Best GIS Software

How Many GIS Software Products Does G2 Track?

Total Products under this Category: 524

Category Stats (Nov 2026)

  • Average Rating: 4.31/5 (↑0.01 vs Oct 2026) The average rating of products in this category, based on all submitted ratings
  • Top Trending Product: Smappen (+12.18%) - Among all products in this category, Smappen recorded the largest rating increase compared to last month

Last updated: November 01, 2026

How Does G2 Rank GIS Software Products?

Why You Can Trust G2's Software Rankings:

  • 30 Analysts and Data Experts
  • 9,500+ Authentic Reviews
  • 524+ Products
  • Unbiased Rankings

G2's software rankings are built on verified user reviews, rigorous moderation, and a consistent research methodology maintained by a team of analysts and data experts. Each product is measured using the same transparent criteria, with no paid placement or vendor influence. While reviews reflect real user experiences, which can be subjective, they offer valuable insight into how software performs in the hands of professionals. Together, these inputs power the G2 Score, a standardized way to compare tools within every category.

G2 Grid® for GIS Software

G2 Grid® for GIS Software plotting products by satisfaction and market presence

Highlighted products: Google Earth Pro, Google Maps Platform, Esri ArcGIS, AutoCAD, DroneDeploy, MapTiler, Octave Imagine, and Mapme.

Underlying data: [Grid® JSON](https://www.g2.com/categories/gis/grids.json?focus%5B%5D=google-earth-pro&focus%5B%5D=google-maps-platform&focus%5B%5D=esri-arcgis&focus%5B%5D=autocad&focus%5B%5D=dronedeploy&focus%5B%5D=maptiler&focus%5B%5D=octave-imagine&focus%5B%5D=mapme)

Google Earth Pro

Google Earth Pro is a comprehensive desktop application that offers an immersive 3D representation of the Earth's surface, combining high-resolution satellite imagery, aerial photography, and geographic information system (GIS) data. Designed for professionals and enthusiasts alike, it provides advanced tools for geographic analysis, visualization, and presentation. Users can explore diverse terrains, urban landscapes, and historical imagery, making it a versatile platform for various applications. Key Features and Functionality: - High-Resolution Printing: Export and print map images up to 4800x3200 pixels, suitable for detailed reports and presentations. - Historical Imagery Viewer: Access archived satellite and aerial images to analyze changes over time, such as urban development or environmental shifts. - GIS Data Import Support: Import various spatial data formats, including ESRI Shapefiles, for comprehensive geographic analysis. - Movie Creation: Record and export guided tours or area walkthroughs as video files, enhancing presentations and storytelling. - Advanced Measurement Tools: Measure 3D buildings, calculate areas of polygons or circles, and assess distances with precision. Primary Value and User Solutions: Google Earth Pro empowers users to conduct in-depth geographic analyses without the need for expensive GIS software. Its advanced features facilitate tasks such as site selection, environmental monitoring, urban planning, and educational projects. By providing access to high-resolution imagery and robust analytical tools, it enables users to visualize and interpret spatial data effectively, supporting informed decision-making and comprehensive presentations.

Average Rating: 4.6/5.0

Total Reviews: 372

How Do G2 Users Rate Google Earth Pro?

  • Data Capture: 8.8/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Data Visualization: 8.9/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Ease of Use: 8.9/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Spatial Analysis: 8.5/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Google Earth Pro?

  • Seller: Google
  • Year Founded: 1998
  • HQ Location: Mountain View, CA
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    301,144 employees on LinkedIn®
  • Ownership: NASDAQ:GOOG
  • Phone: +1 (650) 253-0000

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: Project Manager, Project Engineer
  • Top Industries: Civil Engineering, Construction
  • Company Size: 42% Medium, 42% Small

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Google Earth Pro?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users value the 3D visualization in Google Earth Pro, enhancing drone scouting and providing detailed terrain analysis.
  • Users appreciate the detailed geospatial analysis capabilities of Google Earth Pro for exploring and customizing locations effectively.
  • Users love the detailed location services of Google Earth Pro, simplifying exploration and analysis of various places.
  • Users value the address validation feature of Google Earth Pro for easily locating places with post codes or names.
  • Users value the customization options in Google Earth Pro, enhancing their analysis for business needs effectively.
Cons
  • Users find Google Earth Pro not user-friendly, struggling to disable unwanted local language features despite changing settings.
  • Users find poor usability in Google Earth Pro, highlighting difficulties in file management and lack of support.
  • Users find the lack of cloud synchronization cumbersome, requiring manual exports to share saved places and pins.
  • Users face image quality issues with Google Earth Pro, making location searches and usability increasingly challenging.
  • Users express frustration over licensing issues with Google Earth Pro, as local language settings complicate usability and publication.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Google Earth Pro?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About Google Earth Pro?

Google Maps Platform

Google Maps Platform is a comprehensive suite of APIs and SDKs that enables developers to integrate dynamic, real-world mapping and location-based services into their applications. Leveraging Google's extensive geospatial data, it offers tools for creating interactive maps, providing accurate routing, and delivering detailed place information, thereby enhancing user engagement and functionality. Key Features and Functionality: - 3D Maps: Developers can create immersive, photorealistic 3D maps, offering users a more engaging and realistic navigation experience. - Aerial View: Provides pre-rendered, 3D cinematic videos of points of interest and their surroundings, enriching applications with dynamic visual content. - Dynamic Maps: Allows customization and real-time styling of interactive maps across all devices and platforms, ensuring a consistent and personalized user interface. - Dynamic Street View: Embeds 360° panoramic imagery, enabling users to explore locations virtually with real-world visuals. - Elevation Data: Offers access to elevation information for specific locations, useful for applications requiring topographical context. - Map Tiles: Enables the design of unique interfaces and interactions tailored to specific brand and design requirements, enhancing visual appeal and usability. - Maps Embed: Facilitates the addition of interactive maps or Street View panoramas to websites with simple HTTP requests, simplifying integration processes. - Photorealistic 3D Tiles: Provides access to a 3D mesh model of the real world, allowing the creation of cinematic experiences using preferred rendering tools. - Static Maps and Street View: Allows embedding of static map images or Street View panoramas into web pages without the need for JavaScript, streamlining content inclusion. - Street View Tiles: Utilizes street-level images and tile metadata to create immersive experiences, enhancing user interaction with real-world visuals. Primary Value and Solutions Provided: Google Maps Platform empowers developers to build applications that offer users accurate, real-time, and interactive mapping experiences. By integrating these tools, businesses can enhance user engagement, improve navigation and location-based services, and provide detailed geospatial insights. This platform is particularly beneficial for industries such as logistics, travel, real estate, and retail, where precise location information and mapping are crucial for operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Average Rating: 4.7/5.0

Total Reviews: 58

How Do G2 Users Rate Google Maps Platform?

  • Data Capture: 9.2/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Data Visualization: 9.3/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Ease of Use: 9.3/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Spatial Analysis: 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Google Maps Platform?

  • Seller: Google
  • Year Founded: 1998
  • HQ Location: Mountain View, CA
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    301,144 employees on LinkedIn®
  • Ownership: NASDAQ:GOOG
  • Phone: +1 (650) 253-0000

Who Uses This Product?

  • Top Industries: Information Technology and Services, Computer Software
  • Company Size: 60% Small, 30% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Google Maps Platform?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users appreciate the ease of use of Google Maps Platform, benefiting from its accuracy and intuitive interface.
  • Users appreciate the accuracy and reliability of Google Maps Platform, enhancing navigation and operational efficiency significantly.
  • Users appreciate the navigation ease of Google Maps Platform, benefiting from accurate addresses and real-time traffic data.
  • Users appreciate the real-time location tracking of Google Maps, ensuring accuracy and ease of navigation.
  • Users value the accuracy and reliability of Google Maps Platform, facilitating smooth navigation and seamless location experiences.
Cons
  • Users find the mapping issues on Google Maps Platform affect navigation accuracy and overall user experience.
  • Users experience inaccurate geolocation, leading to wrong turns and misdirected navigation, affecting their overall trust.
  • Users experience accuracy issues with Google Maps, including outdated information and incorrect navigation, especially in remote areas.
  • Users often find the expensive pricing of Google Maps Platform challenging, especially under high usage and complex features.
  • Users express concern about the high cost of the Google Maps Platform, especially under heavy usage and complex implementations.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Google Maps Platform?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About Google Maps Platform?

Esri ArcGIS

ArcGIS is a comprehensive suite of mapping and location intelligence tools and capabilities. ArcGIS can be deployed on local machines (ArcGIS Pro), on your remote or on-premises servers (ArcGIS Enterprise), or as SaaS hosted by Esri (ArcGIS Online). ArcGIS includes focused apps to deliver complete solutions for your business or organization. Along with software, Esri provides a comprehensive collection of data and content to geo-enrich your own data. ArcGIS also provides rich software development tools for you to configure and create your own mapping and location intelligence products.

Average Rating: 4.5/5.0

Total Reviews: 516

How Do G2 Users Rate Esri ArcGIS?

  • Data Capture: 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Data Visualization: 9.1/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Ease of Use: 7.3/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Spatial Analysis: 9.2/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Esri ArcGIS?

  • Seller: Esri
  • Year Founded: 1969
  • HQ Location: Redlands, CA
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    7,396 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: GIS Analyst, GIS Specialist
  • Top Industries: Government Administration, Environmental Services
  • Company Size: 39% Medium, 32% Large

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Esri ArcGIS?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users find Esri ArcGIS to be user-friendly and easy to learn, enhancing their cartography and geospatial analysis experience.
  • Users value the high-quality 3D visualization in ArcGIS, enhancing drone data processing for various professional applications.
  • Users praise Esri ArcGIS for its excellent data visualization and enhanced user-friendly features over previous versions.
  • Users find Esri ArcGIS to be very user-friendly, making learning and implementation much easier than previous software.
  • Users value the superior visualization capabilities of Esri ArcGIS Pro, enhancing clarity in geospatial analysis.
Cons
  • Users report experiencing stability issues with ArcGIS, particularly during high-demand tasks and data transfers, disrupting their workflow.
  • Users find the high cost of Esri ArcGIS challenging for small businesses and wish for a free version.
  • Users often face integration issues with ArcGIS, causing frustration with file management and compatibility with other tools.
  • Users find Esri ArcGIS hard to learn and suggest that additional training opportunities would be beneficial.
  • Users find the learning difficulty of Esri ArcGIS challenging, often requiring additional training opportunities for effective use.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Esri ArcGIS?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About Esri ArcGIS?

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AutoCAD

Redefine how you create with Autodesk® AutoCAD®. Autodesk AI empowers you to reimagine your creative process in AutoCAD, delivering advanced automation and meaningful performance enhancements that help you design faster and work smarter. Intelligent features reduce repetitive tasks and surface actionable insights, so you can spend more time creating with precision and confidence. Use natural, conversational interactions to ask questions, check standards unique to your team, and quickly validate designs against established workflows. Securely managed data supports informed decision making and helps turn ideas into high quality results more efficiently. A truly collaborative design experience brings teams together through Forma Data Management. Purpose built cloud storage makes it easy to save, manage, and access project files while supporting collaborative design processes. Multiple users can add markups to a single drawing on desktop or web with Multi-user Markup, improving transparency and reducing errors. Checkout transforms collaborative drafting by allowing contributors to work on specific geometry, submit edits for review, and merge changes smoothly by eliminating manual collation and file conflicts. Your data and intellectual property remain secure and governed, giving you confidence across every stage of design. Optimize productivity with seven specialized toolsets, including Electrical, Mechanical, and Plant 3D. Automate routine tasks with AutoLISP, tailor workflows to your discipline, and extend AutoCAD through APIs and thousands of apps on the Autodesk App Store.

Average Rating: 4.4/5.0

Total Reviews: 1,911

How Do G2 Users Rate AutoCAD?

  • Data Capture: 8.6/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Data Visualization: 8.8/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Ease of Use: 8.4/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Spatial Analysis: 8.5/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)

Who Is the Company Behind AutoCAD?

  • Seller: Autodesk
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 1982
  • HQ Location: San Francisco
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    15,757 employees on LinkedIn®
  • Ownership: NASDAQ:ADSK

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: Architect, Designer
  • Top Industries: Architecture & Planning, Civil Engineering
  • Company Size: 45% Small, 34% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About AutoCAD?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users value the ease of use in AutoCAD for efficient 2D drawing preparation and management.
  • Users appreciate the unmatched precision of AutoCAD, enhancing efficiency in both 2D and 3D drafting tasks.
  • Users value the ease of use and rapid design capabilities of AutoCAD for creating precise 2D and 3D models.
  • Users appreciate the unmatched precision of AutoCAD in 3D modeling, enhancing efficiency in complex technical drawings.
  • Users value the detailed engineering drawings from AutoCAD, enhancing precision and efficiency in both 2D and 3D drafting.
Cons
  • Users find the high subscription costs of AutoCAD frustrating, especially for individuals and small businesses.
  • Users often struggle with the steep learning curve of AutoCAD, which complicates the onboarding process for beginners.
  • Users are frustrated by the high costs of AutoCAD, making it less accessible for individuals and small businesses.
  • Users find the difficult learning curve of AutoCAD challenging, particularly for beginners navigating its numerous tools and commands.
  • Users find the high hardware requirements of AutoCAD cumbersome, especially when handling large and complex files.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of AutoCAD?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About AutoCAD?

DroneDeploy

DroneDeploy powers field teams with robotics and AI. As the only platform that combines robotic automation, AI agents and truly unified reality capture, DroneDeploy allows critical industries to operate with speed and confidence. From construction and energy to agriculture, the world’s largest companies use DroneDeploy to simplify field operations, improve safety and make smarter decisions, faster. By combining aerial drones, 360 and fixed cameras, ground robots and proprietary AI, we’re bringing the power of automation and visual intelligence to all stakeholders, from the field to the boardroom.

Average Rating: 4.6/5.0

Total Reviews: 128

How Do G2 Users Rate DroneDeploy?

  • Data Capture: 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Data Visualization: 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Ease of Use: 8.8/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Spatial Analysis: 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)

Who Is the Company Behind DroneDeploy?

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: Project Engineer, VDC Manager
  • Top Industries: Construction, Architecture & Planning
  • Company Size: 41% Medium, 41% Small

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About DroneDeploy?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users highlight the intuitive interface of DroneDeploy, making it extremely easy to use and learn for newcomers.
  • Users value the fast processing and user-friendly interface of DroneDeploy, making it efficient for various tasks.
  • Users appreciate the responsive and knowledgeable customer support provided by DroneDeploy, enhancing their experience significantly.
  • Users appreciate the ease of daily use of DroneDeploy, enhancing efficiency in various projects seamlessly.
  • Users value the rich features of DroneDeploy, enhancing mapping, collaboration, and support for flight management.
Cons
  • Users find DroneDeploy's pricing to be excessively high, making it unaffordable for new pilots and small businesses.
  • Users highlight missing features such as tedious task workflows, GCP management, and account restrictions for basic measurements.
  • Users experience slow processing times, particularly with data uploads and post-processing, impacting efficiency.
  • Users report upload issues with DroneDeploy, experiencing slow uploads and difficulties with data processing.
  • Users face 3D integration issues with DroneDeploy, affecting their ability to utilize features fully and efficiently.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of DroneDeploy?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About DroneDeploy?

Mapme

Mapme is an interactive map-building platform that empowers organizations to transform location-based information into engaging, visual experiences - without writing a single line of code. Designed for teams that want to communicate data, stories, places, and programs with clarity, Mapme offers a seamless way to build customizable maps, embed multimedia, visualize datasets, and publish digital experiences that inform, inspire, and drive action. With Mapme, users can create dynamic maps for tourism, real estate, government, education, community initiatives, events, foundations, and more. From showcasing local businesses and development projects to displaying property listings, university campuses, or cultural landmarks - every map is intuitive to build, beautiful to navigate, and accessible across devices. The platform supports photos, videos, custom branding, geo-layers, categories, filters, routing, 3D buildings, and advanced search capabilities, allowing audiences to explore locations in depth. Map editors can collaborate in real time, manage updates effortlessly, and integrate data from spreadsheets, CRMs, or GIS tools. Embedding maps on websites or sharing them as standalone experiences takes seconds, making Mapme a scalable solution for campaign rollouts, stakeholder communication, and public storytelling. Organizations choose Mapme for its balance of simplicity and power. What traditionally required GIS expertise or custom development can now be achieved visually - with the flexibility to grow from small single-map use cases to large multi-map environments. Whether you are mapping 50 local nonprofits or 50,000 global assets, Mapme ensures performance, clarity, and a premium user experience. Trusted by marketing teams, city planners, real estate groups, tourism boards, and digital experience leaders worldwide, Mapme turns static data into living information. It helps organizations increase engagement, improve transparency, strengthen community participation, and showcase impact at a glance. In a world where customers expect clarity, interactivity, and ease of use, Mapme offers a modern way to visualize location intelligence and bring stories to life - beautifully and at scale.

Average Rating: 4.6/5.0

Total Reviews: 45

How Do G2 Users Rate Mapme?

  • Data Capture: 8.7/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Data Visualization: 9.6/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Ease of Use: 9.3/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Spatial Analysis: 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Mapme?

  • Seller: Mapme
  • Year Founded: 2014
  • HQ Location: N/A
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    13 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Company Size: 65% Small, 28% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Mapme?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users appreciate the ease of use of MapMe, making it simple to create and customize engaging maps.
  • Users highlight the excellent customer support at MapMe, noting responsive and helpful service from the team.
  • Users love the variety of customization options in MapMe, enabling tailored maps and enhancing user experience.
  • Users highlight the easy implementation of MapMe, making setup and customization a smooth experience without developer help.
  • Users find easy integration with Mapme beneficial, allowing seamless content fit across various outlets effortlessly.
Cons
  • Users find the learning curve challenging, needing time to adapt to the extensive customization options offered by Mapme.
  • Users find the learning difficulty in editing the base map challenging, complicating updates of outdated landmarks.
  • Users desire more customization options for the "directions" tool to include walking route features.
  • Users report that maps do not work offline, but find it manageable due to widespread data availability.
  • Users find the outdated information on the base map frustrating and editing it cumbersome and challenging.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Mapme?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About Mapme?

MapTiler

MapTiler is a professional-grade geospatial platform and cloud ecosystem engineered for the creation, hosting, and deployment of sophisticated digital maps. It is the preferred solution for organizations requiring granular customization, rigorous data privacy, and robust offline functionality. Leveraging high-fidelity OpenStreetMap data, MapTiler provides the foundational infrastructure necessary to power interactive mapping experiences across web, mobile, and specialized GIS environments. MapTiler makes maps easy to help everyone understand the world better. Core Products and Services: MapTiler isn't just one tool; it’s an ecosystem of products designed for different stages of the mapping process: MapTiler Cloud: A hosting platform that provides ready-to-use map styles (Streets, Satellite, Outdoor) via APIs and SDKs. MapTiler Engine: A desktop application that converts your own data - such as drone imagery, scanned paper maps, or large TIFF files—into "map tiles" that can be easily loaded on the web. MapTiler On-Prem: self-hosting solution that allows you to run maps on your own hardware. This is essential for secure environments or apps that need to work entirely offline. MapTiler SDK: A JavaScript library (based on MapLibre) that developers use to add interactive features, markers, and 3D terrain to their web applications. Why People Use It: Privacy & Security: Unlike other mapping providers, MapTiler does not collect any hidden information about people who interact with the maps. No Telemetry, saved activity, or any other data, other than voluntarily sharing their location. In addition, MapTiler supports fully on-premises hosting. This means your data (and your users' location data) never has to leave your own servers. Customization: You can edit every detail of the map’s appearance - changing colors, hiding labels, or adding your own branding - using the Map Designer tool. Scalable Financial Predictability: MapTiler offers a sustainable pricing structure that eliminates the 'success tax' common in pay-per-load models, making it the preferred choice for high-traffic applications that require cost certainty. Open Source Roots: MapTiler is a major contributor to the OpenMapTiles project, which defines how map data is structured for modern vector styling.They also helped found and continue to contribute to MapLibre, and other components of the modern OpenSource Geospatial stack.

Average Rating: 4.7/5.0

Total Reviews: 33

How Do G2 Users Rate MapTiler?

  • Data Capture: 9.2/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Data Visualization: 9.6/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Ease of Use: 9.1/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Spatial Analysis: 7.5/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)

Who Is the Company Behind MapTiler?

Who Uses This Product?

  • Top Industries: Computer Software
  • Company Size: 70% Small, 24% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About MapTiler?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users find MapTiler's interface intuitive and responsive, making it easy to use alongside other tools.
  • Users commend the API efficiency of MapTiler, which enhances development with strong support and intuitive functionality.
  • Users highlight the fast performance of MapTiler on low-resource devices, ensuring responsiveness even on a Raspberry Pi.
  • Users value the wide variety of map styles in MapTiler, enhancing their mapping experience effectively.
Cons
  • Users experience feature limitations in MapTiler, particularly with advanced customization and visual control options.
  • Users face limited customization options in MapTiler, hindering advanced visual control and globe projection needs.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of MapTiler?

Octave Imagine

Octave Imagine is an all‑in‑one geospatial software platform designed to help users understand and work with complex imagery, maps, and 3D data without needing multiple separate tools. While many competing products require users to jump between different applications for image processing, analysis, visualization, and modeling, Octave Imagine brings all these capabilities together in a single, integrated environment. This gives it a clear advantage in the marketplace, as its competitors typically only cover part of the workflow. What makes Octave Imagine stand out is its wide range of capabilities—from image classification and change detection to 3D modeling and advanced spatial analysis. Its automation features help users save significant time by reducing repetitive manual tasks, and its seamless integration with other Octave products creates a connected, efficient workflow that few alternatives can match. Users also benefit from an active community and strong support team, making it easier to learn, troubleshoot, and grow their expertise. By consolidating essential tools into one platform, Octave Imagine removes complexity and makes it easier to handle large datasets without sacrificing performance. Its precise processing tools ensure reliable results, helping users make better, faster decisions—especially for time‑sensitive projects. Automated workflows streamline everyday tasks, boosting productivity and reducing bottlenecks. The platform scales naturally as projects become more complex, serving analysts, scientists, engineers, planners, and many other professionals across industries. Ultimately, Octave Imagine helps organizations turn raw geospatial data into meaningful insight. It improves the quality of their work, speeds up their processes, and provides a clearer understanding of real‑world situations. With its unique combination of capability, automation, accuracy, and interoperability, Octave Imagine establishes itself as a leader in the geospatial market and a tool that genuinely transforms how users work.

Average Rating: 4.2/5.0

Total Reviews: 61

How Do G2 Users Rate Octave Imagine?

  • Data Capture: 9.4/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Data Visualization: 9.2/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Ease of Use: 7.6/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Spatial Analysis: 9.8/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Octave Imagine?

  • Seller: Octave
  • Company Website:
  • HQ Location: Madison, US
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    3,835 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: Software Engineer
  • Top Industries: Information Technology and Services, Environmental Services
  • Company Size: 60% Small, 27% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Octave Imagine?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users praise the ease of use and rich features of Octave Imagine, deeming it a top choice in its category.
  • Users commend the strong image analysis capabilities of Octave Imagine, emphasizing its reliability and precision with real data.
  • Users value the powerful tools of Octave Imagine for reliable and precise image analysis in scientific applications.
Cons
  • Users find the learning curve steep, making it overwhelming for newcomers and lacking adequate guidance.
  • Users criticize the poor design of Octave Imagine, citing an outdated interface and lack of intuitiveness.
  • Users experience accuracy issues with Octave Imagine, making tasks more frustrating and less reliable than expected.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Octave Imagine?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About Octave Imagine?

Maptitude

Maptitude is the best mapping software and GIS, on both desktop and online/SaaS/Cloud, to: • Optimize sales territories, vehicle routes, and site locations • Visualize, analyze, and present mission-critical data • Maximize profits, time, and resources Maptitude GIS and mapping software gives you the tools, maps, and data you need to analyze and understand how geography affects you and your organization. Maptitude is the most capable, and least expensive, full-featured mapping software available. With Maptitude you can create maps and map images from spreadsheets and you can see external data on the map from a variety of sources including Google Maps KML/KMZ files. Designed for data visualization and geographic analysis, Maptitude comes with a comprehensive library of maps and GIS data for your country. What Can You Do with Maptitude Mapping Software Features? • Optimize sales territories, districts, service areas, vehicle routes, and site locations • Map customer locations, visualize sales performance, and identify over- and under-served areas • Reveal hidden geographic patterns, trends, data density, and hotspots from spreadsheets and databases • Visualize and analyze population, income, and other demographic data • Plan efficient travel routes with advanced proximity, navigation, and travel time tools • Customize every aspect of your maps including symbols, themes, layers, annotations, and 3D graphics to tailor both appearance and functionality to your specific needs • Customize maps with flexible color schemes, layers, and annotations to highlight mission-critical data • Connect to corporate databases, add your own data, and answer geographic questions impacting operations • Find growth opportunities by spotting patterns you can't see in tables • Create, edit, and manage interactive maps with zoom, pan, filter, query, and layer toggle features for dynamic exploration and improved decision-making • Create, edit, and manage interactive, shareable maps for better decision-making

Average Rating: 4.7/5.0

Total Reviews: 150

How Do G2 Users Rate Maptitude?

  • Data Capture: 9.6/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Data Visualization: 9.6/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Ease of Use: 8.2/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Spatial Analysis: 9.3/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Maptitude?

  • Seller: Caliper
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 1983
  • HQ Location: Newton, MA
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    40 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: President, Owner
  • Top Industries: Higher Education, Hospital & Health Care
  • Company Size: 54% Small, 26% Large

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Maptitude?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users praise Maptitude for its ease of use and advanced features, making it a top choice for GIS tasks.
  • Users find Maptitude to be incredibly easy to use, enabling both beginners and advanced users to efficiently analyze data.
  • Users appreciate the rich mapping features of Maptitude, enhancing analysis with detailed data and intuitive visualization.
  • Users commend the high data accuracy of Maptitude, enabling detailed analyses and effective decision-making across various regions.
  • Users commend Maptitude for its intuitive GIS analysis, seamlessly blending ease of use with powerful analytical capabilities.
Cons
  • Users experience limited accessibility with Maptitude, facing inconvenience in sharing and licensing across devices.
  • Users find Maptitude expensive due to costly upgrades for sharing options and yearly license purchases for updates.
  • Users find the limited sharing options and lack of features like "reassign" frustrating for collaboration and usability.
  • Users find the initial learning curve challenging, but online training helps them adapt and improve usage quickly.
  • Users find Maptitude has a learning difficulty that may hinder quick familiarity, but training resources can help.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Maptitude?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About Maptitude?

Octave Alto SDKs (Luciad)

Octave is a global technology leader focused on turning geospatial and operational data into actionable intelligence. With decades of experience in high‑performance visualization, spatial analytics, and mission‑critical system integration, Octave supports organizations worldwide in building, operating, and safeguarding complex real‑world systems. Its global footprint and long‑standing technical heritage enable modern, scalable solutions that evolve alongside today’s fast‑moving data and hardware ecosystems. The Octave Alto SDKs (formerly the Luciad Portfolio) provide a comprehensive suite of developer toolkits for building high‑performance geospatial applications across desktop, web, and embedded environments. Alto Server enables secure data management and on‑the‑fly fusion of large spatial datasets; Alto Lightspeed delivers advanced 2D/3D/4D visualization and analytics for complex, time‑dynamic environments; Alto Browser offers lightweight, high‑performance geospatial web visualization; and Alto Universal gives developers a cross‑platform graphics engine with native C++ and C# APIs for demanding visualization workloads. Together, they offer support for rich geospatial formats, real‑time data handling, styling, analytics, and precision rendering. The Octave Alto SDKs empower developers to turn massive, complex geospatial datasets into fast, interactive applications that support real‑time decision‑making. By providing optimized engines, open APIs, and ready‑to‑use geospatial capabilities, the SDKs drastically reduce development time, eliminate integration bottlenecks, and ensure reliable performance in mission‑critical environments. Whether used for defense command systems, mobility solutions, public safety operations, utilities, or digital twin platforms, the Alto SDKs give teams the speed, flexibility, and accuracy they need to build modern geospatial experiences with confidence.

Average Rating: 4.3/5.0

Total Reviews: 31

How Do G2 Users Rate Octave Alto SDKs (Luciad)?

  • Data Capture: 9.6/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Data Visualization: 9.5/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Ease of Use: 8.0/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Spatial Analysis: 9.7/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Octave Alto SDKs (Luciad)?

  • Seller: Octave
  • Company Website:
  • HQ Location: Madison, US
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    3,835 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Top Industries: Computer Software
  • Company Size: 35% Large, 32% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Octave Alto SDKs (Luciad)?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users appreciate the fast performance of Octave Alto SDKs, enjoying real-time mapping with minimal lag and effective deployment.
  • Users admire the stunning 3D visualization capabilities of Octave Alto SDKs, enabling effective project deployment with high performance.
  • Users appreciate the high precision and accuracy of Octave Alto SDKs, enhancing their data visualization and performance.
  • Users value the real-time mapping capabilities of Octave Alto SDKs, enabling efficient performance in complex scenarios.
  • Users appreciate the high precision and accuracy of Octave Alto SDKs, especially for effective data visualization and rendering.
Cons
  • Users find the high cost of Octave Alto SDKs a barrier, feeling it lacks transparency and is not beginner-friendly.
  • Users find the feature limitations of Octave Alto SDKs unnecessary for basic mapping needs, complicating simple tasks.
  • Users find the learning difficulty of Octave Alto SDKs frustrating, with complex pricing and lack of beginner guidance.
  • Users find the licensing issues of Octave Alto SDKs frustrating due to pricing transparency and complexity for beginners.
  • Users find that for basic mapping needs, Luciad’s SDKs can be overly complex and resource-intensive, hindering efficiency.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Octave Alto SDKs (Luciad)?

ArcGIS Pro

ArcGIS Pro is Esri’s powerful, single desktop GIS application. Technologically ahead of everything else on the market, ArcGIS Pro supports data visualization, advanced analysis and authoritative data maintenance in both 2D and 3D. ArcGIS Pro is tightly coupled with the ArcGIS platform supporting data sharing across ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise through Web GIS.

Average Rating: 4.3/5.0

Total Reviews: 173

How Do G2 Users Rate ArcGIS Pro?

  • Data Capture: 8.5/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Data Visualization: 9.1/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Ease of Use: 7.6/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Spatial Analysis: 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)

Who Is the Company Behind ArcGIS Pro?

  • Seller: Esri
  • Year Founded: 1969
  • HQ Location: Redlands, CA
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    7,396 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: GIS Analyst, GIS Specialist
  • Top Industries: Government Administration, Environmental Services
  • Company Size: 37% Medium, 36% Large

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About ArcGIS Pro?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users value the user-friendly design of ArcGIS Pro, which enhances their experience in geospatial tasks.
  • Users commend the advanced 3D visualization tools in ArcGIS Pro, enhancing complex geospatial analysis and presentations.
  • Users value the user-friendly design of ArcGIS Pro, significantly enhancing their efficiency in navigation and usage.
  • Users praise the powerful tools in ArcGIS Pro, enhancing efficiency in complex geospatial analysis and visualization tasks.
  • Users value the wide range of tools in ArcGIS Pro, enhancing 2D and 3D geospatial analysis and visualization.
Cons
  • Users express concern over the high cost of ArcGIS Pro, as licensing and extensions can be quite expensive.
  • Users face connectivity issues with ArcGIS Pro, often struggling with its reliance on cloud services and hardware demands.
  • Users report heavy hardware requirements and reliance on cloud services, impacting accessibility and performance of ArcGIS Pro.
  • Users find the expensive licensing a barrier, as many features necessitate additional costs and extensions.
  • Users find the steep learning curve of ArcGIS Pro challenging, especially for beginners navigating its complex interface.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of ArcGIS Pro?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About ArcGIS Pro?

BatchGeo

BatchGeo is the easiest way to get your list of addresses on a map. Since 2006 BatchGeo has hosted millions of maps for Fortune 50 companies, non-profits, and individuals. The idea behind BatchGeo is most geographic data is stored in some sort of spreadsheet, list, or simple table (ex: Excel, CSV, Google Spreadsheets, etc.) So its optimized for those formats, making it super easy to drag in or copy/paste your tabular data into a map. Once your data is mapped the real fun begins. Your data points are spread out on an easy to navigate Google Map. Data can be color coded by groups or ranges, or even heat mapped. If routing is what you are interested in, BatchGeo can give you optimized routes for up to 23 points at a time. This ensures you don't waste time when visiting your customers. Finally, if you want to share your map it's easy to do. You can choose if your map is to be secured (password protected) or generally available to the public. BatchGeo can even be used for a store locator for your website.

Average Rating: 4.7/5.0

Total Reviews: 998

How Do G2 Users Rate BatchGeo?

  • Data Capture: 8.8/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Data Visualization: 8.8/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Ease of Use: 9.1/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Spatial Analysis: 8.8/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)

Who Is the Company Behind BatchGeo?

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: Manager, Analyst
  • Top Industries: Real Estate, Marketing and Advertising
  • Company Size: 59% Small, 27% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About BatchGeo?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users find BatchGeo to be incredibly easy to use, transforming data into interactive maps effortlessly.
  • Users love the easy sharing of geographic insights from BatchGeo, streamlining the process of sharing location data.
  • Users love the easy mapping and visualization of location data, making insights quick and shareable without technical skills.
  • Users love the ease of turning data into maps with BatchGeo, making geographic insights accessible for everyone.
  • Users love the variety of mapping options in BatchGeo, enhancing location comparison and visual data sharing.
Cons
  • Users find feature limitations in BatchGeo, citing restrictions on customization, data capacity, and analysis tools.
  • Users find the high cost of BatchGeo challenging for small businesses, especially given the limitations of the free version.
  • Users find BatchGeo to offer limited customization, which may hinder advanced users seeking more robust options.
  • Users find the manual input cumbersome due to limitations in data syncing and the free version’s record cap.
  • Users find the update issues frustrating, as data must be re-uploaded without live-sync functionality.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of BatchGeo?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About BatchGeo?

Badger Maps

The mobile-first field sales platform that makes every rep better and every team stronger. Badger Maps gives outside sales teams everything they need to plan smarter, execute better, capture more data, and scale what's working — all from a mobile app built for life on the road. Plan the perfect day before you leave the driveway - Build optimized multi-stop routes around your highest-priority accounts automatically or let AI plan your entire week overnight for you - Every account, contact, lead, and opportunity is visible on an interactive map, colorized by priority, last visit date, or any custom field, so you always know where to focus before you start driving. - Sync your route to your calendar with a single tap and hit the road knowing exactly what the day looks like. Execute every day like your best day - When a meeting cancels, nearby qualified leads surface instantly so no hour goes to waste. - Walk into every meeting prepared with full account history and pre-meeting briefs. - After each visit, AI drafts and sends a personalized follow-up automatically, so every deal keeps moving without anyone having to think about it. Capture more data from the field and into your CRM – without the admin. - Automated forms populate the right fields in your CRM, keeping every customer record current without any manual data entry. - Just talk. Your CRM updates. With voice-to-CRM, your notes update the right fields in your CRM the moment you leave the parking lot. - 2-way real time integrations with the leading CRMs, including HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, Zoho, NetSuite, Pipedrive, Monday.com, SugarCRM Veeva, Insightly, SugarCRM, and more. - Extend your full CRM to the field with unlimited custom objects and fields that keep all your data accessible and in sync. Give managers the visibility to build a better team - Automated reports summarize rep activity, account coverage, and route performance without anyone having to compile them. - Mileage tracking happens automatically on every route. - Performance dashboards give managers a live, geographic view of what's happening across every rep and every territory, so coaching conversations are grounded in data, not gut feel. Scale winning strategies across every territory - Automated territory alignment balances and optimizes territories based on revenue, account count, or any custom metric — in minutes, not weeks. - Lead routing assigns new leads to the right rep instantly. - Heat maps, bubble maps, and thematic maps surface the geographic patterns that drive better territory strategy. - Dynamic leaderboards keep the whole team motivated and accountable. Start your free 14-day trial, fully integrated with your CRM, with zero setup cost.

Average Rating: 4.7/5.0

Total Reviews: 364

How Do G2 Users Rate Badger Maps?

  • Data Capture: 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Data Visualization: 8.9/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Ease of Use: 9.2/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Spatial Analysis: 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Badger Maps?

  • Seller: Badger Maps, Inc
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 2012
  • HQ Location: San Francisco, California
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    75 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: Sales Rep, Territory Manager
  • Top Industries: Medical Devices, Construction
  • Company Size: 64% Small, 22% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Badger Maps?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users appreciate the ease of use of Badger Maps, noting its intuitive setup and efficient territory management.
  • Users appreciate the visual mapping features of Badger Maps, enhancing efficiency in territory creation and customer management.
  • Users highlight the route optimization capabilities of Badger Maps, enhancing efficiency in managing customer territories and sales efforts.
  • Users appreciate the automatic route feature of Badger Maps, enhancing efficiency and simplifying the routing process.
  • Users praise the superb customer support of Badger Maps, appreciating the rapid and knowledgeable responses from representatives.
Cons
  • Users experience routing issues, struggling with inaccurate home locations and complications in mapping and billing processes.
  • Users face challenges with mapping accuracy and routing issues, hindering efficient navigation and client organization.
  • Users find Badger Maps to be expensive for its capabilities, especially for individual licensing costs.
  • Users feel that improvement is needed for syncing between mobile and online apps, impacting overall efficiency.
  • Users highlight limitations in CRM capabilities and find the mobile interface and routing options challenging to use.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Badger Maps?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About Badger Maps?

Oracle Spatial

Oracle Spatial and Graph supports a full range of geospatial data and analytics for land management and GIS, mobile location services, sales territory management, transportation, LiDAR analysis and location-enabled Business Intelligence.

Average Rating: 4.1/5.0

Total Reviews: 33

How Do G2 Users Rate Oracle Spatial?

  • Data Capture: 8.4/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Data Visualization: 9.1/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Ease of Use: 7.8/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Spatial Analysis: 8.7/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Oracle Spatial?

  • Seller: Oracle
  • Year Founded: 1977
  • HQ Location: Austin, TX
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    207,576 employees on LinkedIn®
  • Ownership: NYSE:ORCL
  • Phone: +1 (650) 506-7000

Who Uses This Product?

  • Company Size: 44% Medium, 32% Large

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Oracle Spatial?

Smarty

Smarty offers global address verification, address validation, and geocoding via API, bulk upload, and a collection of 3rd party integrations that transform how organizations handle address data. With real-time address autocomplete, correction, standardization, and validation, it guarantees the accuracy and reliability of addresses. Smarty's US rooftop geocoding, reverse geocoding, and property data APIs help you enrich and hone your address data. These powerful APIs have far-reaching benefits, from improving the efficiency of your marketing campaigns to enhancing data analysis and operational processes.

Average Rating: 4.6/5.0

Total Reviews: 353

How Do G2 Users Rate Smarty?

  • Data Capture: 9.6/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Data Visualization: 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Ease of Use: 9.3/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Spatial Analysis: 9.2/10 (Category avg: 8.5/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Smarty?

  • Seller: Smarty
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 2011
  • HQ Location: Provo, Utah
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    150 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: CTO, CEO
  • Top Industries: Computer Software, Financial Services
  • Company Size: 51% Small, 39% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Smarty?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users love Smarty for its ease of use with a simple API that integrates seamlessly and works reliably.
  • Users value the highly accurate and consistent address verification offered by Smarty, enhancing workflow efficiency and reliability.
  • Users commend Smarty for its highly accurate and consistent address verification, enhancing workflow efficiency and reliability.
  • Users value the easy integration of Smarty, facilitating smooth implementation and enhancing user experience effortlessly.
  • Users commend Smarty's responsive and genuinely helpful customer support, enhancing their overall experience and satisfaction with the product.
Cons
  • Users experience address issues with Smarty, facing formatting errors that can disrupt the verification process.
  • Users face API issues with Smarty, including high costs and inconsistencies in address validation across different countries.
  • Users find Smarty to be expensive, especially for extensive address work and API usage, impacting budget management.
  • Users desire improved feature flexibility, such as automatic country detection and enhanced usage tracking capabilities.
  • Users face integration issues due to lack of testing environment, responsiveness, and complexity in support communication.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Smarty?

Daniel Rivera
DR
Researched and written by Daniel Rivera
Updated March 4, 2025

GIS Topics

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Learn More About GIS Software

What is GIS Software?

Geographic information systems, better known as GIS software, are tools that capture, analyze, and display geospatial data to make 2D or 3D maps. These tools act as asset management platforms for the geographic data they capture, meaning GIS technology has the ability to understand patterns and improve operations in land-based operations. 

A GIS is a technology rooted in geographic information science that allows users to dig into geospatial data. The first step in this mapping technology is capturing data. These data types include cartographic, photographic, and digital data to provide a complete picture. GIS programs require both hardware and software, such as the desktop needed to display information.

Cartographic data is already in map form and includes information such as the location of rivers, roads, valleys, hills, and more. Data from photographic interpretation analyzes aerial shots of a site. Digital data is collected from satellites that show land use.

All varieties of data can be inputted into GIS mapping tools through data capture. As long as it has been digitized, it can be inputted into a GIS program. Once that data has been inputted, GIS technology can transform it into a map.

Who Uses GIS software?

GIS tools power location-based services. This technology is prevalent in a number of other professions:

GIS Specialist – A GIS specialist is an expert in geographic information systems. They analyze the spatial data stored in the geodatabases within these tools to solve problems related to a specific site or area. For example, a GIS specialist can assess the geospatial data of a region to determine the best escape route and then have the responsibility of mapping out an estimate time needed during a natural disaster. These specialists can create maps of certain areas using GIS technology and use that information to perform duties such as locating special features within a landscape.

A GIS specialist can be a full-time career, as a person in this role can act as a consultant to organizations who can benefit from the data extracted from GIS software. While the majority of this work can be conducted remotely from a computer, GIS specialists are sometimes required to visit a site in order to compare the landscape to the data in the GIS system. Those seeking this career path can obtain a GIS certificate from an accredited program; many universities offer GIS degrees as well.

Urban Planner – An urban planner develops procedures and programs for the use of land. The outcomes are typically mapping out plans to build communities, accommodate growth, revamp local physical facilities, and more. For example, an urban planner might approve plans for a new school to ensure it meets the needs of a growing population. As a community grows and changes, urban planners are there to help manage economic, social, and environmental changes that may arise. Urban planners can be utilized for communities of any size—small towns, large cities, and entire counties.

A great deal of data is needed for an urban planner to make an informed decision. They must stay up-to-date on zoning codes, environment regulations, and legal issues. Urban planners must also stay attuned to the landscape in their area and can utilize GIS technology to analyze and manipulate data. GIS software can be used to overlay a land map with population density indicators, which could show the best use for a piece of land. While an urban planner likely needs to perform site visits, they may also utilize a desktop GIS to analyze this data from their own office.

Environmental Scientist – An environmental scientist assesses the health and stability of a given landscape. This includes a great deal of fieldwork tests and surveys to gather geospatial data, like soil, water, and air samples. The data collected is then analyzed for negative indicators, such as pollution. An environmental scientist’s findings can be collected into an official report that may be presented to policymakers or other organizations concerned about environmental issues.

Environmental scientists rely heavily on GIS applications to succeed in their work. These tools capture the geographic information necessary to effectively map out the health of a physical area. This mapping technology has the ability to capture data from all aspects of a landscape—aerial, water, land—and then display as a variety of different maps. These solutions can also map changes in a specific area, which is hugely beneficial to an environmental scientist as it can fuel a course of action or anticipate future land conditions.

Public Health Professionals – Public health professionals are dedicated to protecting and improving the health of communities. Those in this field are focused more on preventing disease and injury rather than treating it. Public health intersects with a number of more specific fields to improve the health of the community. Epidemiology tracks the distribution and severity of diseases, along with how to prevent them from spreading. Biostatistics applies statistical and mathematical methods to the analysis of public health issues.

Environmental health is concerned with the quality of food supply, water and air pollution, and disease prevention. This is where GIS tools come into play. The use of a GIS and the spatial data it captures can help public health professionals come to decisions as well as predict outcomes. For example, public health officials can use GIS technology to map out potential risk from a contaminated water source. A desktop GIS program can also display information such as drug usage in a certain area.

Law Enforcement – Law enforcement officers can track crime trends within GIS software using crime mapping, which maps, visualizes, and analyzes crime incident patterns within their jurisdictions. These crime hot spots can be identified through the usage of GIS programs. Crime analysts can use a desktop GIS to overlay data sets such as census demographics. With this information, police officers are able to identify physical locations and potentially understand the underlying cause of crime in a certain area. GIS mapping software can also be useful for allocating police officers during emergency situations.

Why Use GIS software?

GIS software is vital for creating maps, but that is not the only application for this technology. These tools capture data that can be utilized by small, mid-sized or enterprise businesses in many fields.

A GIS helps users make more informed decisions. When working with a physical location, you need to understand every aspect of it—air, land, water, surrounding area, and more. A GIS captures this array of data, detailing various aspects of a landscape, and stores it all within one platform. Visualizing this data aids in identifying areas of opportunity and potential issues, such as the best route for an evacuation during an impending hurricane.

The geospatial data stored within these platforms even helps provide answers about things other than the physical landscape itself. Demographics of the surrounding population, social, real-world business problems, and political information can be gathered using a GIS. Features such as overlaying and data visualization connect the dots and create relationships between seemingly unconnected qualities, such populations with geographic features. For example, if a business needs to open up a new storefront, GIS software can be used to find a site of land near a highly populated area. Data can then be manipulated to account for inevitable population change in the surrounding area.

GIS software is specifically designed to visualize data. Reading and understanding statistics and data can be incredibly challenging. Data visualization is a key component of GIS technology, which means that the inputted data will be presented in a clear and comprehensive manner. Using a GIS solution, you can layer your datasets into one image and find the connections between each dataset. Bringing this data to life also allows you to view it from a different perspective, which can provide a fresh insight on a potential problem needing to be solved. You can create multiple maps within GIS platforms, which enables you to track and visualize the change in a certain area over time.

GIS technology can assist in conserving natural resources. GIS software has the ability to manage and maintain agricultural, water, and forest resources. These tools easily manage data on forest conditions as well. The geographic distribution of water resources can be analyzed through GIS technology. These two resources are also connected—as tree cover tends to decrease stormwater runoff.

GIS software allows for better geographic information record keeping. Many organizations are required to maintain thorough geographic records, such government and environmental science agencies. GIS systems are at the foundation of creating policies such as zoning laws, population censuses, and land ownership. Record keeping is vital when creating and upholding these laws, and GIS technology can store the geographic information necessary.

GIS technology can also track the spread of infectious diseases. On top of mapping trends in geographic features, GIS technology is used to follow trends that relate to the spread of disease. Users can leverage desktop GIS solutions to compare geography with other relevant variables and predict where an infectious disease might spread next. This data enables on-the-ground personnel to quickly work to save lives of local residents.

GIS software helps automate previously tedious geographic tasks. Before this technology, gathering data needed for any land, environment, map, pipeline, or city planning could be incredibly time consuming, due to the fact that one platform was unable to capture and store data from various sources. In addition, each data sample was collected and stored individually. However, GIS programs act as a repository for this data and convert it into the correct format, if necessary. GIS technology then takes this one step further and allows users to also design, update, and edit in the same platform where their geographic data is stored. These solutions also provide analysis tools, which gives organizations more time to focus on other urgent and critical tasks.

Governments can use GIS software to plan more cost-effective communities. Governments rely on thorough planning when it comes to building and expanding their communities. However, government organizations, especially smaller municipal ones, can face difficulty when it comes to the economy. Expanding a community while sources are diminishing gets expensive. GIS technology provides a way for government organizations to expand their communities in the most cost-efficient ways possible, as the data provided by GIS software allows them to make more informed choices about decisions such as land usage and locations of physical facilities. Governments can utilize a free GIS solution to continue to drive costs down.

Districts can create more efficient schools with GIS technology. A common issue within communities is needing to redistrict school boundaries as the local population ebbs and flows. GIS programs capture and store addresses for all students at the school. Using feature-based proximity tools, you can manipulate the borders of these zones and a GIS relates the student counts by grade of this proposed boundary. Even after school district zones have been nailed down, these programs can continue to benefit schools. School administrators use GIS technology to analyze the distance students walk to school. If a student lives a certain distance away, GIS tools continue to analyze the data to determine which students are eligible to take school buses. As schools may not a lot of budget dedicated to non-essential technology, they can utilize a free GIS platform for these tasks.

Planning for for natural disasters can be done using GIS technology. One of the main uses of this software is protecting the environment. The flip side of that is protecting citizens from potential dangers of their local environment. GIS tools help with risk management by assessing which areas are at risk for natural or man-made disasters. Communities can then take this data and develop preventive measures. And when natural disasters are unavoidable, GIS technology can still help. These tools aid in the planning of emergency evacuation routes and help estimate the damage from floods. In addition, GIS helps local governments document the needs for federal disaster relief funds.

GIS Software Features

While specific features may vary across different GIS solutions, the following features are typically found in geographic information systems:

Data Capture – This is simply the act of inputting data into a GIS. Relevant data can be grabbed from a number of sources. The software should be able to convert your data to a raster or vector file that will be compatible with your tool.

Remote Sensing Integration – Remote sensing is making measurements of a specific location on the earth through airplanes or satellites. These sensors have the ability to collect data in the form of images. As part of its data capture functionality, remote sensed imagery should easily integrate with a GIS.

Data Warehouse – GIS software stores the data on geographical features and their characteristics. It uses that data to publish maps. Just as GIS solutions capture data in multiple formats, said data is stored in multiple formats as well. Map city data can be stored as points, road data formatted as lines, boundaries as areas, and so on. Storing this information is what allows a GIS to identify features located in a map.

Buffer Zone Querying – Buffer zone querying is the ability to select a point on a map and display any given data within a certain radius. These buffers are used to show an area of influence around a location. For example, a buffer can be used to section off a radius around a school to plan for the transportation of students who live farther away. Some GIS tools may refer to buffer zone querying by other names, such as feature-based proximity tools.

Editing Data – The features of the landscapes you study change, which means your data will change as well. A GIS will enable you to keep up with these changes by allowing you to edit your data. Specific revision features and processes will vary in each tool, but they should all offer the ability to edit your data.

Data Visualization – The data visualization component of a GIS is what brings your data to life, in either a 2D or 3D format. A GIS displays the data you input as an easy-to-read map right on your desktop. This function may allow for additional features, such as adding pop-ups, charts, and infographics to maps.

Geocoding – This feature assigns locations to the addresses you need to keep track of so they may be placed as points on a map. It can be thought of as a interactive digital version of putting a pin on a location on a physical map. Some tools may refer to this feature as address-matching.

Spatial Analysis – Spatial analysis is at the core of publishing a map, and may be one of the key features of a GIS. This ability allows users to dig into their data and make informed decisions, predict patterns, and more. 

Overlaying – Overlaying makes it possible to visualize many different forms of data in one image. This function superimposes multiple datasets into one image to identify the relationships between them. Most GIS software provides overlaying capabilities for both vector and raster data.

Publishing Maps – Creating maps is the end goal of GIS software. All of these features, such as overlaying and data editing, contribute to the creation of a map. Once your data is set, you can simply print the map out on a corresponding printer. Some GIS tools may run one final analysis of your data before printing the final map.

Potential Issues with GIS Software

With its wide range of capabilities and applications, GIS technology offers a plethora of benefits. But that does not mean this software does not come without its challenges.

While the data captured and stored in GIS platforms is incredibly beneficial to users, integrating with traditional maps is extremely complex. It can prove difficult to integrate a traditional map with GIS technology. It may not be possible to grab meaningful geospatial information from a GIS, as many only store and analyze the data collected from the platform itself. Reach out to the GIS vendor you select to determine if this integration is possible.

GIS software is expensive. These tools are hugely beneficial to users, as it collects a massive amount of data from various points. It can cost a lot to gather, input, and connect all of this data. Corresponding hardware, along with potentially needing to hire an expert in GIS, continues to drive those expenses up. While they may have some limited features, budget-conscious users can leverage a free GIS for their business.

Data management can be difficult. It’s great that GIS technology allows users to capture and store large amounts of data, but someone has to comb through all that information. Because there is so much data, this could lead to data generalization, which means you may be at risk for losing information. Large amounts of data also require massive storage space, which increases the cost and manpower required to run your GIS.