OT: How to open SHP (Shapefiles)?

I've downloaded various free maps from this site just recommended to
me, for my imminent holiday in Canada:
http://www.geobase.ca/geobase/en/index.html

But they are in GML format (Geography Markup Language) and SHP (ESRI
Shapefiles). The latter are probably going to be what I need. But how
do I view SHP files? Searches so far have yielded many technical
articles but so far no freely available program. Anyone here with
suggestions please?

(Also asked in the sci.geo.cartography group.)

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

Terry Pinnell wrote:

Copied from Help: "GPS Utility exports/imports GPS data in DBF/SHP/SHX
filesets. Thus 3 files are exported with the same name, but with extensions
*.DBF, *.SHP and *.SHX."

HTH, Mike.
--
If reply address is invalid, remove spurious "@" and substitute "plus"
where needed.

Thanks Mike. Might have guessed Alan's ubiquitous GPSU supported them!

But I've so far had no success.

I opened one of the SHPs from Geobase using GPSU 4.9t and then, after
the data had apparently been imported, tried opening the map window.
But GPSU crashed and had to be closed via the XP TM. When I tried
another similar SHP, this time by r-clicking the file and choosing
had been exceeded. (I didn't try opening the map window this time.)

The only other SHP file I have on my PC (which I have successfully
opened in other viewers, albeit with inconsistent results) was this
1.2 MB one:
World_countries_shp.dbf 32 KB DBF File
World_countries_shp.sbn 9 KB SBN File
World_countries_shp.sbx 1 KB SBX File
World_countries_shp.shp 1,215 KB ESRI shapefile <---
World_countries_shp.shx 2 KB SHX File

That gave the message 'Import error'. Also, the map window shows just
some 'outlines', not a proper map.

I've posted to the GPSU group and if necessary will also seek help
from Alan. But if anyone here has any insights I'd appreciate hearing
please.

---------

Meanwhile, I'm discovering from trying other SHP 'viewers' that this
is a more complex topic than I'd hoped. I have yet to see anything
like decent map ;-(

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

On Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:19:19 +0100, Terry Pinnell


Use ESRI's ArcReader.

Thanks Wayne. A little earlier this afternoon I'd found and installed
ArcGIS ArcExplorer, some sort of Java program. Looked pretty daunting
to me and I'm now about to uninstall it.

Hopefully ArcReader will be simpler to use - despite its 205 MB
download.

But see also my reply to Mike. Maybe I should simply order a decent
paper map and scan and calibrate it with Memory-Map. The learning
curve about ESRI shapes, layers etc, etc looks steep!

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK