MapInfo

MapInfo Corporation is a GIS company, headquartered in Troy, New York. MapInfo was founded in 1986 by Laszlo Bardos, Andrew Dressel, John Haller, Mike Marvin, and Sean O’Sullivan.MapInfo Company Profile The company originated as a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) incubator project.

Product history

MapInfo developed the first desktop GIS in 1986 . It wanted to create an easy-to-use software package that did not require too powerful computers. MapInfo provided the first tools to Microsoft that allowed them to include mapping functionality in their products, specifically the mapping add-in for Microsoft Excel as part of MS Office 95. This provided the inspiration for the Microsoft MapPoint program. MapInfo collaborated with Oracle Corporation to develop the original spatial cartridge for the Oracle 8i database.

Current products and services

MapInfo provides location intelligence solutions through combining software, data (both spatial and non spatial) and consultancy with project management, systems design and development, training and support. MapInfo produces a wide range of software including Spatial Cartridges for databases (SpatialWare), Routing (Routing J Server), Geocoding (MapMarker), Site Analysis (AnySite), Risk Analysis, Market Analysis, Demographic Analysis (TargetPro), and the Envinsa web services suite along with the more traditional Geographic Information System (GIS) software. MapInfo's GIS software products include the desktop GIS software, MapInfo Professional, MapXtreme.NET for web-based and desktop client mapping, as well as developer tools. The latest version of MapInfo Professional is v8.5, which was released in June 2006.

File components

The basic file components for a Mapinfo Professional data set are established by the two basic environments for working in Mapinfo; "Browser view" and "Mapper View".

As with most other GIS packages, several files are required to allow the user to open a data set for viewing within Mapinfo Professional. The most basic view would be the browser view only. This environment provides storage of attribute or object data and is represented much like a spreadsheet. Only data is viewable with this environment, no geographic information is available at this point.

Minimum files required for the basic Mapinfo browser environment:

.DAT (The file which stores the database information)
.TAB (The file which stores the parameters of the data set and instructs Mapinfo how to display or handle the environment.

To view geographic information (the graphic representation of data) in Mapinfo Professional, two additional files are required and added to the basic requirements for simply viewing data.

Minimum files required to view a map with the data previously discussed:

.ID (Stores information linking graphic data to the database information)
.MAP (Stores the graphic information needed to display a map on the users screen)

So, one could say, the basic file set for viewing data and its graphic representation within Mapinfo Professional requires a minimum of four files, the *.DAT, *.TAB, *.ID and *.MAP

References

External links

MapInfo Corporation website
MapInfo Chinese Users Group
MapInfo product reviews - Geoworld (August 2005)
MapInfo-L Users Community Site
New Zealand MapInfo User Group