if you want it all "free" then don't think about MS-Access (which is notoriously difficult to link to GIS & other software anyway). Stick with "open office" both because it's free and because there are mountains of nerds & geeks out there who like nothing better than to tweek things for given applications; after that there are whole piles of free GIS software, starting with QGIS (a user-friendly intro to GRASS) to GRASS (which is top of the line, but can be somewhat complicated; one advantage is the tie-in to the "R" statistical package, but the graphics aren't always the best); I kind of like something called Ilwis these days, and Oxford Archaeology has done a good job with making an English-language, user-friendly version of gvSIG; actually putting the data on the net is another matter (not really my area), but some people are doing this with google.maps layers, or various GIS webservers
some of the GIS software has good drawing capabilities (though I still prefer working with AutoCAD); GIMP is OK for some things, but generally not for CAD/GIS work
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I would like 1. a geo-spatial relational database (i.e., MS Access not
MS Excel) that 2. has front end that I can use in the field that is
unconnected to the internet. In other words, I want digital forms that I
can enter my data into (either from the paper forms used in the field
or, eventually, on ruggedized tablet computers). 3. Once I come in from
the field and the computer is connected to the internet, I would like it
to backup and synchronize my data and make it available on a public
website. And, lastly, I want it all FREE. There are expensive options
here, and many of you, especially in the contract world who use such
software (usually lacking the public sharing part). The prime example of
this is likely ArcGIS. That is not an option for me and I am an advocate
of opensource programs (my current bevy includes OpenOffice, Inkscape,
GIMP and others) because of their flexibility.
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