Links > * To visit your group on the web, go to: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Maptitude/ > > * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service > <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> . ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater? Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/TzSHvD/SOnJAA/79vVAA/C5grlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Maptitude/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
