MapInfo Pro 5.5 Features

Features	What's New
Charting	New charting styles and options are now available. These include 3D, "exploded ring", and other ways to understand your data. Our opinion: Do you use business graphics? If so, these features will be helpful. Note that they are controllable by MapBasic. The charting engine in entirely new and it is too early to fairly judge. Let us know what you think. Vis a vis the competition: Competing products are much more limited than MapInfo.
Grids	Shaded-relief grid maps & other grid enhancements: Introduced with MapInfo Pro 5.0, the Grid features have now been extended & polished. Our opinion: With the Rev. 5.5 enhancements, the grid feature is really useable. New features most likely to be used: "shaded relief" maps and Info Tool support for grids. Vis a vis the competition: Competing products have no grid support at all, unless you buy $2,000 extension products. Vis a vis Vertical Mapper for MapInfo: Vertical Mapper goes light years beyond the grid feature in MapInfo 5.5. More on this subject.
Data-driven non-thematic legends	A limited cartographic legend generator feature was added in Rev. 5 to auto-create legends for layers that are not thematically shaded. With Rev. 5.5 you can control these legends more precisely via data values or metadata entries. Our opinion: This brings the Legend feature to where is should have been in 5.0. Vis a vis the competition: MapInfo Pro is ahead or even (depending on the product).
Object processing	High performance Object Split and Combine: Completely re-written for MapInfo 5.5, these features successfully process highly complex, irregular, and "illegal" shapes like "self-intersecting" polygons. Say "Goodbye" to "Error overlaying object".
Raster display	Open and display native MrSID-format aerial photos or other images. Fast, native support for the increasingly-popular MrSID image format. MrSID format is popular for aerial photomaps because it offers maximum file compression with minimum data quality loss. We are proud of the MrSID support in MapInfo 5.5, because we wrote it. Our opinion: If you work with aerial images as a photo basemap layer, this feature is important. But your image supplier must be able to make images in the highly compressed MrSID format. The USGS and other image sources are starting to do just that. Vis a vis the competition: Unlike MrSID viewers for competing products, MrSID support in MapInfo is not an "extension". Just use File >Open Table ... as with any other raster map layer. Had problems with MrSID images with competing products? You'll be glad to hear that MapInfo 5.5 can both view and print enormous multi-gigabyte MrSid images.
The "little things" that count	Its the little things that count: How about these: New tool buttons: "Unselect all" & "Select by drawing a lasso". Improved 24-bit color printing (and display, of course) More MapBasic & workspace control: Printer config (Landscape/Portrait etc), Snap settings, etc. Projections: Support for Polyconic projection (helps with USGS quad maps) Better Scale Bar, and other included MapBasic utilities. Measure distance as you draw, not just with Measurement tool. Precision and measurements: Set map "bounds" and choose to measure areas using spherical or flat-earth (CAD or "cartesian") methods.

Prices	MapInfo Pro Upgrades
$495	MapInfo Pro Upgrade from Rev 5.0
$595	MapInfo Pro Upgrade from Rev 4.5, MapInfo for Mac, MapInfo for Sun, or any earlier MapInfo Pro version.
Prices	MapBasic Pro Upgrades
$Free	MapBasic Upgrade from Rev 5.0. User must also have or order MapInfo Pro 5.5. Shipping cost applies.
$295	MapBasic Upgrade from Rev 4.5 or earlier MapBasic versions.
Prices	MapInfo Pro Upgrades incl Tech Support and Upgrade Maintenance
$1085	MapInfo Pro upgrade from Rev 5.0; add 1 year of telephone Tech Support (normally $299); add 1 year of Software Upgrade maintenance (normally $395). With software upgrade maintenance, you will receive all software upgrades automatically for the year. For two years of software upgrade maintenance, add $260 for a total of $1385.
$1185	MapInfo Pro upgrade from Rev 4.5; add 1 year of telephone Tech Support (normally $299); add 1 year of Software Upgrade maintenance (normally $395). With software upgrade maintenance, you will receive all software upgrades automatically for the year. For two years of software upgrade maintenance, add $260 for a total of $1485.

Note: All prices are for single user licenses and are subject to change. We must have your serial number to process your upgrade order. Volume discounts may apply. Please call.

Upgrading from earlier versions of MapInfo or a competing product? Link (above) to information on new features introduced in previous MapInfo Pro releases.

Download	Sample budget request memos (Tailor to your taste)
2-Yr Upgrade maintenance request memo	Keep your MapInfo Pro software current. Click here to get SGSI's boilerplate memo to ask for approval to buy the "Upgrade Protection" plan ($395/one year or $695/two years). With "Upgrade Protection", aka "Software Upgrade Maintenance" is available only when you buy a new copy or an Upgrade. If you purchase "Upgrade Protection" you automatically receive all upgrades, both major and minor).
One-time upgrade request memo	Need a one-time upgrade? Click here to get SGSI's boilerplate memo requesting permission to upgrade to MapInfo 5.5 (one-time upgrade only).

Previous	MapInfo Professional features
Rev. 5.0	New in MapInfo Pro Revision 5.0: Continuous-color grid thematics, cartographic legends, dynamic ODBC, Crystal Reports, & more.
Rev. 4.5	New in MapInfo Pro Revision 4.5: Info Tips, thematic templates, saved queries, interleaved line styles, up to 1,000,000 nodes, bundled Universal GIS translators, & more.
Rev. 4.1	New in MapInfo Pro Revision 4.1: Native MS-Access support, export JPEG or Photoshop formats, & more...