Free Tools Helpful for GIS, GPS, and mapping

Software:

• My World GIS: Free GIS for educators
• Minnesota DNR ArcGIS extension for Garmin GPS
• National Map Viewer: USGS site for creating and viewing U.S. maps
• Dubuque County GIS interactive
• Google Earth: great free 3-D views. However, you need a high-speed internet connection to use it.
• Iowa DNR Interactive Mapping
• USAPhotoMaps: incredible free software for topo maps and aerial photos; requires internet connection; can plot GPS points
• 3DEM: visualization software
• MicroDEM: program for digital elevation mapping
• fGIS: interacts with ArcGIS; free; runs on limited computers
• SurGE: great for contouring, color 3d
• Marplot: designed for viewing and making maps derived from US Census TIGER® line data.
• Hypercube: US ACE software for georeferencing scanned images Map units conversion (UTM to lat/long, etc.)

Information:

• Notes for USAPhotoMaps
• NCGIA curriculum on GIS: Great starting spot of self-education
• Geocommunity links for tutorials---very useful
• University of Arkansas tutorial on GIS
• Understanding GPS: Good, simple introduction to GPS
• Importing DEMs into ArcView and ArcGIS: step-by-step instructions

Data:

• Data for Dubuque and other Iowa Counties: Click on Data Available by County
• Dubuque County GIS
• Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center---much data
• Iowa state data
• Iowa Geographic Map Server: lots of useful data for Iowa.
• Doyle's: List of links for Iowa GIS data
• Iowa Geospatial Data Clearinghouse
• Iowa Geographic Map Server
• Upper Midwest Environmental Center---Data Library
• National Geologic Map Database
• cFree DEM data

For Fun:

• Geocaching