You may be interested to know that ESRI, developer and supplier of one of the most popular commercial GIS software, also offers a home use licence for a suite of its products. For a $100 annual fee, the ArcGIS for Home Use 12-month term license includes:

• ArcView
• ArcGIS 3D Analyst
• ArcGIS Geostatistical Analyst
• ArcGIS Network Analyst
• ArcGIS Publisher
• ArcGIS Schematics
• ArcGIS Spatial Analyst
• ArcGIS Tracking Analyst

This offer is available to anyone. The catch is that the software is supplied only for non-commercial, self-education purposes. For any other use, you have to pay many thousands of dollars to acquire the software.

This is a similar program that Microsoft introduced a long time ago for its Office suite of software products. For example, if your employer has purchased Microsoft Office for use within the organisation, you can obtain the same software package for home use for under $50.

The ArcGIS for Home Use program is available worldwide. Customers in the United States can order it online. Customers outside the United States should contact their local distributor .