Hi chicopee,
I am currently temping at a small telephone company that uses Autocad Map for its' map records. The beauty of this program is its' ability to add attributes to objects which are connected to a database. For example, we can click on a telephone pole and get information about the cables it supports, number of guy wires, if there are aerial drops to houses, which other companies may also be using this pole (i.e. cable, utilities). And, by using reports from another application, we can generate reports that contain information about the Work Order numbers that placed certain items and the dates of each item placed.
It is very helpful to be able to verify ages of parts and also track total amounts of materials and equipment used throughout a large service area.
We use map for it's ability to convert between different coodinate systems. Before Map, we would take our XY coords and use an external program to convert these to lat/longs, then import or cut/paste these back into cad. One of the best features for me is its ability to redraw parts or all of a drawing that was drawn in one coordinate system into another. If you've never dealt with this aspect you really can't appreciate it.
Stephen E. Motichek
Project Consulting Services, Inc.
