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6 MapInfo Delivers Today’s ‘Killer’ Applications 14 Check out MapInfo Professional 

MapInfo 

® v6.5 20 Site Selection Methods 

WWW.MAPINFO.COM/MAGAZINE Volume 6, Number 2, Spring 2001 

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M A G A Z I N E 

VOLUME 6, NUMBER 2 

SPRING 2001 

DIRECTOR, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS 

Barbara Kane Pilliod 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 

Debbie Sgroi 

TECHNICAL EDITOR 

Dianne Ritter 

CONTRIBUTING WRITER 

Angela Girard 

CORPORATE OFFICERS 

John C. Cavalier 

Michael D. Marvin 

Co-Chairmen of the Board 

Mark P. Cattini 

President and 

Chief Executive Officer 

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Executive Vice President 

and Chief Financial Officer 

Michael Hickey 

Executive Vice President, 

Sales and Marketing 

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Group Vice President, R&D, 

and Chief Technology Officer 

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©2001 MapInfo Corporation. All rights reserved. MapInfo, MapInfo Professional, 

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from the editor 

MapInfo, with significant partnerships and alliances in the wireless 

world, is leveraging its proven expertise in location intelligence 

to deliver new and valuable mobile location services. Powered by 

MapInfo’s location processing engines, geocoding, map generation, 

routing and geographic content, these new services are integrated 

with world leaders’ location offerings—such as Alcatel, Genimap, 

Lucent, Motorola, Neumobility, Oracle, and Vodafone. (See pages 6-8). 

MapInfo is rising above the noise in the mobile location services market and 

delivering mobile location applications with two platforms—the MapInfo ® Location 

Management Platform (LMP) and MapInfo ® miAware TM 

platform. The LMP adds 

location to call processing for enhanced 911, location billing and mobile 411 

applications. miAware enables the integration of location specific functions to 

create services, including find the nearest, locate the user and content management 

services such as yellow pages and traffic incidents. MapInfo mobile Internet services 

built on miAware include MapInfo ® miGuide TM 

, which will provide users access to 

relevant information based on their current location—a traveler’s godsend—and 

MapInfo ® miConnect TM 

, which will connect field workers to headquarters, children 

to parents and friends to friends. (See more on MapInfo’s killer apps on page 6.) 

As seen in this issue, MapInfo is the power behind first-to-market solutions to meet 

today’s mobile demands. 

Debbie Sgroi 

Editor-in-Chief 

contents: 

features 

4 Cover Story: 

Wireless Revolution Looking for 

Mobile Data Jump Start 

By Josh Newman 

6 MapInfo Delivers Today’s 

‘Killer’ Applications for Mobile 

Location Services: 

E911 LOCATION MANAGEMENT AND MOBILE 

SERVICES PLATFORM 

By Angela Girard 

10 

departments 

News & Trends 

12 re:sources 

13 VIEWPOINT: EMEA 

17 INDUSTRY FOCUS: Government 

21 INDUSTRY FOCUS: Data 

23 Upcoming Events 

23 VIEWPOINT: Asia Pacific 

24 User Groups 

technical 

14 Check out MapInfo Professional v6.5 

By Andrew Dressel 

16 TechTips: Automation in 

MapInfo Professional 

HOW TO USE MAPBASIC CODE IN WORKSPACES 

WITHOUT DOING A LOT OF PROGRAMMING 

By David Greene 

18 SpatialWare Extends Microsoft 

SQL Server Capabilities 

By Jason Weinberger 

20 Site Selection Methods Can Help 

Businesses with Expansion 

By Felipe Calderon and Danny Heuman 

SPRING 2001 MAPINFO MAGAZINE 

www.mapinfo.com/magazine 

3

4 

C O V E R S T O R Y 

By Josh Newman 

Revolution 

Wireless 

THE WIRELESS REVOLUTION IS UPON US, ACCORDING TO MOST MEDIA AND ANALYSTS. IDC PREDICTS THAT THE NUMBER OF GLOBAL 

WIRELESS SUBSCRIBERS IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE FROM APPROXIMATELY 303 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS IN 1998 TO 1.1 BILLION SUB- 

SCRIBERS IN 2003 AND OVUM PREDICTS THAT WORLDWIDE WIRELESS REVENUE WILL INCREASE FROM APPROXIMATELY $300 BILLION 

IN 1999 TO $601 BILLION IN 2003. A VIEW OF THE PRESENT MARKETPLACE WILL TELL YOU THAT THE WIRELESS REVOLUTION IS LOOK- 

ING TO LOCATION-BASED SERVICES TO IGNITE THE WIRELESS, OR MOBILE, DATA INDUSTRY. 



Looking for 

Mobile Data 

Jump Start 

I L L U S T R A T I O N : B R U C I E R O S C H

The world is on the brink of mass adoption of wireless data. 

The big gun necessary to propel the wireless world from 

hype to reality is location-based services. With mobile 

location services, your mobile device knows where you are; 

it can provide all the information that is truly relevant to 

your current surroundings—without even being prompted. 

What is the best restaurant near my hotel? Has my flight 

been delayed while I’m on the way to the airport? How do 

I get to my meeting? All of these questions are easily 

answered with a single click, once location-based services 

are integrated into PDAs (personal digital assistants), Java 

phones, WAP phones, RIM pagers, wireless PCs and other 

mobile handheld devices. 

The promise of mobile commerce (m-commerce) has 

telecommunications carriers and advertisers cultivating a 

secondary market—hoping the US Federal Communications 

Commission (FCC) E911 mandate will open the technological 

window for advertisers, retailers and information services 

companies. And, offering hurried consumers a digital 

coupon for 20 percent off their morning coffee at the 

moment they pass by Starbucks or the neighborhood deli 

is a compelling location-based sales opportunity. Carriers 

are now working with content and service providers to 

reach mobile customers when and where they will be most 

receptive to their offers. 

The US FCC’s E911 initiative is designed to gradually 

require wireless carriers to make technology available that 

will guide an ambulance directly to the location of a 911 

caller. Phase I of the FCC mandated E911 service was due 

in 1998, yet today less than 10 percent of the US wireless 

population has that service. Phase I was to use cell sector 

location technology to route the calls to a certain point and 

to communicate the subscriber’s identity and location to the 

911 operator. Phase II is due in October and requires even 

more precision with which to locate a mobile user. 

Although the FCC has done three or four new orders since the 

original order, there really are no penalties in the 911 mandate. 

Much of the US public is amazed to learn they don’t 

have this service. This is changing, as the carrier’s attitude is 

shifting from “I’ve got to do it because it’s a FCC mandate” 

to “how can I make revenue from this?” Wall Street’s 

recognition of the value of location-based services companies 

has increased as that attitude has changed. Leading industry 

analysts estimate that carriers could see nearly $16 billion 

in new revenues for location-related services. 

The reluctance of carriers to adopt mobile location-based 

technologies obviously has something to do with infrastructure 

cost. However, another potential cost is at play— 

privacy. Numerous privacy groups, angered by Double- 

Click’s initial foray into information gathering with cookies 

on the Web, see location-based services on the Web as an 

even greater privacy invasion, since cell phones, unlike 

PCs, are registered to individual users and have specific 

user information attached to them through the registration 

process. Industry executives are allaying these fears by 

ensuring that all m-commerce offers will be exclusively 

opt in and personal information will never be sold. 

The technology necessary to accomplish location-based 

services comes in two basic forms. First is the GPS, or global 

positioning system, which is a satellite-based triangulation 

system that is already available and in use worldwide. By 

figuring the distance of your device from three separate 

satellites, these devices can figure your location within less 

than 100 feet in some cases. Of course, the trucking and 

fleet management industry has been using these systems for 

quite some time as a way to figure the best routes and most 

economically beneficial travel times. And the automotive 

industry has taken great strides recently towards making 

automobiles a mobile communications center, the most 

prominent example of which is GM’s Onstar service. 

Second, on the cellular side, depending on the protocol in 

use, the user’s general location can be figured based upon 

to which cell tower the phone is connecting. Then a similar 

triangulation system can be employed. 

Of course, location based services have a head start in 

Europe and Japan. Because of the regions’ standardization 

of wireless networks, it’s much easier to create new services 

and roll them out quickly to consumers. It is not uncommon 

in Europe to find a traveler downloading information about 

a local historical sight to a WAP phone. 

If the US wireless industry can overcome it’s initial hype 

bubble and start to deliver on the next generation of 

location-based services, there will come a time in the near 

future when cellular penetration in America will exceed that 

of Europe and Japan. Then, the nation that is constantly 

on the go will be constantly connected. 

For more on the wireless world, see the Winter 2001 edition of 

MapInfo Magazine. 

Josh Newman is editor of Unstrung.com. 



5

6 

F E A T U R E S T O R Y 

By Angela Girard 

MapInfo Delivers Today’s 

‘Killer’Applications 

for Mobile Location Services: 

“…WIRELESS CARRIERS ARE LOOKING FOR LOCATION-BASED TECHNOLOGY PROVIDERS WITH A PROVEN TRACK RECORD AND MAPINFO 

CERTAINLY MEETS THAT REQUIREMENT,” SAID CARLES FERRERIO, PROGRAM LEADER FOR MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS, FROST & SULLIVAN. 

THROUGH ALL THE HYPE, MAPINFO IS ONCE AGAIN DELIVERING—THIS TIME TO THE WIRELESS WORLD WITH THE UNVEILING OF MAPINFO’S 

MOBILE LOCATION SUITE. MAPINFO OFFERS A SUITE OF TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS THAT ENABLE WIRELESS SERVICE PROVIDERS 

TO CREATE AND DELIVER NEW AND VALUABLE MOBILE LOCATION SERVICES FROM WITHIN BOTH CALL PROCESSING AND MOBILE INTERNET 

ENVIRONMENTS. THIS SUITE IS BASED ON MAPINFO’S PROVEN TECHNOLOGY AND IS COMPRISED OF LOCATION PROCESSING ENGINES, 

GEOCODING, MAP GENERATION, ROUTING AND GEOGRAPHIC CONTENT. 

“Mobile location services represent the best of what the 

wireless Internet has to offer,” said MapInfo President and 

CEO Mark Cattini. “The mobile Internet is a new medium. 

Mobile location services applications need to play to the 

unique nature of what it means to be mobile, and part of 

that uniqueness is your location and what is around you. 

That location information can provide useful, constantly 

changing information.” 

MapInfo is leveraging its expertise and 15 years of experience 

in location intelligence to deliver today’s ‘killer’ applications 

for the mobile Internet. MapInfo offers service providers two 

platforms for developing and managing mobile location services, 

the MapInfo ® Location Management Platform (LMP) 

and MapInfo ® miAwareTM . The LMP can be embedded into 

the Intelligent Network or Mobile Positioning Center (MPC) 

of an equipment provider’s system to provide location 

solutions for E911, location sensitive billing and commercial 

location-based services. miAwareTM offers a flexible and 

scalable XML environment for the creation of customized, 

unique location services for the mobile Internet. 

“With MapInfo’s location platforms, MapInfo offers 

wireless service providers a significant competitive 



E911 Location Management and Mobile Services Platform 

meet the October 2001 FCC mandate for E911,” said 

Brian Lantz, vice president global business and sales 

development, MapInfo. “MapInfo developed the Location 

Management Platform and miAware to enable service 

providers to maximize customer retention and generate 

additional revenue with unique, custom-built services for 

safety, convenience and productivity applications delivered 

to businesses and consumers.” 

MapInfo’s Location Management Platform (LMP) 

adds location capabilities to call processing, which 

vendors require to meet the US Federal Communication 

Commission’s E911 mandate. For 911, the solution 

includes MapInfo’s PSAP Pro 

advantage and differentiator, as well as helps them to CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 

TM 

boundary data for accurately 

and efficiently routing E911 calls to the appropriate Public 

Safety Answering Point (PSAP) to dispatch emergency 

personnel based on the caller’s location. PSAP Pro boundary 

data eliminates the need for wireless carriers to maintain 

an internal Coordinate Routing Database (CRBD), 

a time-consuming and costly process. The PSAP Pro 

boundary data includes 10-digit emergency numbers, 

address information, administrative phone number, 

fax number, contact person, latitude and longitude and 

jurisdictional boundaries.

ALCATEL’S iMLS 

LOCATION-BASED SERVER 

IS THE MARKET’S FIRST 

FULLY INTEGRATED, 

SCALABLE SOLUTION 

By Stuart Rosenfield, senior director, marketing, 

and Bill Dyer, director, new ventures, 

Network Applications Division, Alcatel 

Alcatel, one of the world’s largest providers of 

telecom solutions in the world, is leveraging its 

expertise in end-to-end wireless and locationbased 

infrastructure, solutions and services, 

by recently introducing an advanced version 

of its Intelligent Mobile Location Server (iMLS) 

with new innovative service modules. It is 

offering these new services with the help of 

several content partners, the foremost of 

which is MapInfo. 

Alcatel tightly integrates technology from 

MapInfo—directly into iMLS, enabling service 

providers to deploy time-critical and revenuegenerating 

services such as E911 and location-based 

billing. The technology, developed 

by Alcatel and MapInfo and embedded into 

iMLS, allows for the translation of location 

information from the switch into location-based 

analysis and information within milliseconds. 

Alcatel plans to release several additional 

iMLS modules during 2001, including E411 

services and location-based directories, 

targeted advertising and m-commerce, fleet 

monitoring and tracking, mapping and routing 

and location sensitive billing applications. 

NEUMOBILITY AND MAPINFO 

DELIVERING MOBILE 

COMMERCE PLATFORM 

By Jeff Callegari, vice president of engineering, 

and Kimberly McDowell, vice president of 

sales and marketing, Neumobility 

Neumobility recently introduced NeuTrac, 

a location-based services (LBS) and mobile 

commerce platform that uses a number of 

MapInfo products to deliver a complete robust 

solution for the LBS marketplace. NeuTrac 

is an open platform, embracing standards 

and methodologies wherever possible— 

and implementing unique and creative 

solutions where necessary. 

NeuTrac has leveraged Neumobility’s prior 

experience in delivering “carrier grade” 

solutions with a core understanding of the 

LBS marketplace and an intense focus on 

solving practical end consumer and merchant 

needs. The NeuTrac platform—and the suite 

of applications it was announced with— 

depend heavily on MapInfo’s products to 

support mapping, navigation and geospatial 

functionality. Neumobility and MapInfo teamed 

to create a winning Web user experience 

and multi-device interfaces for mobile users. 

With MapInfo technology, NeuTrac provides 

carriers and ISPs with a total solution to their 

LBS/commerce needs, as well as uniquely 

presenting a pragmatic user interface for 

consumers and merchants. 

GENIMAP’S MOBILE 

LOCATION-BASED SOLUTIONS 

ARE TARGETED TO 

NETWORK OPERATORS 

By Mikko Salonen, director, Genimap’s 

Internet and mobile location business unit 

Genimap aims to become a leading player 

in mobile location solutions. Partly owned 

by MapInfo Corporation, Genimap Oy was 

formed recently following the acquisition by 

WSOY (one of SanomaWSOY’s five sectors) 

of Karttakeskus Oy in September 2000 

and its merger with WSOY’s map company, 

Geodata Oy. 

Genimap, a leading mapping company in 

Finland and formerly known as Karttakeskus 

Oy, develops location-based solutions for the 

mobile information society. Powered by 

MapInfo ® MapXtreme ® , Genimap’s mobile 

applications are targeted to network operators, 

enabling their end users mobile mapping 

intelligence. In addition, its mobile mapping 

technology can be implemented in corporate 

solutions and third-party applications. In late 

1999, Genimap developed and launched 

in Finland the world’s first commercial, one 

country covering location-based WAP service 

for Telia. And, for years, Nokia has been 

Genimap’s key partner in development of 

mobile applications. Last November, Genimap 

and Nokia signed a licensing agreement for 

Genimap’s mobile location-based value-added 

services—AddressFinder and RouteFinder— 

LUCENT AND MAPINFO 

DEMONSTRATE THE POWERFUL 

POTENTIAL OF MOBILE 

LOCATION-BASED SERVICES 

By Jim Ciriello, director, Mobile Internet 

Strategies & Alliances for Lucent Technologies. 

As a leader in next-generation mobile networks, 

Lucent Technologies is pioneering the 

development of end-to-end solutions that 

deliver clear business benefits to operators 

and end-users alike. Working in partnership 

with a leading content and solution provider 

like MapInfo, which is now a member of 

Lucent’s Cooperative InnovationsSM program, 

Lucent is enabling network operators to view 

at first hand the powerful impact of locationbased 

services for GPRS (General Packet Radio 

Service) and future UMTS (Universal Mobile 

Telecommunications Services) networks. 

At a recent showcase demonstration at the 

3GSM World Congress in Cannes, Lucent, 

in collaboration with MapInfo, dramatized 

the revenue generation potential of its 3 

generation location and device-aware wireless 

solutions. Utilizing the MiLifeTM applications 

suite developed by Bell Labs, the demonstration 

incorporated MapInfo’s CityGuide, RoutePlanning 

and Navigation wireless applications to deliver 

a realistic experience of how users will interact 

with a variety of 3 generation devices. Utilizing 

a specially designed FutureFone handset 

simulator—an integrated telephony/mobile 

Internet browser device—users were able to 

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 

ORACLE AND MAPINFO DELIVER 

BETTER, FASTER WIRELESS 

LOCATION SERVICES 

By Xavier R. Lopez, director, location services 

server technologies, Oracle Corporation 

MapInfo and Oracle further our successful and 

ongoing partnership to deliver a wireless location 

services platform that meets the demanding 

scalability and performance requirements 

of wireless carriers, portals and enterprise 

customers. It includes tight integration of 

MapInfo technology with Oracle location 

functionality in Oracle9i database and Oracle9i 

Application Server (Oracle9iAS) Wireless Edition. 

MapInfo’s MapInfo ® MapMarker ® , MapInfo ® 

MapXtreme ® Java TM 

Edition, MapInfo ® Routing J 

Server and MapInfo ® MapInsight TM 

are readily 

integrated into Oracle9i and Oracle9iAS Wireless 

Edition. These Java components run inside 

the same address space as the application 

server or database server, eliminating context 

switching overhead and reducing network traffic. 

This allows for the dynamic generation of 

location-specific information such as addresses, 

directions and maps directly to thin client 

devices. On the client, J2ME-enabled handsets 

and PDAs can be enhanced with MapInfo ® 

MapXtend TM 

to provide enhanced graphic 

interface, query and analysis capabilities. 

Oracle9i TM 

Application Server Wireless Edition 

provides the industry’s leading technology 

platform for wireless location-based services 

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 

MOTOROLA TEAMS WITH 

MAPINFO TO PROVIDE 

LOCATION-BASED SERVICES 

By Bill Werner, corporate vice president and 

general manager, iDEN Subscriber Group, Motorola 

Motorola and MapInfo have teamed up to provide 

miGuide , MapInfo’s location-based application 

that delivers maps and driving directions, 

on Java technology-enabled handsets by 

Motorola. 

MapInfo’s driving directions and map application 

will run on the new Motorola i85s and 

i50sx handsets which incorporate Java 2 

Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME ) technology. 

These new phones will be available beginning 

this month through iDEN © network operators 

including Nextel Communications, Southern 

LINC and Pacific Wireless Technologies in the 

United States. TELUS Mobility in Canada will 

offer the i85s model in the coming months. 

miGuide, a J2ME technology-based application 

designed for business travelers, enables users 

to access helpful location-aware information 

including yellow pages, retail business locations, 

maps and driving directions. The use of 

J2ME technology enables a seamless integration 

between the subscriber’s application and 

the servers that provide the content while 

offering a feature-rich user experience. 

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 



7

8 

While the mobile location services market is noisy with hype these days, MapInfo is rising 

above the hype to deliver unique location applications in partner with technology vendors, 

content providers and wireless service providers from around the world. 

Enhanced 911 (E911) 

Telecommunications equipment providers need to integrate 

location capabilities into their call processing systems in 

order to meet the FCC mandate for E911. MapInfo’s 

E911 application built on top of the LMP helps to meet 

this mandate by transforming user location into the 

10-digit routing number to forward a call to an appropriate 

Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). MapInfo’s PSAP Pro 

database is used with this application. 

Location Billing 

This application is seamlessly integrated into the wireless 

service provider’s existing system enabling customer service 

representatives and even customers to create billing zones 

based on an address and either predefined or customized 

geographic areas. This application offers multiple associated 

zones, such as home zone, work zone or travel zone. 

In addition, business users or universities can offer a 

campus or business zone. When the subscriber places a 

call, the application determines from which zone they are 

calling, passes the answer to the service control point and 

processes the call at the designated zone rate. 

■ VIZZAVI FIND & SEEK— 

IT’S NOT CHILD’S PLAY 

Vizzavi Find & Seek is not 

child’s play. Developed by 

Vodafone Multimedia Limited 

in cooperation with Vizzavi, 

Vizzavi Find & Seek is a 

location-based service that 

enables mobile Internet users 

to precisely locate and identify 

retail and business services 

based on their current location, 

as well as offering information 

on restaurants, banks and 

other retail services in the 

United Kingdom. 

Vizzavi Find & Seek is available 

via mobile devices such as 

phones, PDAs and other 

WAP- and Web-enabled devices. 

Vodafone Multimedia is using 

MapInfo ® MapXtreme ® Java 

Edition integrated with MapInfo ® 

1:50,000 StreetLine Mapping 

Professional vector data to 

provide users with street level 

information displayed on a 

map with the precise location 

of the requested services, 

distance to the nearest location 

and other options provided to 

the mobile user. 



“Vizzavi Find & Seek is the 

first WAP service that will 

automatically identify where 

you are and offer you the ability 

to view a map,” said Geraldine 

Wilson, managing director, 

Vizzavi UK. “Finding what you 

are looking for is now easier 

as all the details you need 

are delivered direct to your 

wireless device.” 

MapInfo’s expertise in locationbased 

solutions is key to 

Vizzavi Find & Seek—and a 

prime example of how telecommunications 

companies can 

strengthen customer relations 

with value-added services 

while accelerating profitability. 

Vodafone partners including 

BlockBuster, BP, Barclay’s 

Bank, Comet, Diageo, Shell, 

Superdrug, Whitbred and 

Woolworth’s provide Vizzavi 

Find & Seek’s content. 

Vodafone Multimedia, a 

subsidiary of Vodafone UK— 

the world’s leading wireless 

communications operator, 

launched its Vizzavi Find & 

Seek service in early April. 

Mobile 411 (m411) 

Mobile 411 is available to wireless service providers that 

want to offer operator assisted location services instead of 

or in addition to an automated service. When a caller dials 

*411, the application integrates with the MPC to deliver 

the caller’s location to a mapping server. The operator can 

then view on a map where the caller is currently located, 

query the directory database for requested information 

near to the caller’s location and generate directions for 

the caller. The operator can also send a text message with 

the requested information to the caller’s short messaging 

system (SMS) enabled handset and include step-by-step 

driving directions. 

MapInfo Helping Vodafone to Mobilize Location Services 

miAware enables wireless service providers a way to easily 

differentiate their offerings. The robust miAware platform 

can be used to develop distinctive location offerings or 

use MapInfo’s mobile location applications built on top 

of miAware and customize them to their subscribers’ 

needs. miAware is comprised of MapInfo’s core Internet 

technologies including MapInfo ® MapXtend TM 

, MapInfo ® 

MapXtreme ® Java TM 

Edition, MapInfo ® MapMarker ® J Server 

and MapInfo ® Routing J Server. 

■ SAY GOODBYE TO TRAFFIC 

JAMS WITH VODAFONE PASSO 

Vodafone Passo, the Düsseldorf 

subsidiary of the Vodafone 

Group, offers a customized 

traffic information service in 

Germany, which provides drivers 

with traffic updates relevant 

to their current location and 

reports on traffic jams and 

accidents. MapInfo’s technology 

is helping to speed up the 

delivery of traffic information 

services and maps. Vodafone 

Passo uses MapInfo ® MapX ® for 

high quality map presentations 

displayed quickly. The technology 

was chosen for its ease 

of integration into Vodafone 

Passo’s existing hardware. 

“There were two technical items 

which were essential for the 

selection of the MapInfo 

solution,” said Alexander 

Ersoy, technical support, 

Vodafone Passo. “We needed 

it to integrate into an Oracle 

database and expand in C+.” 

The traffic service provides 

drivers with up-to-date traffic 

information on their home PC, 

via their mobile phones through 

short message system (SMS) 

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26 

or wireless application protocol 

(WAP) or by their Telematik 

system available in their vehicle. 

Drivers can also enter their 

personal travel route and be 

sent the up-to-date traffic 

reports at requested times automatically 

on their cell phone. 

Vodafone Passo also offers city 

guide information. Drivers can 

phone the call center (available 

24/7) to access a list of services 

including, restaurants, 

hotels, events, cinemas and 

museums. MapInfo provides 

the call center operator with a 

detailed map within seconds 

showing the exact locations in 

relation to the driver’s current 

location. Location of the driver 

is determined by the Telematik 

system or the system sends the 

position data of the vehicle 

directly to the call center and 

stores the data of the most 

recent location. 

Using MapInfo ® MapXtreme ® 

Java Edition, Vodafone Passo 

will be expanding its locationbased 

traffic and concierge 

application to automatically 

locate the current location 

based on the cell phone network. 

—Girard

ALCATEL, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 GENIMAP, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 LUCENT, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 

“Alcatel sees location-based services as a 

significant revenue growth area for wireless service 

providers in the United States and around 

the world in 2001 and beyond,” said Mark 

Petersen, vice president and general manager, 

Intelligent Networks—North America, Alcatel. 

“Alcatel’s iMLS, coupled with solutions from 

MapInfo and others, gives wireless providers 

everything they need to succeed in locationbased 

services, both now and in the future.” 

The iMLS platform is compliant with both 

Phase I and Phase II of the US Federal 

Communication Commission’s E911 mandate, 

which sets standards and regulations for the 

deployment of location-detection technology 

by wireless service providers. Unlike other 

location-based solutions, iMLS has been 

developed based upon an open standards, 

modular architecture. The iMLS open interface 

of the iMLS offering allows for location 

applications offered from a variety of vendors 

to be easily incorporated into the platform for 

rapid deployment of new services.• 

MAPINFO, WITH SIGNIFICANT PARTNERSHIPS AND ALLIANCES 

IN THE WIRELESS WORLD, IS LEVERAGING ITS PROVEN 

EXPERTISE IN LOCATION INTELLIGENCE TO DELIVER NEW AND 

VALUABLE MOBILE LOCATION SERVICES. 

to be integrated with Nokia’s location-based 

services solutions, such as Nokia mPosition 

Solution, which Nokia sells to its operator and 

service provider customers. 

Genimap ® AddressFinder enables one to see 

on the display of a mobile phone (supporting 

WAP features) a map where the desired 

address is located. If mobile positioning is 

available, a user’s current location also can 

be seen on a map. With Genimap ® RouteFinder, 

users can get routing information, displayed 

as text or on a map. Information about 

locations (for example, the address of user’s 

current location or destination) is either fed 

into a phone, located automatically by using 

mobile positioning, or obtained from another 

application through Nokia’s mPlatform. 

Both applications also provide a generic API 

to display any already geocoded location on a 

map, such as points-of-interest information. • 

NEUMOBILITY, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 ORACLE, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 MOTOROLA, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 

With NeuTrac, Neumobility introduced 

NeuMerchant (patent pending), providing 

merchants with a location based presence, 

and NeuCommerce (patent pending), providing 

them with an incentive marketing tool 

(L-Coupons). With NeuTrac’s simple user 

interface requiring relatively little technical 

expertise or time expenditure, location presence 

and push coupons can be created and 

deployed in minutes; changes can be made 

immediately. The NeuTrac system offers 

complete scalability while creating a solid 

user experience. Neumobility and MapInfo 

understand the problems consumers have 

in working wireless Internet and our in-depth 

experience in LBS has resulted in easy-to-use 

applications based on complex technology. 

Another LBS product, NeuJournal (patent 

pending) allows merchants and consumers 

to create private or collaborative location 

based messages and content. NeuJournal 

allows subscribers to interact in ways that 

are only possible with LBS and NeuTrac. 

Each of these location-based products are 

built with the following key concepts in mind: 

• How will this product reduce churn rate for 

wireless carriers? 

• How will this product create new revenue 

streams for wireless carriers? 

• What end-user problem or need does this 

application address? 

• How can we make this system simple so 

that it is user friendly? 

By answering the above questions, Neumobility 

and MapInfo will provide solutions that are 

relevant and profitable. • 

(LBS), allowing for quick location services integration 

with a wireless portal’s front or back office 

applications. It dynamically transforms existing 

database and Internet content to a generic XML 

format, and then generates any device-specific 

output desired. It also provides an in-memory 

database cache, content adapters, mobile 

transformation services and online location 

service interfaces that support the leading 

online location services like mapping, driving 

directions, geocoding and proximity queries. 

Oracle9i serves as a foundation for deploying 

Internet and wireless location-based services. 

It provides data management for location information 

such as road networks, wireless service 

boundaries and geocoded customer addresses. 

It allows users to easily incorporate location 

information directly in their applications and 

services. Oracle LBS provides spatial object 

type storage, SQL access, spatial operations, 

projection of destination and arrival times based 

on travel speed and distance and transformation 

of geocoded information to proper addressing 

formats. Oracle spatial technology can also 

perform proximity queries on geocoded yellow 

page databases to find the nearest hotels, 

restaurants and gas stations. 

The MapInfo/Oracle solution—an unparalleled 

framework for better and faster LBS delivery— 

is engineered to readily exceed requirements 

expected for a typical wireless location-based 

service—millions of queries on a daily basis, 

hundreds of concurrent transactions and 

millisecond query response times. Designed 

as an open integration platform to fuse content 

and services from databases, files and online 

services, it is proven to handle peak site traffic 

while enabling the integration of core enterprise 

systems and databases with online services. • 

enter a “find the nearest” query for cinemas, 

restaurants or hotels, based on their current 

location. Users could also request information 

on facilities and amenities at alternative or 

intended location points. 

Lucent has now launched a series of GPRS trials 

with MapInfo. Subsequent national trials 

will be demonstrating the reality and compelling 

appeal of location-based services and 

introducing the benefits of providing valueadded 

services to customers. 

Together, Lucent and MapInfo have demonstrated 

the powerful advantages of adapting 

content to generate revenue and to provide 

competitive business differentiation. This is 

especially significant in an era when PDAs and 

mobile phones will become the critical devices 

for consumer and business users to access 

the mobile Internet for live content and location 

sensitive applications. • 

Motorola is making an important, everyday 

task easier by offering iDEN handset users 

valuable location-based content from MapInfo. 

With these applications, users can conveniently 

view maps and driving directions on the iDEN 

mobile handsets. iDEN handsets combine the 

capabilities of digital wireless phone with 

“always on” Internet access, text pager, and 

two-way radio to enable users to instantly communicate 

with one or hundreds of individuals 

at the push of a button. 

Mark Cattini, president and CEO of MapInfo, 

said, “Success in the mobile location marketplace 

dictates the need for independent development 

platforms, which is one reason 

MapInfo is developing mobile applications for 

Motorola’s J2ME technology-enables handsets.” 



9

10 

news&trends 

MAPINFO IN THE NEWS SPRING 2001 

Alcatel and MapInfo 

Join Forces to Deliver 

Complete E911 Solution 

Motorola Teams with 

MapInfo to Provide 

Location-based Services 

on Wireless Handsets 

Vodafone Multimedia 

Selects MapInfo 

for Location-based 

Wireless Services 

MapInfo, Nortel Networks 

to Market Wireless 

Internet ‘Concierge’ 

Services Platform 


‘Killer’ Applications for 

Wireless: E911 Location 

Management and Mobile 

Services Platform 

MapInfo Extends Enterprise 

to Mobile Workforce with 

MapXtend v2.0 



MapInfo announced that Alcatel has 

selected MapInfo’s location-based 

technology to build a complete 

E911 solution. MapInfo’s Location 

Management Platform has been 

integrated with Alcatel’s Intelligent 

Mobile Location Server (iMLS) to 

provide the first fully integrated, 

fully scalable E911 solution that can 

quickly be implemented in virtually 

any service provider’s network. This 

Motorola announced an alliance with 

MapInfo Corporation to provide 

MapInfo ® miGuide TM, a location-based 

MapInfo announced that Vodafone 

Multimedia, a subsidiary of Vodafone 

UK, has selected MapInfo’s “best of 

breed” location-based software and 

data for a new service they have 

developed for Vizzavi, Vodafone’s 

MapInfo and Nortel Networks 

announced an agreement to jointly 

market to service providers an 

integrated platform for delivery 

of voice-activated wireless Internet 

“concierge” services. These services 

are intended to provide location-based 

information— such as traffic and 

MapInfo unveiled its Location 

Management Platform (LMP) and 

mobile Internet platform, MapInfo ® 

miAware TM 

, to deliver today’s “killer” 

applications for wireless. The LMP 

can be embedded into the Intelligent 

Network or Mobile Positioning Center 

of an equipment provider’s system to 

MapInfo announced MapInfo ® 

MapXtend TM 

v2.0, the premier 

developer tool kit for creating 

location-based applications for all 

types of mobile devices. MapXtend 

enables organizations to bring their 

Web-based applications to the mobile 

Internet. It allows for real-time access 

to centralized data and provides 

solution meets the Federal Communications 

Commission’s E911 Phase II 

mandate that requires all wireless 

carriers to be able to pinpoint a caller’s 

location for emergency purposes. 

(For more information on what Alcatel 

and MapInfo are doing together in the 

mobile location services market, see 

“Alcatel’s iMLS Location-based Server 

is the Market’s First Fully Integrated, 

Scalable Solution” on page 7.) 

application that delivers maps and 

driving directions, to Motorola’s 

multiple communications handsets. 

consumer portal of choice. Vizzavi 

Find & Seek, enables WAP customers 

in England, Scotland and Wales to 

locate and identify a broad range of 

information about restaurants, shops, 

banks and other retail services. 

weather conditions or directions to 

the nearest copy center, restaurant, 

shopping mall or automated teller 

machine—to business professionals, 

tourists and other travelers using 

mobile phones, personal digital 

assistants, pagers, laptop computers 

and other wireless devices. 

provide location solutions for 

E911, location sensitive billing and 

commercial location-based services. 

miAware offers a flexible and scalable 

XML environment for the creation 

of customized, unique location 

services for the mobile Internet. 

users with the ability to view, query, 

edit and collect data while in the 

field improving overall efficiency 

and productivity. Mobile workers in 

sales, retail, real estate and utilities can 

now be connected to their departments 

inside the corporate walls, linking 

in real-time to the latest information in 

the field. 

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Take the 

express 

route to 

3G revenues. 

We do more 

to make 

the Internet 

mobile. 

Time is revenue. Lucent can 

show you how to generate 

new mobile revenues faster, 

whether you’re evolving your 

current wireless investment or 

deploying 3G from the ground 

up. We’re the world leader 

in building mobile networks 

based on CDMA, the underlying 

technology of choice for 3G. 

Speed your time to market 

with our open service-creation 

platform and relationships 

with the most innovative 3G 

application developers and 

terminal manufacturers. Lucent 

Technologies. We do more to 

make the Internet mobile.

12 

re:sources 

RE:SOURCES IS A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION WHERE YOU’LL FIND MAPS, DATA, SERVICES, INFORMATION AND SOLUTIONS 

FROM MAPINFO PARTNERS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. 

AnySite Technologies, LLC 

Software developers for companies where 

location is central to their business, AnySite 

Technologies’ (AT) provides online, desktop 

and enterprise mapping, demographic and 

data solutions for a variety of industries 

including Retail, Restaurant and Real Estate. 

Additionally, AT operates AnySite OnlineTM , 

an ASP service for presentation quality maps 

and demographic reports. 

The AnySiteTM product line can help you successfully 

select sites, manage trade areas, optimize 

markets, roll-out new & existing concepts, report 

site performance, and track your competitors. 

Over the past 12 years, AnySite Technologies 

has been the recipient of several MapInfo awards 

including Strategic Partner of the Year, Data 

Reseller of the Year, and Partner of the Year. 

And as the 1st MapInfo Authorized Training Center, 

AT provides the highest level of authorized training 

for MapInfo software. 

Contact: 

Lisa Ackerman, Vice President, 

Mapping Solutions 

AnySite Technologies, LLC 

1201 Dove Street, Suite 200 

Newport Beach, CA 92660 

Tel: 800.489.8829 x27 

Fax: 949.752.1001 

E-mail: lisa.ackerman@anysite.com 

www.anysite.com 

Avenza Systems Inc.—MAPublisher ® 

Want to improve the look of your final map 

output? Tired of bland, jagged-looking GIS maps? 

Does your printer have trouble publishing your 

map work? 

MAPublisher is a suite of GIS and cartographic 

plugins for Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia 

FreeHand that bridge the gap between GIS and 

vector graphics by allowing GIS data formats to 

be easily imported and worked on in the graphics 

environment. MAPublisher provides over 30 map 

design tools that allow the power of high-end 

graphic design software to extend to map making. 

Work in CMYK colours, label along curves, rotate 

maps and maintain geo-referencing and much more. 

MAPublisher includes tools for automated index 

creation, labeling, legend creation, projecting, 

raster image registration, grid generation and more 

all within Illustrator and FreeHand. 

Contact: 

Avenza Systems Inc. 

6505-B Mississauga Road 

Mississauga, ON L5N 1A6 Canada 

Tel: 905.567.2811 or 800.884.2555 

Fax: 905.567.5810 

E-mail: info@avenza.com 



Conclusive Strategies 

Conclusive Strategies is expert in the fields of 

marketing, site evaluation, site selection, trade area 

analysis, mapping and demographic analysis. We 

assist companies with network strategies, market 

models, territory analysis, direct marketing program 

implementation and list fulfillment. 

Conclusive also has an experienced software team 

capable of creating a wide range of decision support, 

mapping and web applications customized 

to your needs. Our optimized tool—Fast Tracker— 

allows real estate professionals to generate scores 

of comparative site reports with drive time trade 

area analysis in just a few key strokes. 

Conclusive Strategies: 

• Consulting 

• Business Intelligence 

• Knowledge Management 

• Market Analysis 

• Direct Marketing 

Contact: 

Conclusive Strategies 

Homestead Office Park 

141 Loop 64, Suite B 

Dripping Springs, TX 78620 USA 

Tel: 512.894.4800 

Fax: 512.894.4881 

E-mail: info@conclusivestrategies.com 

Empower Geographics 

Service Above and Beyond Software for the 

Telecom Industry 

A MapInfo Strategic Partner for more than ten 

years, Empower Geographics offers deep domain 

expertise and heritage in both wireless and 

landline telecommunications. 

Empower’s portfolio includes the complete line 

of MapInfo products as well as strong application 

development, integration and post-sales support to 

ensure customers maximize their investments in 

MapInfo technology. Our exceptional relationship 

with MapInfo has helped us act as a successful 

advocate for customers regarding MapInfo-related 

technology and business matters. 

Some of the industry’s largest telecommunications 

carriers depend on Empower’s innovative, 

location-based trouble tracking and CRM 

solutions to provide award-winning support to 

approximately 20% of all wireless subscribers 

in the United States. 

• Developer of robust add-ons to MapInfo 

Professional ® including: 

• WorkSpace ManagerTM the definitive solution 

to Workspace management 

• CrossStreetsTM the leading location-based 

trouble tracking and CRM solutions for 

telecommunications 

• Exclusive Authorized Training Center for MapInfo 

in the Midwest 

• Host of the Chicago Area MapInfo Users’ Group 

Contact: 

Empower Geographics 

1.888.627.7767 

Korem 

KOREM offers GEObroadcasting solutions 

in Interactive mapping with MapXtreme ® 

and MapXsite ® . 

Push’n’SeeTM (software) and mapWORKSPACE.com 

(service) is our response to the SIM industry needs 

for intranet/Internet solutions. Push’n’SeeTM is the 

ideal MapXtreme companion for fast and simple 

network-wide deployment. MapInfo users can easily 

publish workspaces and let others enjoy them with 

a simple web browser. Visit www.pushnsee.com 

and www.mapworkspace. com to learn more about 

those e-solutions. 

Delivering MapInfo solutions since 1993 in 

thematic mapping, custom development, 

training and consulting in French and English, 

KOREM is actually establishing a worldwide 

network of resellers. 

Contact: 

Luc Vaillancourt 

KOREM 

680 Charest East blvd 

Quebec City, PQ 

G1K 3J4, Canada 

Tel: 1.888.440.1MAP 

Fax: 1.418.647.1666 

E-mail: lv@korem.com 

www.korem.com 

Mercator Geosystems 

1. We bring you powerful, high quality plug-ins 

for MapInfo, such as Gridcontour HotSpot 

and Triangulator 

2. We map your data, perform custom analysis 

and integrate it in your (intranet) web site 

using MapXtreme ® 

3. We specialise in developing GIS solutions 

for crime analysis 

Visit us at www.mercatorgeo.nl or call 

+31 703467222. 

Contact: 

Ir. Roeland van der Spek 

Mercator Geosystems 

Joseph Ledelstraat 84 

2518 KM, The Hague 

The Netherlands 

Tel: +31 70 3467222 

Fax: + 31 70 3648021 

E-mail: info@mercatorgeo.nl 

www.mercatorgeo.nl

PSA 

Founded in 1988, PSA works hand-in-hand 

with the MapInfo team to design, develop 

& deploy your enterprise solutions, including 

MapInfo-based PDA applications. Our unique 

PSAP Database & Boundary Solution has been 

implemented successfully in numerous wireless 

9-1-1 applications. 

• Experienced (really!) MapBasic ® , MapX ® , 

MapXtreme ® , VB, & Java Developers on staff. 

• Authorized Training Center and customized 

training for all MapInfo products, your 

site or ours. 

• Single source provider including Oracle/ 

Informix, and U.S./International Data. 

PSA, the experienced choice. 

Contact: 

PSA, Inc. 

4545 Fuller Drive, Suite 416 

Irving, TX 75038 

Tel: 972.791.0911 

Fax: 972.717.9099 

E-mail: sales@psadallas.com 

www.psadallas.com 

Sage Software 

Sage Software specializes in custom software 

solutions using MapInfo based products. 

We have a team of developers that integrate 

MapXtreme (NT and Java), MapMarker MapX, and 

MapBasic with Active Server Pages, Java Server 

Pages, Java Servlets, and Visual Basic. We have 

also entered the wireless arena with MapInfo's 

MapXtend technologies. Sage Software is also 

an Authorized Training Center for MapInfo with 

locations in Atlanta and Orlando. We offer on-site 

mentoring for all MapInfo related products as well 

as full-life cycle development. 

Visit our web site at www.sagesoft.com or 

call 1.877.848.SAGE. 

Contact: 

Sage Software, Inc. 

3423 Piedmont Road 

Suite 550 

Atlanta, GA 30305 

Tel: 404.262.7478 

Toll Free: 877.848.SAGE 

info@sagesoft.com 

Transamerica Site Acquisition 

Reports (SARs) 

Telecommunications Support from Transamerica 

Transamerica is now offering a new service 

that provides instant property information for 

Site Planning, Tower Construction, Antenna 

Co-Location and Tower Network Design. 

The SARs provide accurate geographic 

placement of towers or target sites combined 

with detailed critical site property information. 

These reports include assessor parcel maps, 

current property ownership information, 

parcel number identification and flood zone 

determinations all in one affordable and 

comprehensive report. Deed information can 

also be provided as an optional service based 

on geographic area. SARs can be delivered in 

electronic or hard copy format. 

Call for more information. Mention this ad for 

a free report! 

Contact: 

Matt Benden, Director of Product Development 

Transamerica Flood Hazard Certification, Inc. 

777 Terrace Avenue 

Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604 

Toll Free: 800.247.3384, x4717 

E-mail: Matt.Benden@transamerica.com 

re:sources is MapInfo Magazine’s 

special advertising section devoted 

to listing companies’ capabilities, 

applications, products, services 

or other information of relevance to 

MapInfo customers. 

For more information on how you can 

take advantage of the re:sources 

section, e-mail mapinfo_magazine@ 

mapinfo.com or call 1.518.285.7342. 

viewpoint: EMEA 

By David Swinburne 

South Africa’s IEC Votes 

for MapInfo 

Faced with the challenges of organizing 

and conducting the first municipal elections 

in South Africa since the national and provincial 

elections in 1999, the Independent 

Electoral Commission (IEC) decided to 

utilize the latest MapInfo technology as one 

of its GIS platforms. IEC is using MapInfo 

Professional ® for map production, MapInfo ® 

MapXtreme ® JavaTM Edition for locating the 

nearest voting station and voter registration 

and MapInfo ® MapXtend TM 

to assist in voting 

station verification and updating. MapInfo 

partner, Spatial Technologies in South Africa, 

assisted with the implementation. 

“In February 2000, the IEC made a strategic 

decision to move away from proprietary 

GIS database technology and to store the 

vast amounts of data that is utilized in 

planning and delivering election efficiencies 

in an open GIS format,” said Melanie du 

Plessis, manger of GIS at IEC. “The operational 

capabilities of MapInfo Professional 

interfacing with the Oracle8i platform 

were very impressive for the particular 

task evaluated at the time.” 

Since implementing MapInfo, IEC has 

substantially improved efficiency gains 

in producing maps of voting districts. 

Although the concept has been applied 

before, MapInfo played an important role 

in providing voters with improved access 

to election information. Internet users, 

for example, can see maps of their 

voting districts. 

IEC will soon implement its MapXtend application. 

Initially, IEC will test the application 

on Huskies (a large Windows CE device) 

and HP Jornada devices plugged into Garmin 

GPS devices. MapXtend will be used to 

accurately record the positions of voting 

station positions throughout the country. 

IEC’s staff will be able to download a voting 

district at the local office and then go to the 

actual voting station location. Once there, 

a verification form will be completed and 

the actual position of the voting station will 

be recorded and displayed on a map. The 

tracking point will be shown continuously 

loading maps on demand without requiring 

user intervention. Multiple sites can be 

visited at one time and updated data will be 

returned to the server via a GSM link. Other 

applications will include boundary streaming 

to verify or plot a voting station boundary 

and general data collection. 

David Swinburne is European marketing 

director for MapInfo Corporation. 



13

14 

T E C H N I C A L F E A T U R E 

Check out MapInfo Professional v6.5 

By Andrew Dressel 

he new MapInfo Professional ® 

Tv6.5 gives you the power 

to create visual masterpieces 

with its new functionality: 

Raster Image Translucency 

Prism Mapping 

Invert Selection 

More Object Processing: Clean, 

Thin and Disaggregate 

TIN-based Interpolation 

Multipoint and Collection Objects 

Coordinate Extractor Tool 

Military Grid Reference System 

Coordinate Display 

And affords you the benefit of 

numerous enhancements: 

Improved Remote Data Support 

Improved Raster Image Support 

HTML Image Map Tool 

Scale Bar Tool 

Defaults and Preferences 

Expanded Most Recently Used 

Files List 

Support for More Projections: 

Oblique aspects of Azimuthal 

Equal-Area and Cassini-Soldner 

Translucent Raster Image Handling 

Of all the new features included in 

v6.5, translucency is the most powerful 

visual enhancement to raster image 

support. It allows you to control the 

amount to which other map layers 

show through a raster image. Now 

thematic maps can be combined with 

raster imagery to form striking images 

that were not possible before. 



MAPINFO PROFESSIONAL ® 

v6.5 HAS NEW AND ENHANCED FEATURES THAT WILL MAKE 

YOUR MAPS COME ALIVE! MAPINFO PROFESSIONAL v6.5 IS SHIPPING IN EARLY JUNE. 

TAKE A LOOK AT MAPINFO PROFESSIONAL v6.5 AT WWW.MIPRO.COM. 

Translucency makes raster imagery more useful. With prism maps, numeric values are represented 

by height in a 3D view. 

Translucent rasters are great for telecom 

applications, emergency management 

applications, land use categorization, 

drive time analysis and more. For 

example, you can combine wire or 

wireless raster images with vector street 

and demographic maps, overlay flood 

or flood plain polygons with satellite 

imagery, layer color coded polygons 

with aerial imagery and stack isochrones 

with boundaries thematically shaded 

on demographic variables. With translucency, 

the possibilities are endless! 

You can vary translucency from 

0 percent to 100 percent, apply it to 

grid files as well as raster images and 

apply it to multiple files and layers in 

the same map window. 

Prism Mapping 

MapInfo Professional v6.5 includes an 

exciting new way to show your data on a 

map: prism maps. Now you can represent 

any numeric value as the height of the 

associated region in a 3D view. Combine 

any of MapInfo Professional’s traditional 

thematic mapping techniques with a 

prism map for a dynamic way to show 

more than one variable at the same time. 

Easily drape other features of the map, 

including raster imagery, labels, roads, 

over the 3D surface to turn a flat map 

into something special. 

Database Connectivity 

Data access in MapInfo Professional 

v6.5 has been enhanced to support 

the latest version of Oracle Spatial ® . 

MapInfo Professional v6.5 also 

supports MapInfo SpatialWare ® v4.5 

on all of its supported platforms 

including Microsoft ® SQL Server 2000 

with linked tables and live access. 

Performance of live access with large 

tables has been improved by optionally 

reading a precalculated record count. 

Improved Object Processing 

Many new object-processing capabilities 

have been added to MapInfo Professional 

v6.5. In addition to detecting 

self-intersections and gaps, this new 

version can also detect overlaps and 

automatically correct any of these 

problems. Correcting these problems 

ensures that the analysis you perform 

will be accurate, from area calculations 

to geographic queries.

Another new process added in v6.5 

is Snap/Thin, the automatic removal 

of nodes in polygons based on how 

close they are together or how colinear 

they are. This enables you to 

simplify complex geographical data 

so that MapInfo Professional can 

manipulate it more quickly. 

A disaggregate operation has also 

been added to complement the existing 

combine operation. Now complex 

objects can be broken down into their 

component objects. 

Finally, some significant performance 

improvements have been made by more 

carefully optimizing which objects are 

examined during an operation. 

New Object Types 

Two new object types— 

multipoint and collection— 

are supported. 

MapInfo 

Professional v6.5 

supports two 

new object types 

in order to 

provide more 

support for 

Oracle Spatial 

object types 

and compliance 

with Open GIS 

Consortium 

(OGC) simple 

object types. 

These are multi- 

point and collection. Now you can 

create single objects that consist of 

multiple points or even points, lines 

and polygons. This is in addition to 

the long-standing support for multipolylines 

and regions (multipolygons). 

These new object types are supported 

by the combine, disaggregate, buffer 

and convex hull operations. 

Invert Selection 

A feature widely requested by 

MapInfo Professional users and 

now incorporated in v6.5, the invert 

selection tool allows you to simply 

select all the objects in a table that 

are not selected and simultaneously 

unselects all the selected objects. 

Instead of lassoing hundreds of 

objects, just select the few you don’t 

want and then invert the selection to 

get all those you do. This operation 

is available to you as both a button 

on the main button pad and an 

option in the query menu. 

New TIN-based Interpolator 

The new TIN-based interpolator is better suited 

for terrain. 

In addition to the existing Inverse- 

Distance-Weighting (IDW) interpolator, 

MapInfo Professional v6.5 also 

includes a Triangulated-Irregular- 

Network (TIN) based interpolator. 

By performing less smoothing and 

only considering adjacent values 

when calculating the value of a 

particular grid cell, the new TIN-based 

interpolator is much better suited 

for phenomena such as terrain. 

With TIN-based interpolation, 

your terrain has more definition 

and more “depth” making your 

maps more topologically accurate. 

New Projections 

To better support existing data that 

you may want to use with MapInfo 

Professional, v6.5 now supports two 

new projections: 

oblique aspects of Azimuthal Equal- 

Area which is used by USGS, and 

Cassini-Soldner, a popular projection 

in Europe. 

With v6.5, the cursor location can be 

displayed in Military Grid Reference 

System coordinates. 

Usability Enhancements 

Simple enhancements have been made 

to MapInfo Professional to improve 

usability. They include: 

display style override for raster 

images; 

zoom layering preferences for raster 

and grid images; 

‘most-recently-used files’ list 

expanded from 4 to 10; and, 

‘view Entire Layer’ default changed 

to ‘All Layers’. 

Tool Enhancements 

MapInfo Professional v6.5 includes 

two new tools and significant 

enhancements to others. 

New Tools 

Coordinate Extractor simplifies 

the process of extracting coordinate 

values from geographic objects 

and inserting them into columns 

in a table. 

Grid Tools provide options to 

convert grid files from any format 

into the MapInfo native, binary 

grid file format. This can greatly 

improve performance. The tool also 

creates new grid files from tables 

of regularly spaced point objects, 

and it provides an info tool with 

display x, y and z values for the 

cursor location. 

Enhanced 

HTML Image Map has been 

enhanced in v6.5 to support point 

and line objects, in addition to 

polygons. It can also create image 

maps from multiple layers of data, 

create hyperlinks from data values, 

and combine landing pages into a 

single HTML document. 

MapInfo Professional v6.5 now 

allows you to place a scale bar in a 

layout window and provides more 

control over the appearance of the 

scale bar. 

MapBasic 

As with all MapInfo Professional 

upgrades, MapInfo ® MapBasic ® 

has been updated to control these new 

features. There are new statements 

for the prism map and the new object 

processing capabilities and updated 

statements for raster image control. 

MapInfo Professional v6.5 brings 

you new capabilities to make your 

maps look real and new tools and 

enhancements to add convenience 

to your tasks—including new ways 

to add visual impact to your maps; 

new ways of cleaning and modifying 

your data; and improvements in 

working with spatial objects. 

Andrew Dressel is a MapInfo founder and 

product manager for MapInfo Professional. 

Microsoft, Windows and the Windows 

Logo are registered trademarks of 

Microsoft Corporation in the United States 

and/or other countries. 



15

16 

techtips 

By David Greene 

Automation in MapInfo Professional: 

How to Use MapBasic Code in Workspaces Without Doing A Lot of Programming 

A COMMON PROBLEM FOR MAPINFO PROFESSIONAL ® 

USERS IS FINDING THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO DEAL WITH REPETITIVE TASKS. 

MANY COMMON TASKS CAN BE AUTOMATED BY ADDING MAPINFO ® 

BY MAPINFO PROFESSIONAL ® 

, TO A WORKSPACE TEXT FILE. 

It might be necessary, for example, 

to process new data as it becomes 

available—whether monthly, weekly 

or many times a day. Processing 

might involve joining new data to 

existing mapped data in some way— 

querying out and updating records 

that are already on the map, then 

adding new any new records to 

the table. 

To prepare a set of operations to be 

added automatically to a workspace, 

open the MapInfo MapBasic 

window by choosing Options > 

Show MapBasic Window. Then 

perform the steps that you want 

to automate. If MapBasic code 

describing a given task appears in 

the window, then the task can be 

automated in a workspace. 

Even if code does not appear in the 

MapBasic window, some tasks can 

still be made an automatic part of a 

workspace. In the example below, 

we will add code for a Table > Create 

Points operation to a workspace 

so that opening the workspace will 

immediately display the updated data. 

Suppose, for example, that you are 

coordinating a search and rescue 

operation, and each searcher is 

carrying a GPS unit that regularly 

reports updated location data. 

An updated list of searchers 

and their locations is regularly 

uploaded to your computer, in 

simple tab-separated text format. 

The table might look like this: 



MAPBASIC ® 

Name, Longitude, Latitude 

Charles Ford, -73.701,42.676 

Jim Parslow, -73.703,42.674 

Rob Cudney, -73.701,42.673 

Alex Curico, -73.701,42.670 

Sam Giaban,-73.702,42.667 

John Holshue,-73.708,42.669 

Mary Holtslag,-73.711,42.666 

Art Kabrehl,-73.705,42.666 

To automate this task: 

1. Build a workspace that shows the 

current set of data on a background 

map, exactly as you want to see it. 

With the sample data above, the map 

might look something like this: 

2. Save your workspace as (for example) 

AUTOMATE.WOR. Choose 

Options > Show MapBasic Window. 

3. Choose File > Close All to make 

sure that no tables are unexpectedly 

open. Then choose File > Open Table, 

set ‘Files of Type’ to Text, and choose 

the appropriate options to open the 

text data file; select ‘No view’ in the 

“Preferred View” dropdown box. 

STATEMENTS, WHICH ARE GENERATED AUTOMATICALLY 

4. Choose File > Save Copy As, 

choose the new table, and save a copy 

with the original name—replacing 

the old data table and associated map. 

5. Choose File > Open Table (or the 

first table on the list of recently used 

file at the bottom of the File menu) 

to open the copy of the table just 

saved; again, select ‘No view’ in the 

“Preferred View” dropdown box. 

6. Choosing Table > Create Points 

does not generate any code in the 

MapBasic window, so we need to 

use the equivalent code from Chapter 

24 of the User’s Guide. The MapBasic 

CreatePoints function always uses 

the current symbol style for its new 

symbols. So to get the special walkingfigure 

symbols shown in this example, 

it is necessary to include the extra 

“Set Style Symbol…” line. Type 

the following at the bottom of the 

MapBasic window, pressing [Enter] 

for a new line only where indicated: 

Set Style Symbol 

MakeFontSymbol(59,16711680,48, 

”MapInfo Miscellaneous”,256,0) 

(press enter) 

Update Searchers Set 

obj=CreatePoint(Longitude,Latitude) 

(press enter) 

7. Choose File > Save Table and 

save the “Searchers” table. Then 

choose File > Close All to close the 

copied table. 

All the necessary steps to be automated 

have now been done. All that 

is left to do is to transfer the code to 

the workspace.

STEP MAPBASIC RESULTS: 

2 {blank window opened} 

3 Close All Interactive 

Register Table “C:\Sample\New Searchers.txt” TYPE ASCII Delimiter 4 

Titles Charset “WindowsLatin1” Into “C:\Sample\New Searchers.TAB” 

Open Table “C:\Sample\New Searchers.TAB” Interactive 

4 Commit Table New_Searchers As “C:\Sample\Searchers.TAB” TYPE NATIVE 

Charset “WindowsLatin1” 

5 Open Table “C:\Sample\Searchers.TAB” Interactive 

6 Set Style Symbol MakeFontSymbol(59,16711680,48,”MapInf 

Miscellaneous”,256,0 

Update Searchers Set obj=CreatePoint(Longitude,Latitude) 

7 Commit Table Searchers Interactive 

Close All Interactive 

8. Use the mouse to select the block 

of lines that you created in the 

MapBasic window, and hit Ctrl-C 

to copy them. In Windows Notepad 

or another text editor, open AUTO- 

MATE.WOR. The first lines will 

look something like this: 

!Workspace 

!Version 600 

!Charset WindowsLatin1 

Open Table 

“C:\Sample\NYSGIS\O42073F6.TAB” 

As O42073F6 Interactive 

Open Table “Searchers” As Searchers 

Interactive 

Insert the code from the MapBasic 

window directly before the first 

“Open Table” statement, and then 

save the modified workspace. 

If new data comes in—so that the 

“New searchers.txt” file now contains 

a different set of coordinate values— 

then the next time the workspace is 

opened, the map might look like this: 

David Greene is a technical support 

associate with MapInfo. 

I N D U S T R Y F O C U S : 

GOVERNMENT 

By Carl Spongberg 

State and Local Government 

Template Enables Speedy 

Internet Deployment 

MapInfo is doing more and more business 

with state and local governments looking to 

share information internally among co-workers 

and publicly with constituents. One subset 

of this increasing need is requests from town, 

city and county governments to interact with 

maps via the Web. Responding to this need, 

MapInfo has created a template for local 

governments based on MapInfo ® MapXtreme ® 

NT technology. The template is a solid start 

for governments to quickly launch a fully 

functional Web site and provides clients 

with an easy to use, easy to implement and 

customizable structure from which to build. 

The template is comprised of multiple layers, 

allowing for governments to quickly produce 

comprehensive and sophisticated MapXtremepowered 

Internet and/or intranet mapping 

applications. The layers can be grouped 

according to city planning, engineering, 

electoral districting and any other client 

specific categories. While the template does 

not include data, it supports the client’s 

data, orthophotography and MapInfo data. 

The data can reside in commercial databases, 

as well as industry specific data formats. 

Howard County, MD, had been using 

MapXtreme NT for an internal Web site 

in the past, and recently took its data public. 

Now, with the MapXtreme template, the 

county is currently reworking its entire Web 

site using the template, which “helps things 

tremendously”, said Virginia Peterman, 

Howard County GIS department head and 

coordinator. The Web site revision is planned 

to be completed in the summer of 2001. 

“It’s an inexpensive way to bring local data 

to the public,” said Peterman. “GIS has 

spent $100,000s creating all this great data. 

The more and more it is used, the more cost 

effective it is.” 

Response to the template is very positive, 

and the future of the template is limitless. 

Enhanced versions and department focused 

versions are being discussed. 

For those interested in learning more about 

MapXtreme or those MapXtreme customers 

or partners interested in obtaining the 

government template, contact Bob Stone, 

public sector account representative, at 

800.619.2333 or bob_stone@mapinfo.com. 

Carl Spongberg is public sector director 

with MapInfo Corporation. 



17

18 


SpatialWare Extends Microsoft 

SQL Server Capabilities 

By Jason Weinberger 

patialWare offers Microsoft ® 

SSQL Server 2000 customers 

the highest level of integration 

available on the market today. 

SpatialWare is implemented through 

extended stored procedures inside 

the database. This allows existing 

applications to be quickly adapted 

to take advantage of the database’s 

new spatial capabilities. SpatialWare’s 

adherence to open standards allows 

users to connect to the database the 

same way as they always have via SQL 

and ODBC. This makes SpatialWare 

the most cost effective method of 

adding spatial functionality to SQL 

Server 2000. 

Three components are required to 

spatially enable any database: spatial 

data type, which defines the data 

structure and storage mechanism; 

spatial indexing, which provides 

custom index structure to handle 

spatial data; and spatial operators that 

extend the SQL interface to the data. 

Spatial data type. Traditional data 

types such as character, integer, float 

and date do not provide the necessary 

data structure to properly represent 

spatial information. Spatial data 

requires a more complex data type 

to represent two dimensional objects 

that may be composed of a variety 

of simple or complex geometric 

primitives. SpatialWare provides the 

necessary data structures to store this 

geometry information in the database. 

This information is used to represent 



THE POWER OF WHERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN INTUITIVE. LOCATION INTELLIGENCE PLAYS A KEY ROLE 

IN PROVIDING MISSION CRITICAL INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE NEW CLIENTS ARE AND WHERE 

AN ORGANIZATION’S ASSETS ARE, AS WELL AS OTHER VALUABLE LOCATION INFORMATION 

THAT ENHANCES THE CORPORATE BOTTOM LINE. MAPINFO ® 

SPATIALWARE ® 

, THE INFORMATION 

MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR STORING, MANAGING AND MANIPULATING LOCATION-BASED DATA, 

IS A KEY COMPONENT IN MAPINFO’S SUPPORT OF MICROSOFT ® 

SQL SERVER 2000. MAPINFO ® 

SPATIALWARE ® 

EXTENDS SQL SERVER’S CAPABILITIES, TYING TOGETHER NONGEOGRAPHIC- AND 

GEOGRAPHIC-BASED DATA TO SOLVE BUSINESS PROBLEMS MORE EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY. 

Browser 

Web Server 

Application Server 

MapXtreme 

MapInfo Data 

Products 

STREETPRO 

TELECOM 

DEMOGRAPHICS 

features, in the real world, such as 

buildings and equipment locations as 

point features, roads and power lines 

as linear features and political areas 

and lakes as area features. 

Spatial indexing. Spatial indexing is 

required to ensure the performance 

of spatial queries to the database. 

SpatialWare implements Range Tree 

(R-Tree) indexing. Without an index, 

the query (database) engine must 

sequentially search through millions 

of records, taking an unreasonable 

amount of time, rendering the query 

useless. SpatialWare’s R-Trees minimize 

the effort necessary to satisfy the 

indexing attributes. Unlike indexes 

for standard character and integer 

data types, a spatial index must 

accommodate two-dimensional objects. 

M A P I N F O P R O D U C T O V E R V I E W 

SQL Server 

Query 

Analyzer 

ODBC 

Data Load 

Utilities 

Application 

(VB, C++) 

MapX 

OCX, OLE 

MapMarker 

Geocoding Engine 

MapInfo 

Professional 

ODBC 

SpatialWare 

MapMarker 

ESP 

SQL Server 

MAPBASIC 

PROGRAMMING 

ODBC 

Spatial operators. SQL is the language 

used to query information from tables 

in the database. The “requestor” can 

submit a query from the query analyzer 

or an application through an ODBC 

connection. A query statement is 

formed that will be used by the 

database engine to query records 

from tables and return the specified 

information. Standard operators 

perform operations such as add, 

subtract, sum, string operations and 

time between dates. SpatialWare 

provides extensions to SQL that allow 

operations to be performed on the 

spatial data type. Just as you might 

qualify a query statement to search 

for clients with ages greater than 30, 

spatial functions allow you to ask 

questions such as who are the clients 

located within a particular area. 

CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

20 


Site Selection Methods Can Help 

Businesses with Expansion 

By Felipe Calderon and Danny Heuman 

During a business’ lifetime, 

owners and managers are 

faced with the decision 

of whether or not to expand. With 

expansion, the business is usually 

confronted with a significant number 

of alternatives to be evaluated, from 

which only one (or, at most, a few) 

will be selected. Site screening models 

help businesses evaluate hundreds of 

locations using a set of criteria selected 

by the business in conjunction with 

MapInfo’s custom research experts. 

Business representatives offer their 

past experience on the criteria they 

understand contribute most to the 

success of the overall business, while 

MapInfo experts, based in MapInfo 

Canada, assist by offering knowledge 

of business trade areas classification, 

usage of demographic and socioeconomic 

data in analysis and methods 

of measuring spatial relationships. 

The main goal of a site screening 

model is the evaluation of many site 

alternatives, with each assigned a score. 

A site screening model sweeps across 

the market study area evaluating 

the degree to which the selected 

criteria match the actual trade area 

statistics. The score represents how 

close a prospective candidate’s points 

match the criteria used to develop the 

ranking. The final output is a set of 

ranked areas, taking into account the 

combined efforts of business analysts 

and MapInfo experts. 



IDENTIFYING AND SELECTING NEW LOCATIONS FOR EXPANSION IS COMPLEX, WITH 

MANY FACTORS REQUIRING EVALUATION AND MEASUREMENT. MAPINFO, THROUGH ITS 

CANADIAN-BASED CUSTOM RESEARCH GROUP, PREPARES SITE EVALUATION MODELS FOR 

BUSINESSES INCLUDING FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, RESTAURANTS, TELECOMMUNICATIONS 

AND INSURANCE COMPANIES. A SITE SCREENING MODEL IS A FIRST STEP IN THE 

SITE SELECTION PROBLEM. 

Final Score Distribution showing areas of potential expansion 

There are three main components 

required for the analysis: a list of 

candidate locations, identification of 

factors that influence location and the 

weights applied to the factors. 

Candidate points do not represent 

specific locations, but the general 

neighborhood in which a new outlet 

could be located (see map on page 21). 

An average sized market could have 

as many as 500 neighborhoods or 

candidate points evaluated, representing 

each and every census block group 

or major street intersection. The area 

may be as small as a city block in 

larger urban areas or something larger 

in more rural areas. Some 

businesses choose to restrict potential 

locations to areas identified as 

strip retailing, shopping centers or 

commercial areas. 

Typical factors included in the model 

include demographics, current 

customers and spending habits, 

daytime population and competitor 

locations. Income, age of people in 

neighborhood, occupations and family 

status are often incorporated in the 

model. This is where the business 

analyst’s and MapInfo’s expertise on 

the subject are leveraged. The third 

input in the model is a set of weights 

that rank the importance of factors 

as they contribute to the final score.

Distribution of Candidate Points—Tucson Area 

Spreadsheet containing Site identifiers and 

key demographic and socioeconomic factors 

These weights sum to 100 in absolute 

value, can be positive or negative, 

and are allocated across the selected 

factors. For example, a high average 

household income may be allocated 

15 points and be positive, indicating 

that the presence of high income in 

and around the neighborhood is good. 

On the other hand, locating close to 

competitors may be negative and not 

desirable and be allocated 12 points. 

After all the required information is 

collected and an agreement is set in 

determining final factors to be used 

in the analysis, the data processing 

takes place. A standardization of the 

data eliminates differences among 

factors due to different units of 

measurement (e.g., number of people 

vs. dollars spent). Once the data are 

all represented in the same scale, the 

selected weighting scheme is applied. 

The last step is the calculation of the 

final score by adding the weighted 

factor scores obtained for every 

potential neighborhood. There is some 

flexibility with the final score; users 

may try different weighting schemes 

and check corresponding results. 

The results of a site screening 

model are usually 

expressed through two 

different but complementary 

types of output— 

a spreadsheet and a map. 

The spreadsheet contains 

a neighborhood point 

identifier, the raw and 

standardized data for 

the neighborhoods and 

the final score obtained 

through the analysis 

(see spreadsheet on left). 

The table is sorted on the 

score column in descending 

order with the best 

matching areas at the top. 

These are the neighborhoods 

that should be 

investigated further as 

potential new locations 

for the business. 

The map adds a spatial 

dimension to the results, 

showing where the most 

attractive areas (and the 

unattractive areas) are. 

Some areas are too close 

to be considered separated, 

and it is common to use a smoothing 

algorithm to merge some of the 

closest areas to be considered as one. 

The map shows every neighborhood 

point in one of five colors or shading 

according to the score obtained in the 

analysis (see map on page 20). The 

map shows not only the most attractive 

areas, but also their spatial context 

and gives direction where to look for a 

specific site in a more informed way. 

Whether in the financial, retail, 

manufacturing or communications 

industry, there is still a requirement 

to have an established network of 

locations to offer services. In looking 

to making an informed decision, 

a site screening model can help 

businesses focus their attention to 

the main issues of new locations: 

Who are my customers? What types 

of areas must I consider? What 

factors contribute to a successful 

store and how important are they? 

With MapInfo Canada’s data 

modeling knowledge and MapInfo 

software, these location questions 

can be intelligently considered. 

Felipe Calderon is senior research 

analyst and Danny Heuman is director, 

custom research with MapInfo Canada. 

I N D U S T R Y F O C U S : 

DATA 

By Jon Winslow 

A Wicked Cool Bonus— 

2000 Census Data 

When the U.S. Census Bureau started 

releasing its 2000 data it was a delight to 

marketers around the country. The 2000 

Census data provides an intimate look at 

population swings, demographic groups, 

regional migrations and changing family 

structures, helping marketers to better 

target customers, perform market analysis 

and pinpoint new site locations. 

Companies use the Census to track today’s 

most carefully watched trends and forecast 

tomorrow’s. A few years ago, everyone was 

asking about senior citizens and looking to 

design health-care programs and assistedliving 

facilities. Now, the focus has shifted 

to requests about well-to-do teenagers. 

Today’s teenagers are wealthier than any 

teenage group in the history of the country. 

Every business has a special niche, a specific 

age, economic or ethnic segment of the 

population that it is especially interested 

in locating. It is not just the Fortune 1000 

companies, it is Internet start-ups, real 

estate developers, and anyone marketing 

to consumers using Census information to 

enhance its market and customer analysis. 

The 2000 Census data enables MapInfo 

to validate estimates and set a base line 

for future analysis. MapInfo ® TargetPro ® v3.6 

is the first MapInfo solution to utilize input 

from the newly released Census data, further 

enhancing this powerful market analysis 

and demographic segmentation solution. 

MapInfo adds tremendous value to the Census 

data through annual updates, the creation 

of additional modeled databases and the 

integration of data into MapInfo’s powerful, 

easy-to-use solutions—ultimately helping marketing 

professionals to make critical business 

decisions. MapInfo’s ability to clarify and 

interpret the data and supplement it with 

additional demographic information enables 

our customers to easily identify market trends, 

reach target markets and provides them 

with an important competitive advantage. 

MapInfo’s release of TargetPro v3.6 this 

Spring contains demographic estimates and 

projections on items such as population, 

households, median income and age, 

which are influenced by the Census 2000 

information. This data packaged with a 

variety of other Census-based marketing 

databases provides a robust market and 

customer analysis solution for marketing 

organizations around the world. 

Jon Winslow is market director of CRM 




21

NOVEMBER 12-15, 2001 

RENAISSANCE ORLANDO RESORT AT SEAWORLD • ORLANDO, FLORIDA 

DON’T MISS 

> more than 60 sessions on topics ranging from MapInfo Professional ® to Telecom 

> several hands-on sessions to get in-depth training 

> top-notch speakers 

> networking with peers from around the world and MapInfo’s talented team of product and technical experts 

> SeaWorld, the Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios 

CHOOSE FROM OUTSTANDING SESSIONS IN: 

> Desktop > Demographics > Enterprise > MapXtreme ® > Data 

How to Identify Market Potential 

Java Coding Tips 

Performance Tuning for MapXtreme 

Creating Virtual Geographic Files 

MapBasic Concepts for MapInfo Professional Power Users 

Transitioning from a Desktop to an Enterprise Solution 

Overview of Successful Public Sector Projects 

Spatial Queries in Relational Databases 

Choosing and Using Data 

MapX ® and XML Data Transfer 

Crystal Reports Overview 

Customer Appreciation Party 

Join us on Monday, Nov. 12, for a gala event at Pat O’Brien’s in the Universal Citywalk. 

Pat O’Brien’s is the home of dueling pianos, the “flaming fountain” patio and the world famous “hurricane” drink. 

After dinner, drinks and some fine entertainment, you’ll be able to explore the Universal Citywalk at your leisure. 

FOR MORE DETAILS, CHECK OUT WWW.MAPINFO.COM/MAPWORLDCONFERENCE

Upcoming Events 

oWEB SEMINARS 

FOR ADDED CONVENIENCE, MAPINFO IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE LATEST IN OUR 

WEB EVENTS—THE VIEW-ON-DEMAND SEMINAR (VOD)—A SELF-EXECUTABLE 

SEMINAR AND BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO MANY TOPICS, PRODUCTS OR SOLUTIONS. 

VODS ARE VIEWABLE ONLINE AND ON YOUR OWN TIME. 

Discover the Power of Where—an Introduction to MapInfo’s CRM Solutions 

Learn how MapInfo’s Location-based Intelligence helps predict customer behavior 

by understanding and acting upon location information—in less than five minutes 

Using TargetPro to Better Understand e-Markets and Customers 

Take a half-hour to learn how MapInfo ® TargetPro ® can focus around the Internet 

and predict customer behavior by combining real world demographics and virtual 

world behavioral data 

Local Calling Plan Solutions—Focus on Location 

A 30-minute seminar exploring the possibilities with MapInfo’s local calling area 

software solutions 

MapInfo Coverage Locator—a Web-based Solution 

In 30 minutes, learn how to share network coverage or service availability data 

across the organization and with customers and prospects interactively. 

Check out the schedule and register online at www.mapinfo.com/seminars or e-mail 

registration@mapinfo.com.All seminars are free. 

US Web Seminars 

May 6 Using Location to Profile, Predict and Understand Customer Behavior 

May 10 Building Wireless Handheld Applications 

May 22 Telecom Date—The Information Advantage 

May 23 Bringing Mapping Applications to Your Intranet or Web Site (Nontechnical) 

May 24 Wireless Network Planning 

May 30 Understanding Mapping and GIS for Police Departments 

May 31 Bringing Mapping Applications to Your Intranet or Web Site (Technical) 

June 6 Using Location to Profile, Predict and Understand Customer Behavior 

June 13 Driving Directions— Gaining a Competitive Advantage 

June 14 Building Wireless Handheld Applications 

June 19 Telecom Data—The Information Advantage 

June 20 Understanding Mapping and GIS for Police Departments 

June 21 Wireless Network Planning 

June 26 Bringing Mapping Applications to Your Intranet or Web Site (Nontechnical) 

June 28 Bringing Mapping Applications to Your Intranet or Web Site (Technical) 

Asia-Pac Web Seminar 

May 24 Bringing Mapping Applications to Your Intranet or Web Site 

EMEA Web Seminars 

May 14 Learn About MapInfo’s Location-based Solutions 

May 16 Mit standortbasierten Lösungen zum CRM 

May 30 Mobile Location-based Services 

June 6 Mit standortbasierten Lösungen zum CRM 

June 13 Mobile Location-based Services 

OTHER SHOWS MAPINFO WILL BE ATTENDING: 

TELECOM Supercomm • June 4-7 • Atlanta, GA • Booth 740D 

ALL Java One • June 4-7 • San Francisco • Booth TBD 

GOVERNMENT E Gov Conference • July 9-12 • Washington DC • Booth 264 

CRM NCDM (National Center for Database Marketing) • July 30-August 1 • Rosemont, IL • Booth TBD 

viewpoint: ASIA PACIFIC 

By Trevor Westlake 

Orange Delivers Unique 

LocalZone Service Using 

MapInfo Technology 

MapInfo Australia and Logica, an international 

systems integrator, have developed 

a location information system that supports 

Orange’s digital phone network. The solution 

enables Orange to precisely identify 

coverage areas within its CDMA network 

and deliver enhanced customer service. 

The CDMA network provides coverage to 

about 8 million people in and around Sydney 

and Melbourne. 

The service, Orange One, offers the combined 

features of mobile and local calls from 

one wireless handset. The application uses 

a combination of sophisticated mapping 

tools and geographic data to provide a 

visual representation of CDMA coverage 

by geographic region. 

“Our focus has always been on developing 

a reputable and reliable wireless service,” 

said Susan Buttsworth, director of IT and 

billing, Orange. “The spatial information 

system, provided by MapInfo and Logica, 

helps us to deliver a higher level of service 

to existing and prospective customers.” 

Orange uses MapInfo ® MapX ® , MapInfo ® 

StreetWorks ® Australia and MapInfo ® 

GeoLoc, which are integrated into the 

PeopleSoft customer contact application 

to provide LocalZone, a unique Orange One 

feature. Orange can customize a distinctive 

zone for each user, enabling the wireless 

handset to act like a home phone when used 

within a customer’s registered local area. 

Local calls are then billed at a local rate. 

Once the customer moves outside the 

LocalZone, calls are billed at mobile rates. 

With MapInfo technology, Orange pinpoints 

locations within its network and identifies its 

user base, customer by customer, allowing 

Orange to strategically offer its services as 

customers enter new sales areas. 

Trevor Westlake is vice president 

and general manager of MapInfo’s 

Asia-Pacific operations. 



23

oMapInfo User Groups 

24 

Arizona User Group 

Phoenix 

Jerry Bratton 

602.570.0051 

rfscout@excite.com 

California User Groups 

California State Agency 

Tracy Walklet 

925.299.6833 

walklet@ix.netcom.com 

LA/OC 

Ann Obee 

949.752.1440 

Sacramento 

Tracy Walklet 

925.299.6833 


San Francisco 

Tracy Walklet 

925.299.6833 


Colorado User Group 

Rocky Mountain 

Guy Larson 

303.692.0306 

glarson@primusgeo.com 

District of Columbia 

User Group 

Washington DC Metropolitan 

Erin Rubio 

703.827.7031 

erin@spatialinsights.com 

Florida User Groups 

Florida 

Ken Tozier 

iworks1@tampabay.rr.com 

Georgia User Group 

Atlanta 

John De Sarno 

404.262.7478 Ext. 10 

amug@sagesoft.com 

Jim Morton 

404.828.7009 Ext. 10 

amug@sagesoft.com 

Illinois User Group 

Chicago 

Ben Hirsch 

518.285.7109 

ben_hirsch@mapinfo.com 

Louisiana User Group 

Bethany 

Jerry Howard 

Jhoward@Micro-app.com 



Massachusetts 

User Group 

Boston 

Ben Hirsch 

518.285.7109 

ben_hirsch@mapinfo.com 

Michigan User Group 

Detroit 

Duncan Campbell 

517.332.7735 

Minnesota User Group 

Minneapolis 

Chuck Collins 

612.591.0820 

info@mnmaps.com 

Missouri User Group 

St. Louis 

Joe Bolian 

314.863.4636 

New York User Groups 

Capital Region 

Dave Butler 

518.283.4435 

New York City (Metro) 

212.244.0722 

caroles@teqservices.com 

Rochester 

Cindy Reid 

716.271.6490 

creid@mapanalytic.com 

North Carolina 

User Groups 

Carolina 

Jim Henry 

919.493.9339 

jchgis@jchgis.com 

Piedmont 

Dick Taylor 

919.732.5887 

Ohio User Groups 

Cincinnati 

Dave Bavis 

513.677.0556 

acculogic@fuse.net 

Cleveland 

Bob Sullivan 

330.929.1353 

bsullivan@rcsmg.com 

Columbus-Central Ohio 

Bob Sullivan 

800.897.9807 

bsullivan@rcsmg.com 

Oklahoma User Group 

Tulsa 

Jeff Davis 

918.250.5561 

Jdavis@intellevue.com 

Oregon User Group 

Portland 

John Lowe 

503.626.7508 

jlowe@teleport.com 

Pennsylvania User Group 

Philadelphia 

Kenneth Sipos 

215.686.4443 

kenneth.sipos@phila.gov 

Tennessee User Group 

Tennessee (East) 

Reid Gryder 

865.220.9531 

Reid@Gryder.com or 

BonjourTN@aol.com 

Texas User Groups 

Austin 

Jennifer Montano 

512.346.9330 

jmontano@deskmap.com 

Dallas 

Regina Tovar 

972.663.9480 

tovar@mapinfo.com 

Houston 


512.346.9330 


San Antonio 


512.346.9330 


Washington User Group 

Seattle 

John Schlosser 

206.224.0800 

Africa User Group 

South Africa 

Hentie Viviers 02711.394.6436 

afeast@iafrica.com 

Australia User Group 

Kristy Bryan 

+61.2.8925.7323 

kristy.bryan@mapinfo.com 

Canada User Groups 

Ottawa 

Jeff Gifford 

613.224.2020 Ext. 225 

gifford@northwoodtec.com 

Regina 

Gary Brewer 

306.787.8157 

Saskatoon 

Alan Wallace 

306.975.2645 

alan.wallace@ 

city.saskatoon.sk.ca 

Toronto 

Andrea Dawkins 

905.477.0770 

Manitoba 

Peter Williams 

204.444.5000 

info@datalink.ca 

Victoria 

Malcolm MacPhail 

250.385.2551 

Denmark User Group 

Skottenborg 

Ole Gregor 

+45.8662.3300 

Direct: +45.8661.4511, 

Ext. 2011 

New Zealand User Groups 

Local Government 

Simon Nitz 

+64.6.834.4151 

simonn@napier.govt.nz 

North Island 

Martin Erasmuson 

+64.4.472.8188 

martin.erasmuson@ 

mapds.co.nz 

South Island 

Andrew Hare 

+64.3.689.8079 

andrew@waimated.govt.nz 

Russia User Groups 

Moscow 

Alexi Prosianov 

+7.095.241.5732 

civcrane@cityline.ru 

St. Petersburg 

Mr. Alexey M. Pokrovsky 

+7.812.242.2574 

atuchkov@glas.apc.org 

Swedish User Group 

Tommy Sahlsten 

46.31.7690665 

info@mapinfo.nu 

Ukrainian User Group 

Alexander Dyshlyk 

or Maxym Kalyta RD 

+380.44.5587507 

mug@geomatica.kiev.ua 

United Kingdom 

User Group 

United Kingdom 

Mr. T.A. Tysoe 

+44.1234 842 316 

If you have any questions or would 

like to start a MapInfo User Group, 

please e-mail Michelle Barrett 

at michelle_barrett@mapinfo.com.

GEOBROADCASTING YOUR INFORMATION

26 

News &Trends 

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 

MapInfo Extends 

the Power of Microsoft 

SQL Server 

MapInfo announced a major initiative 

to support Microsoft ® SQL Server TM 

2000, the leading database for the 

Windows 2000 ® platform and the 

data management and analysis 

backbone of the Microsoft.NET 

Enterprise Servers. At the heart of 

MapInfo support for SQL Server is 

MapInfo ® SpatialWare ® , which extends 

SQL Server’s capabilities, tying 

together both nongeographicand 

geographic-based data to solve 

mission critical problems more 

effectively and efficiently. 

MapInfo Augments 

Business Analysis Solutions 

with Census 2000 Data 

MapInfo recently announced plans to 

integrate Census 2000 data into its core 

market analysis solutions. MapInfo ® 

TargetPro ® v3.6 will be the first 

MapInfo solution to incorporate the 

newly released data, further enhancing 

the powerful market analysis and 

demographic segmentation solution. 

MapInfo adds tremendous value to the 

Census data through annual updates, 

the creation of additional modeled 

databases and the integration of 

the data into MapInfo’s powerful, 

easy-to-use solutions, ultimately 

helping marketing professionals to 

make critical business decisions. 

MapInfo and Plurimus 

Partner to Deliver a CRM 

Solution that Uses Location 

Intelligence to Analyze 

Online Behavior 

MapInfo and Plurimus (formerly 

Foveon) announced a strategic 

partnership to deliver a CRM solution 

that enables an organization to profile 

the online behavior of Web users 

in any geographic region. Designed 

for use with MapInfo ® TargetPro ® , 

a powerful market analysis tool, 

Plurimus Summary Data enables a 

company, for the first time, to tie 

online behavior to a user’s geographic 

location and integrate this information 

with MapInfo’s demographic and 

segmentation data. 




‘Killer’ Applications 

for Mobile Location Services 


miAware uses XML APIs and a series 

of location specific functions including 

locate the user, “find-the-nearest”, 

transform location into intersection, 

ZIP Code and map generation, content 

management and other usable 

information. miAware also provides a 

framework for the use of dynamic 

content such as yellow pages, traffic 

incidents and retail business locations 

that are provided by third-party 

vendors from around the world. 

The location-aware technologies and 

dynamic content integrate into the 

MPC and Internet gateway to deliver 

services to wireless handheld devices. 

MapInfo will soon introduce mobile 

Internet services built on the miAware 

platform. Initially, MapInfo will 

offer a “concierge” type service, 

miGuide, and a “finder” type service, 

miConnect. 

MapInfo ® miGuide TM 

This application will provide users 

with access to relevant information 

based on their current location or 

future destination and displays maps 

and driving directions. miGuide will 

be available with dynamic content 

for hotels, retail business locations 

and yellow page information or the 

service provider can input their own 

location content for use within the 

application. miGuide may be utilized 

as a convenience offering for the 

frequent traveler and as a quick 

guide for the casual user. MapInfo 

is working with Nortel Networks 

to voice activate concierge services 

making it even easier for business 

professionals and consumers on the 

move to access information and services 

near them. In addition, Motorola 

will provide miGuide to Motorola’s 

multiple communications handsets. 

MapInfo ® miConnect TM 

This application will enable wireless 

service providers to deliver significant, 

value-added service to small- and 

medium-sized businesses as well as 

the general subscriber. As a business 

application, miConnect will enable 

a central dispatcher to enter the 

address of a new job, find the field 

worker closest to that location and 

send a message to the worker’s mobile 

device with details about the job, 

a map and driving directions. For subscribers, 

miConnect may be deployed 

for a “finder” type service, such as 

“find the friends closest to me” or 

“find my child”. miConnect will 

support e-mail, SMS, wireless markup 

language (WML) and Java technology 

enabled handsets based on the Java TM 

2, Micro Edition Platform. 

Given the mobile nature of people 

at work and leisure today, MapInfo’s 

Mobile Location Suite delivers location 

services and solutions attractive to 

both consumers and businesses. While 

the mobile location services market is 

noisy with hype these days, MapInfo 

is rising above the hype to deliver 

unique location applications 

in partner with technology vendors, 

content providers and wireless service 

providers from around the world. 

“MapInfo’s Mobile Location Suite provides 

wireless service providers with 

the ability to capitalize on the power 

of where, positioning us well to be the 

number one provider of location-based 

services and solutions,” said Lantz. 

Girard is senior public relations specialist 


SpatialWare Extends 

Microsoft SQL 

Server Capabilities 


SpatialWare has been designed to 

integrate with MapInfo’s core mapping 

products. MapInfo ® MapXtreme ® NT, 

MapInfo MapX ® and MapInfo Professional 

® may all be used in conjunction 

with SpatialWare. MapInfo has also 

developed MapInfo ® MapMarker ® ESP 

(Extended Stored Procedure), allowing 

SQL Server 2000 users to geocode 

directly to a SQL Server database using 

triggers. SpatialWare enables each of 

these products to leverage the power of 

your SQL Server database, delivering 

the ability to make informed business 

decisions in a geographic context for 

site selection, marketing analysis and 

asset management. 

Jason Weinberger is SpatialWare product 

manager with MapInfo.

Discover the power of where. 

Government organizations have lots of valuable information – all tied in some way to a geographic locale. 

With MapInfo’s software and data solutions, it’s suddenly easier for citizens and government employees alike 

to access, understand and analyze location-based information. Using the Internet or a secure intranet, people 

can instantly get the information they need – bus routes, new housing starts, crime trends in their neighborhood, 

job openings and so much more. Visit our web site and see how the power of where can give you the power 

to deliver government services better than ever before. 

® 

FREE E-GOV SEMINARS 

www.mapinfo.com/egov 

• average daily volume of 65,000 vehicles 

• within one block of 5 city bus lines 

• daytime pop. of 179,076 within 2 mile radius 

• 9% school age pop. within 2 mile radius 

• 17 daycare centers in a 5 mile radius 

• programs for the elderly 2 blocks west 

• crime down 8% in this sector 

©2001 MapInfo Corporation. All Rights Reserved. The MapInfo logo and the “Knowing Where” tagline are trademarks of MapInfo Corporation. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. 200763 

Call 1-800-619-2333 or visit www.mapinfo.com/industry/government for brochures, demos and online seminars.

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