Free GIS Software for County GIS Departments

Oct. 6, 2010 - PRLog -- The Woodlands, TX -- The United States GIS Data Repository (USGDR), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to “Making Public Data Public”, has partnered with TractBuilder to provide Central Appraisal Districts and certain other county-level GIS programs free licenses of the TractBuilder Tools for ArcGIS, a set of tools counties can use to map polygons and lines according to legal descriptions.

Many government departments are feeling the economic crunch, and there are several documented cases where a GIS has helped counties to plan, zone, and tax with increased efficiency, helping these departments to perform exceptionally, even in a downturn. Kyle Souza, a Director of the USGDR, explains “We are here to help. Counties, large and small, all over the country, have to re-evaluate their budgets. Let us help you. Our partnership with TractBuilder means free software, FREE! Even if you are under contract with another vendor, try this software at no cost, and see how much time and money it can save you. Some counties have already realized the merits of these tools and are happily using them to create their parcel layers.”

Run entirely off donations, the USGDR hosts GIS data for different government organizations at no cost. We would be happy to host yours as well. For details on the TractBuilder Tools Offer or hosting, or to receive your free software, e-mail info@usgdr.org.

Here is a summary of the tools being offered:

Metes & Bounds Tool:

1. Integrated Attribute Entry
2. Text-to-Polygon Conversion
3. Curve calls (Delta, Chord, Arc Length; with or without tangents)
4. XY/Lat Lon calls (handles multiple projections in a single layer)
5. Ability to set a distance factor and offset angle per feature or per point.
6. Mix auto-convert, hand drawing, guided entry, and free hand entry.
7. Extract the metes and bounds of an existing feature (including curves).

Quartering Tool:

1. Integrated Attribute Entry.
2. Standard Calls (NE4, S2 S2, SE2 SW4, etc)
3. Less & Excepts and Joined features (NW4 Less NW4 NW4, S2 And SW4 NW4, etc)
4. Distance calls (The North 200 FT, The South 12 Acres)
5. Works on irregular sections and many other shapes (such as parcels, for easements).

We are always looking for quality partners, if your company or government organization would be interested in partnering with the USGDR please email info@usgdr.org, or call 832-38-3097.

About the United States GIS Data Repository

Mission
The mission of the United States GIS Date Repository is to facilitate the distribution of public data. We do this by forming lasting relationships with state, county, and city government organizations, partnering with private companies, and listening to individuals who use GIS data.

Vision
The Vision of the USGDR is to see a community of GIS professionals, government organizations, and private companies working together to provide all sectors critical information that if geographic in nature.

Bio
The USGDR was founded in 2009, with TractBuilder, LLC as the Premier Sponsor. Brian Klawinski, Alicia Klawinski, and Kyle Souza volunteered to lead the organization on its mission of “Making Public Data Public.”

About TractBuilder
TractBuilder is a GIS software and services company, based in The Woodlands, TX. TractBuilder is best known for its unique tools used to map legal descriptions in ArcMap. Using the TractBuilder Tools for ArcGIS users can efficiently map lines and polygons according to quartering/aliquot and metes & bounds descriptions. TractBuilder also offers GIS drafting services, custom ArcGIS programming, and web portal design. More information can be found at www.tractbuilder.com, or contact them at 1-866-95-TRACT or sales@tractbuilder.com.

Press Contact:
Kyle Souza
The United States GIS Data Repository
2441 High Timbers, Suite 300
The Woodlands, TX 77380
832-308-3097
info@usgdr.org
www.usgdr.org

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