Learn to quickly import and maximize public data sets for use in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This pioneering new book presents the information needed to work with data sets available from the United States Geological Survey, the United States Census Bureau, and the Environmental Protection Agency in a swift and efficient manner. State-of-the-art software is provided in a back-of-book CD for use with several data sets, including translators for TIGER, Digital Line Graphs, and Census Summary Files 1 and 3. These up-to-date software packages, widely used in the GIS industry, save users countless hours typically spent learning how to format government-produced data that, for the uninitiated, often outweighs the benefits of using these data sets. PowerPoint slides for each chapter explain, step-by-step, how to use the available data, while additional software, user manuals, supporting files, and sample data files show readers how to choose the best strategies for use with public data..