2: Find Out What Data Already Exists
And where can you get it?
Does the data you need for your project already exist somewhere?
Assuming you've made arrangements to purchase, share or borrow the data ...
You will probably want to consider:
What form is the data in? And in what format?
- USGS data in *.dlg (digital line graph) or *.dem (digital elevation model) still require some processing
- ARC/INFO coverages on other platforms will require exporting (to *.e00 format) and then importing. After an import you generally need to "clean" or re"build" the coverage.
- Data from other GIS sources may require even more processing before it can be brought into your project.
- Is the data in a PC format (*.txt, *.dbf, ASCII) or UNIX or MAC (this not only affects floppy disks, but Iomega and Syquest disks because the formats are different)
- Is the data in the same map projection -- if not, what software do you need to convert.
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