CARTOGRAPHY SOFTWARE FOR ILLUSTRATOR The MAPublisher plug-in for Illustrator CS3 and CS4 is not for the timid: You should be familiar with GIS (Geographic Information System) data and have a need to publish that data in a visual format. Simply put, the plug-in uses GIS data to create maps in Illustrator. You first create an Illustrator file and import the GIS data (in popular data formats such as AutoCAD, ESRI, MapInfo, and USGS) to create maps up to 200″ square. After importing, you can manipulate the resulting map in a number of ways. Last time I used MAPublisher, it was version 4; it’s come a long way since then. Exciting new features include the ability to export maps to an interactive Flash file (this alone could expand the user base); automate the labeling of map features (as an optional add-on); use stylesheets for consistent formatting; work with GPS data; crop maps without messing up the overall map coordinates; and use CS4’s multiple artboards

Read the original here MAPublisher 8.1