:Author: Paul Meems, TopX Geo-ICT The Netherlands (RST conversion)
:Reviewer: Cameron Shorter, LISAsoft
:Product: MapWindow GIS 4.8.6
:Version: osgeo-live5.5
:License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported  (CC BY-SA 3.0)

.. image:: ../../images/project_logos/logo-MapWindow.png
  :alt: MapWindow GIS
  :align: right
  :width: 220
  :height: 38
  :target: http://www.mapwindow.org
 
MapWindow GIS
================================================================================

Desktop GIS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MapWindow GIS is a Windows based, Open Source GIS client where
you can visualize, manage, edit, analyse data, and compose printable maps.
It includes powerful analytical functions through integration with GEOS and GDAL/OGR.
MapWindow is easy to incorporate into MS-Office based products such as MS-Excel and MS-Access, as well as programs written in VB6, C++, C#, VB.NET, and Delphi, as MapWindow is based upon ActiveX controls.

.. note:: MapWindow requires installation on a Microsoft Windows system before it can be run. Installation files are included on the full ISO version of `OSGeo-Live <http://live.osgeo.org>`_ or may be downloaded from http://mapwindow4.codeplex.com/releases.
   
.. image:: ../../images/screenshots/1024x768/mapwindow-screenshot.jpg
  :alt: Mapwindow Screenshot
  :scale: 50 %
  :align: right

Core Features
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Friendly graphical user interface:

    * identify/select features,
    * edit/view/search attributes,
    * on the fly projection,
    * print layout,
    * feature labeling,
    * change vector and raster symbology,
    * and more ...

* Easy Viewing of many Vector and Raster Formats:

    * most vector formats: including ESRI shapefiles, MapInfo, SDTS and GML,
    * raster formats such as digital elevation models, aerial photography or landsat imagery,
    * Tiles services, like OpenStreetMap, ArcGIS Online.

* Create, edit and export spatial data using:

    * digitizing tools for shapefile format,
    * the georeferencer plugin,
    * GPS tools to import and export GPX format, convert other GPS formats to GPX, or down/upload directly to a GPS unit.

* Perform spatial analysis using plugins:

    * map algebra,
    * terrain analysis,
    * hydrologic modeling (TauDEM),
    * network analysis,
    * and many others.

* Extensible plugin architecture:

    * Plug-in architecture makes it easy to add additional functionality to MapWindow. Plug-ins can be written in any .NET language (C#, VB.NET) using Visual Studio Pro or the free SharpDevelop or Visual Studio Express.  
 
* ActiveX control:

    * Uses an ActiveX control written in C++. This control can be used in custom applications written in languages like VB6, C++, C#, VB.NET, and Delphi, and can be used in MS-Office products like MS-Access and MS-Excel.

Implemented Standards
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* OGC Standards: 
    * WMS (v1.1, v1.3)
    * WFS v1.1 (through a separate plug-in)
    * Web Map Tile Service (WMTS)
    * GML    

Details
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Website:** http://www.mapwindow.org

**Licence:** MPLv1.1

**Software Version:** 4.8.6

**Supported Platforms:** Windows

**API Interfaces:** Visual Basic 6, VBA (MS-Access, MS-Excel), C++, .NET (C#, VB.NET)

**Community Support:** http://www.mapwindow.org/apps/wiki/doku.php?id=forums

**Commercial Support:** http://www.mapwindow.nl, http://www.mapwindow.in/, http://www.mapwindow.org/pages/donate.php


Quickstart
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* :doc:`Quickstart documentation <../quickstart/mapwindow_quickstart>`