Pro Maps Application for Mac (Enterprise GIS)

[Applestock]

Now that the Mac OS platform has been on the uptick for many years, a lot of applications that were Windows only have since been made available to us (like AutoCAD). If not, Apple has provided a market leading solution themselves (FinalCut/Logic etc.). The need to run Parallels or VMWare is slowly going away, but there are a few remaining gaps. In my opinion, one of the biggest of these is the lack of Mac Compatible GIS software that just kicks butt. Up until now, ESRI has cornered the commercial market with it's Arc products. They have shown very little interest in porting to the Mac, and due to the lack of competition the software has seen very little innovation.

Now, I know there is Mac compatible GIS out there. I have QGIS installed and use it all the time. But lets be honest, the current crop of options are very clunky and unapproachable. This segment is ripe for revolution and I think Apple is poised to provide it. With the development micro location features, Mapkit, and a beautiful basemap for the consumer space in Apples maps applications, I am praying to see Apple pull a pro Mapping application out of their hats in the near future. It would need to have some compatibility with existing GIS data structures, but after that they could go wild and truly blow the minds of the GIS software industry.

Who wants to see the Apple Pro Maps app?

 

[campyguy]

I do. But, it just ain't gonna happen. I've been working around GIS, surveyor office, and survey field staff since 1993 and IMO it just ain't gonna happen.

I'm generally platform agnostic when it comes to data. I still know guys that are still using Windows CE 5.0 as their go-to OS. Scary, that, but it works.

19 out of 20 of the construction contractors and all of the agencies and all of the take-off contractors I've worked with over the past decade are on some form of Windows. Margins are razor thin - there's no way any of the offices I know of or have worked with are going to invest in hardware and training their staff to use a new OS. They're all on Win 7, which MS is ending support in 2/2015 - maybe then, but I doubt it.