Planet Geographic Information Systems
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Frequently Asked Questions

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Q:“I'd like to see a presentation on your software/maps. Where are you located?
A:“We don't really do live presentations because the cost of the software does not justify the expense. We concentrate on the software development and only market our software through our web site. In a sense, our "store front" is our web site and our switch board is an email address. We will happily answer any questions via email. TGIS (www.tgis.co.za) is a reseller of PlanetGIS Enterprise and will provide training and support.

To get familiar with PlanetGIS, please download our trial software, some maps and scan through the documentation. As you do that, you might develop specific questions which we'll gladly answer if it is not in the FAQ.
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Q:“Can I use PlanetGIS on an Apple Mac?
A:“There are many people that use PlanetGIS on a Mac or Linux. PlanetGIS requires Windows or a Windows "compatibility layer".

There are three ways to run PlanetGIS on your Mac or Linux box:
  • Use a compatibility layer like Wine (free) or CrossOver Mac/Linux ($64)
    CrossOver is based on Wine and purchases of CrossOver funds the Wine project. CrossOver is much easier to work with.

  • Use a virtual machine like VirtualBox (free) or VMWare Fusion ($199) or Parallels ($100) and install Windows on it.
    This option requires a Windows license.

  • Use Boot Camp (Mac) or any other multi-operating system bootloader (Linux) to install Windows on the same computer.
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Q:“OK, can I speak to someone then? I don't see any phone number on your web site...
A:“Maybe... Firstly, we don't have fixed headquarters or a call centre. We rely on our partners to provide that for clients that insist on it. We focus purely on the development of the software but have a very successful online presence and a mailing list that is rapidly growing.

If you can provide a good reason for doing so, Paul will phone you or provide his number. The problem is that a phone call is rarely shorter than 10 minutes and nearly always interrupts productive work. E-mails can be answered in batches and here at PlanetGIS we type faster than we talk :-) so a typical email reply takes about one minute.
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Q:“What is the difference between PlanetGIS Explorer/Professional/Enterprise?
A:“PlanetGIS Explorer is a viewer that can also be used to customize maps to your liking and export information, but not to capture spatial features. PlanetGIS Explorer is free.

PlanetGIS Professional is the most popular choice for all-round GIS work. Most private sector users use PlanetGIS Professional.

PlanetGIS Enterprise is our flagship product aimed at government/municipalities and large organizations. Enterprise adds connectivity to Oracle and MS SQL Server and is required for managing handheld data collectors running PlanetGIS.

For a detailed feature-by-feature comparison between software editions, please go to featurematrix.php.
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If your question remains unanswered, please feel free to contact Paul at