CommunityViewer enables the user to download and make immediate use of map files in shapefile structure made accessible via webservers. You can avoid the time consuming process of using a downloader and file expander by using GetWebGeodata.

CommunityViewer with GetWebGeodata. Courtesy: Proximity

Geographic Information System Maps of Unserved and Underserved Areas

The Broadband Stimulus programs are competitive (rather than formula) grants. Even so, demographic factors will be an important part of any application that is proposing to provide broadband access to unserved or underserved areas. An effective way of presenting demographics for geographical areas, such as a school district, census block, or county (Basic Trading Area) boundaries is with a Geographic Information System (GIS). (A census tract is an area with an average population of 4,000. A block group is a part of a census tract with an average population of 1,000.

One of the most comprehensive GIS programs, the Community Viewer, has been developed by Proximity. GIS applications enable the user to create interactive inquiries with the available databases, which include many useful school district demographic measures. The program is easy to use and affordable. It allows real time manipulation of data, and the simultaneous overlay of multiple criteria. A summary appears below and more detailed information can be found on the Proximity website.

CommunityViewer GIS

Easiest to learn and use GIS

Comprehensive geodemographic analysis capabilities

Run on a Win32 computer with XP or Vista

View maps of communities and school districts

Identify patterns in your geographic areas of interest

Access school district demographics online

Integrate and manage your data

View patterns of geocoded student data

GetWebGeoData

An important feature of CommunityViewer is that it enables the user to download and make immediate use of map files in shapefile structure made accessible via Webservers. You can avoid the time consuming process of using a downloader and file expander by using the CommunityViewer GetWebGeodata operation. Invoke GetWebGeodata from the File main menu item.

GeoApplications Gallery

Visit the GIS Applications Gallery to view wide-ranging applications and projects. Gallery content has been developed with the CommunityViewer software but underlying project files may be used directly with other GIS tools.

Community Viewer Quick Start: Creating a Basic Map Project

The CommunityViewer software can be used to quickly build a map project. A map project is a file itself that contains references to map files (shapefiles) located on your computer. Once a map project has been created, it can be immediately opened with CV using the File > Open operation. The following view shows a zoom-in to the southeast part of Idaho and shows county and place boundaries. The steps to create the map project are summarized below.