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John,
 
You might want to look at Maptitude software by Caliper Corp. that sells for
$400.  Another very good package is MapInfo's new product that is selling for
less that $200.  Be advised to spend around $4500 in hardware, in that you
should not deal with anything less that 32Mg of memory, 1 GB of hard drive,
and 1 4X CD Drive.