This bit of PR came to Maps-L via a non-map friend who has a friend who works
for GeoSystems. Since it is marked as a press release I am sending it to the
list. I am sorry for the extremely high pollution level of the verbage but
I could see no way to cut out the puffery. If you can stand to wade through
the mess you will find some interesting proposals for doing commercial
cartography via the Internet. I have not looked at the WEB site they
announce but it will be interesting to see what they can do, now and in the
future. For me what is important is not how good this company lives up to
their PR but rather the what this says about where cartography, digital data,
and the Internet are heading. If nothing else, do I put this commercial WEB
site on my Map Collection's homepage? I would argue yes. But this is not
the topic of the following press release.---------------------------Johnnie
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CORPORATE PRESS RELEASE
GeoSystems Outlines Strategy to Connect the Virtual World to the Real World
Industry Innovator Forges Publisher Partnerships and Powerful Electronic
Navigation Technologies to Dramatically Expand Consumer and Business Use of
Interactive Mapping
LANCASTER, PA -- February 5, 1996 -- GeoSystems, the leader in geographic
technology for print and electronic publishing, today announced a bold new
strategy to lead the evolution of interactive mapping in information
visualization, interaction and navigation across a broad array of consumer
and business applications. Leveraging its unique market position, GeoSystems
revealed a new vision of online information which promises to accelerate the
integration of geographic and reference data to provide a new generation of
customized interactive mapping products and services. This strategy will
advance online technology with a new navigation and presentation paradigm for
much of the content published by businesses and used by consumers. In a
separate release, GeoSystems today announced MapQuestTM, the first online
mapping service that combines the power of cartography with business data.
"GeoSystems is innovating and expanding the combined use of mapping
technology and data that is relevant to people's lives," said Barry Glick,
President and CEO of GeoSystems Global Corporation. "The Internet provides
an unparalleled distribution vehicle for connecting consumers with the
information they need every day. We are seizing this opportunity to
introduce online interactive mapping as a new vehicle to connect businesses
and consumers. Our online service strategy is to provide consumers and
businesses with the ability to easily access mapping information, and use it
to enhance their lives or help achieve their business goals."
GeoSystems established its unique market position after leading the
publishing industry in the early introduction of electronic mapping as an
innovative way to enhance travel, yellow pages, real estate, trip planning
and atlas mapping across a variety of multimedia platforms. A long-standing
position as the primary supplier of high-quality cartographic content to the
world's largest publishers also provides GeoSystems with the partnerships and
content necessary to launch this new strategy.
"The convergence of technology and geographic data with electronic publishing
has created a new foundation with virtually unlimited potential," said Perry
Evans, Vice President and general manager for GeoSystems. "GeoSystems' vision
-- an emerging world of 'mapplets' tailored to individual needs and
interactive mapping as a new online navigation paradigm -- is unique and
powerful."
GeoSystems' eclectic blend of software engineering, consumer product
development and application-oriented experts has created leading examples of
interactive mapping in such products as ProCD's Select Street Atlas, AAA
Trip Planner, the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia, Ameritech Business Search
CD-ROM and Moore Data Management's LANDMARK TM MLS system. GeoSystems will
leverage its partnerships throughout the publishing industry, as well as
forge new alliances with pioneers in online publishing.
"We have teamed closely with GeoSystems in building industry leading
multimedia travel titles over the past year, and have been sharing visions
for incorporating interactive mapping as a foundation for online information
publishing," said Lloyd Short, President of Macmillan Digital Publishing.
"We're very excited about the platform and the vision being pioneered by
GeoSystems."
As GeoSystems' technology is deployed, individuals and businesses will
benefit from a growing number of ways to use online maps. The cornerstone of
GeoSystems' vision is the popular use of online mapping as an information
resource, allowing companies to depict all of their business locations or
store chains on an interactive map. Users can locate the ATMs nearest their
homes or offices by making a specific inquiry and having a dynamically drawn
map created just for them. In addition, travelers will be able to find hotel
accommodations most convenient to their business meetings or obtain
information about current theater performances when they are visiting cities
around the world.
"Everything people do involves geography. Maps have been used as one of the
most pervasive reference documents in the world. Individuals are always
considering where they have to go, how far they have to travel, and how long
it will take to get there," said Glick. "Bringing this need together with a
dynamic platform where publisher's content can be intuitively combined with
customized views of geographic content promises to revolutionize the way
people apply maps in their daily routine."
Today, as a major step in realizing this vision, GeoSystems also announced
MapQuest, the first consumer-oriented interactive mapping information service
for the Internet. MapQuest is a dynamic, new site forthe Web that allows
users to zoom and browse their way around the world. In addition, MapQuest
provides a solid platform for publishers and =
developers to build applications that exploit the power of interactive
mapping.
GeoSystems is the leading supplier of geographic information products and
services to the information publishing industry. It's locational software,
digital map content and development services have been applied across a broad
array of media in partnership with the world's leading publishers.
GeoSystems has pioneered the adoption of interactive mapping with leading
publishers in travel, reference, yellow pages and textbook markets, in
addition to emerging electronic publishers in segments such as real estate.
For more information, please visit our home page http://www.geosys.com.
Note: All company, brand and product names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective companies. GeoLocate is a registered
trademark and MapQuest is a trademark of GeoSystems Global Corp.
###
Joan Blake, Corporate Communications Manager GeoSystems Global Corp.
(717) 293-7559
[log in to unmask]
Debbie Hendrickson,Sr. Acct. Executive Niehaus Ryan Haller Public Relations
(801) 645-8766
[log in to unmask]
MAPQUEST PRESS RELEASE
GeoSystems Delivers MapQuest: The Premier Interactive
Mapping Service for the Internet
New Online Service Provides Consumers and Publishers With
Integrated Geographic and Situational Information
LANCASTER, PA -- February 5, 1996 -- GeoSystems, the leader in geographic
technology for print and electronic publishing, today introduced MapQuestTM,
the first consumer-oriented interactive mapping service for the Internet.
MapQuest exemplifies the power of combining interactive maps with business,
travel and other information, dramatically increasing the reach and value of
mapping technology. MapQuest is a dynamic new Web site that offers consumers
the ability to interactively zoom and browse their way around the world. In
addition, MapQuest provides businesses with a powerful venue for presenting
their content within a rich geographic context. With MapQuest, users can
locate businesses, places of interest, entertainment or event locations, and
travel resources, all with the most detailed, high-quality cartographic
information available online. In a separate release, GeoSystems today also
announced its long-term strategy and corporate vision.
"GeoSystems has led the way in the evolution of interactive mapping for
electronic products. By applying our technology and content to the online
world, we have created a rich new platform for information navigation and
presentation," said Perry Evans, GeoSystems' Vice President and General
Manager. "Whether traveling, shopping or conducting business, maps are a
fundamental part of the way people work and play. MapQuest provides the
means for information publishers -- companies with a need to disseminate
information -- to combine this powerful geographic context with their
content, providing a new way to extend the value of their online data."
Explore MapQuest at http://www.mapquest.com
MapQuest is open for online exploration. Distinct service offerings are
available for publishers and consumers. MapQuest Interconnect, a service for
information publishers, provides an innovative way to extend the application
to current Web sites by offering a turnkey 'closed-loop' geographic locating
and display service. MapQuest will host the publisher's data as a unique
layer on MapQuest, and hyperlink the sites together for a 'virtual
application.' This provides the publisher with a simple, low effort business
and technology model that provides an easy growth path to added functions and
opportunities.
The consumer service includes an interactive atlas that provides the ability
to easily access and select information with data-driven queries and to
customize and save personalized maps. Accurate and complete driving
directions for trips within the USA are also available using TripQuest, a fun
and useful MapQuest feature. An interactive mapping showcase is also
highlighted with a Special Tours section. These special tours feature
innovative new uses of MapQuest technology for such applications as online
real estate and entertainment.
MapQuest represents the culmination of significant innovations in applying
GeoSystems' industry-leading consumer mapping software to the unique demands
of the Internet and online users. MapQuest provides unparalleled performance
and flexibility for the creation and display of online maps, which can be
dynamically personalized based on user inquiries. All MapQuest services are
free for consumers. GeoSystems also offers custom solutions for business
partners based on an annual license contract.
MapQuest Interconnect: An Opportunity For Online Information Providers
MapQuest Interconnect is an innovative service that will facilitate online
information searches, offering a unique business opportunity for information
providers. Through the integration of GeoSystems' extensive cartographic
database with business data from a publisher, MapQuest enables businesses to
increase traffic to their physical and virtual sites. Combined with business
product and service data, MapQuest helps consumers make better buying
decisions and guides them to the actual location of a business' services or
facilities.
Inns & Outs, the most comprehensive resource for bed and breakfast
information, is one of the first online services to utilize MapQuest. "With
detailed information on thousands of B&Bs and inns across North America,
MapQuest will allow us to more accurately and quickly respond to prospective
traveler inquires when locating a particular area or property," said Eric
Goldreyer, President of Inns & Outs. "GeoSystems' outstanding technology
will ensure Inns & Outs users the best mapping capabilities drawing more
visitors, prospective travelers and, ultimately, customers to our B&Bs and
inns."
Technology Advantages
MapQuest delivers cartographic information, married with powerful database
and networking technologies, to provide the flexibility and innovation needed
to enable consumer use of interactive mapping. Its query and map display
software, combined with intelligent map and reference databases, comprise the
infrastructure for GeoSystems' online technology.
MapQuest features client/server mapping and database technology architected
to efficiently deliver map images through any browser. This technology is
specifically designed to support GeoSystems' client/server vision for online
mapping, incorporating the use of Java-based Mapplets and hybrid CD-ROM
approaches. MapQuest employs the latest in Web site management and
database-driven Web technology, enabling GeoSystems to continue deriving
unique services that can be customized for the evolving needs of the
publishing industry and the consumer.
Cartographic Innovator
MapQuest represents the latest innovation from GeoSystems, a company well
known as the leading supplier of geographic information to publishers. Its
interactive mapping and database technology provide unlimited application
possibilities for customized, interactive geographic information embedded in
an array of consumer and business applications. With GeoSystems' combination
of breakthrough technology and strong information partnerships, it is poised
to guide the world into a new generation of online interactive mapping.
GeoSystems is the leading supplier of geographic information products and
services to the information publishing industry. It's locational software,
digital map content and development services have been applied across a broad
array of media in partnership with the world's leading publishers.
GeoSystems has pioneered the adoption of interactive mapping with leading
publishers in travel, reference, yellow pages and textbook markets, in
addition to emerging electronic publishers in segments such as real estate.
For more information, please visit our home page http://www.geosys.com.
Note: All company, brand and product names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective companies. GeoLocate is a registered
trademark and MapQuest is a trademark of GeoSystems Global Corp.
###
Joan Blake, Corporate Communications Manager GeoSystems Global Corp.
(717) 293-7559
[log in to unmask]
Debbie Hendrickson, Sr. Acct. Executive Niehaus Ryan Haller Public Relations
(801) 645-8766
[log in to unmask]
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