3.3.1. Software and Tools

3.3.1. Software for Language Mapping

Software tools for mapping linguistic data are constructed as composite software, which may consist of a number of different software components, where each individual component performs a single or specific subset of the required tasks. On this webpage the terms software and tools are used synonymously.

Commercial and Free Software

Computer mapping can be supported by both commercial and free software. Usually different mapping tools offer different sets of features, although the fundamental functionality of presenting data on maps is given in all of them. The best known full-featured commercial GIS systems come from ESRI (ArcInfo, ArcView, MapObject etc.) and Pitney Bowes Business Insight. SAS has its own GIS package which interfaces with its statistical software.

GRASS GIS is another well-featured GIS package. Besides using the above mentioned GIS software, one can as well produce a language map with a spreadsheet like Corel Quattro and OpenOffice, since they have mapping options. In addition, Microsoft Map (used by Heinrich Ramisch for language data in Viereck and Ramisch 2001) and Microsoft MapPoint can be used for mapping language data. With Apache OpenOffice Calc (EuroOffice Chart Map) one can also generate maps, although the features are much more limited.

Relatively recent developments are Google Earth and Bing Maps (formerly Microsoft Virtual Earth). Both of them are GIS systems on the Web that have some free services but require developers to purchase additional licensed software (Google Earth Pro, Bing Maps Platform) to make their own GIS applications. There is a possibility for educational institutions to get the license to use this package for free. Lancaster University has a Literary GIS as a pilot project funded by the British Academy. Another promising literary GIS site is Google Lit Trips, where contributors have offered their GIS annotations for literary works designed for readers with different educational levels. It requires that users download files for manipulation within Google Earth.

Programming Languages

It is an asset for a map producer to know one or several programming language, e.g. Visual Basic, Java, Perl or Python (as on the Linguistic Atlas Project, LAP). Professional map makers write their own statistical programs with these programming languages. That failing, one can, however, even use word processing software like Lee Pederson pioneered the use of Fixed-Character-Spaced maps for LAGS (The Linguistic Atlas of the Gulf States).

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