# Mapping software for bee plants?



## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

If you are looking for map software to run on a PC, Delorme's Topo North America is one option. 

http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELibeCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?section=10742&minisite=10020
You can upload GPS points to Topo.

Google Earth has similar capabilities.
http://www.google.com/earth/explore/products/


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## JWChesnut (Jul 31, 2013)

qGis is pro-grade, totally free open-source GIS (mapping) software. It has compiled version that run on any computer architecture. Capacities range from import of GPS points (trivial) to performing complex modeling calculations (highly technical). It is essentially an open-source clone of ArcInfo. http://www.qgis.org/en/site/

Google Earth (or it pro upgrade) are likely sufficient for you needs. The EarthPoint web tools allow you to import and export points, polygons and such. http://www.earthpoint.us‎

ArcInfo (the industry standard GIS) has a "home" license subscription for $100/year. (Cheap compared to the business cost of $20,000-$30,000 for equal capacity).

Learning curve on GIS can be really steep and twitchy, with a sometimes impentrable lingo of its own. It been part of my academic work for decades, so I tend to forget just how forbidding it seems. Best approach -- just jump in and qGis makes that easy.

The USGS makes topographic, aerial, and satellite imagery available through it portal. Usually state agencies supplement this. Image files can be enormous. 

Sometimes the best approach is just marking up a paper map, really. The computer stuff can be a real rabbit hole, and get in the way of careful paper notes.


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## KQ6AR (May 13, 2008)

Google earth can draw 3 miles circles around you're planting areas. I've done it but don't remember how.
You don't need to buy anything.


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## JWChesnut (Jul 31, 2013)

The easiest solution to circles in GE is:
http://kml4earth.appspot.com/circlegen.html
This website generates and downloads a kml file that draws a circle centered on some arbitrary lat-long.
A 1 mile, 2 mile 3 mile radius example is shown below.


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## DMLinton (Sep 23, 2013)

I would use qGIS primarily. It is awkward to get up and running with but, as in beekeeping, a mentor can make life relatively easy. If I am understanding your objectives correctly, that would include being able to not only locate various plant species such as, perhaps, your apple trees, but also being able to derive the areas of various types or combinations of plants. This is very easy to do with qGIS. It will also give you a Google Earth view, which is helpful for plotting or checking features. qGIS will take data in a variety of formats including GPX, delimited text files, KML, ESRI shapefiles and so on. It will also facilitate georeferencing raster files such as aerial photos. One fo the features that may be helpful to you is that qGIS can very easily produce clickable HTML maps, which makes it easy to distribute your plan.


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## Andrew Dewey (Aug 23, 2005)

Thank you everyone for your responses. I can see I've got a winter's worth of research and "playing" ahead of me. I like the idea of open source and qGIS sounds like what I should look at first! Thanks again!


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