5-3 PC Based GIS for for Education

PC based GIS is necessary for education and training with minimum functions at inexpensive rate, particularly in developing countries.

The following PC based GIS will be recommendable.

Hardware
- PC : Pentium : 32 bits microprocessor
- 64 M bytes memory
- 1 G bytes and more hard disk
- Floppy disk
- CD-ROM driver
- Color Graphic Monitor (17 inches is preferable)
- Digitizer (A3 size at minimum)
- Laser Printer
- Color Ink Jet Plotter
- UPS (power stabilizer)

Software
- OS : WINDOWS
- Compiler : C, FORTRAN etc.
- Public domain or cheaper GIS software ; GRASS (free), IDRISI (560 US$), PC ARC/INFO (500 US$ only for education)
  For education and training, a PC will be better, shared by two students or trainees at maximum.   Therefore 10 PC’s are   required for a maximum capacity of 20 students or trainees.
- Teaching materials such as text books, manual of software, educational dataset for map digitizing and analysis etc. should be   well organized and prepared. For hands-on-training (HOT) with PC based GIS, at least two- week long courses (three   weeks are preferable) should be planned.

Table 5.2 shows a typical curriculum of short course for elementary GIS.