MalaysiaGIS.com

Source: New Straits Times

Zoom in on any township displayed on a map, click the mouse button and you will be able to know its demographic information instantly. This is one of the capabilities of ReGIS, a Windows-based Geographic Information System (GIS) software from South Africa.

The software enables users to interrogate, analyse, manipulate and manage vast quantities of data and integrate with compatible database products.

ReGIS is an information system with "graphical capabilities," said Automated Methods (Pty) Ltd's managing director Johan Poolman.

Using object-oriented techniques, users can display the cross section of a hill by plotting a line on the contour of that hill.

In addition, ReGIS can display the cadastral boundary of a selected township through user-interface.

Poolman said ReGIS can be used to generate thematic map to represent different age group on a map. These information can be presented by using pie charts for different townships.

"The most important thing is the learning curve. Many users could not use a product effectively due to difficulty in learning something new," he added.

ReGIS can interface with industry standard relational database management systems including Oracle, Sybase, Progress, Informix, Adabas, ODBC and dBASE III/IV.

With two major releases a year, ReGIS is now at release 4.3 (beta); it covers property management, marketing and commercial applications, security and military applications.

ReGIS is made up of Geographic and Object management modules, Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) modules and Mapping modules.

However, the RDBMS modules and Mapping modules are sold separate as ReMap Plus and ReMap respectively.

With two thousand units sold in the past two years, ReGIS is claimed to have captured 38 percent of the market share in South Africa. As for the international market, Poolman said the project has secured about five per cent of the market share.

A basic ReGIS package comprising of ReMAP, ReBASE and ReGEO is now offered at RM15,000. The local distributor is Terradesic Sdn Bhd.