UDig

Two decades of working on GIS software has given Refractions Research a clear edge in the mapping software market, and their uDig application is evidence. It's a flexible program that integrates with many GIS file formats (PostGIS, ESRI Shape files, DB2, Oracle Spatial and ArcSDE), and it has built-in desktop and Internet functionality. The software includes an advances processing pipeline that can handle even the largest batches of data. uDig includes modular functionality as well and works perfectly with Eclipse Rich Client Platform plug-ins. The environment itself can be extended, or uDig can be used as an extension for other programs. Refraction's web site is equipped with a training program to help new developers become accustomed with uDig and it's many complexities. uDig has support for JPEG, GIF and PNG images and communicates directly with the NASA OneEarth service and Geocoder.us. Rendering is done in real time with multi-threading, allowing for a smooth and comfortable experience while using the software. Other features include on-the-fly reprojection of coordinate systems, vector and raster reprojections, thematic mapping and in-place software upgrades (no reinstallation required when an update is released). uDig comes standard with a special environment for handling complex XML files to parse them into the GML format for mapping.