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General GIS Questions

I do not have ArcSoft software, how can I use these files?
ESRI created the shapefile format, and their software has excellent facility for working with these files. ArcReader is a free product can read the files in this archive. Note that ArcReader is not designed for map-making, only for viewing these files. ArcReader is available for Linux, Windows and Sun’s Solaris platforms. Download here: http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcreader/download.html Mac users have somewhat fewer options for working with shapefiles. One free option is the venerable GRASS GIS: http://grass.osgeo.org/ Check this page for a list of software that can work with shapefiles: http://www.uky.edu/KGS/gis/DVGQ/format.html See also the excellent Wikipedia entry on shapefiles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shapefile.