Maptuit Opens U.S. Head Office to Offer eLogistics And Location-Based
Services Through Internet and Wireless Devices; Opens Head Office in Burlington
MA, Names Jeff Papows CEO
BURLINGTON, Mass., Oct 4, 2000 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Maptuit Corporation today
announced the immediate availability of a new range of eLogistics and
location-based services.
Working with several category-leading partners including 724 Solutions
(Nasdaq:SVNX) and Descartes Systems Group (Nasdaq:DSGX), Maptuit is supplying
companies with the infrastructure needed to offer location-based and eLogistics
services over both the wireline and wireless Internet. As part of the launch,
Maptuit also today named industry veteran Jeffrey Papows as CEO at the opening
of its new U.S. headquarters located in Burlington, MA.
As an application service provider (ASP), Maptuit enables its customer and
partners to disseminate geographically specific information in the form of
personalized points of interest, spatial searches, maps, and step-by-step
directions to consumers over the web, and on mobile handsets. In addition,
Maptuit licenses its route sequencing technology to enable businesses to
optimally direct their vehicles as customer orders and traffic conditions
change.
"Maptuit is a new breed of Internet utility company," says Papows. "Maptuit's
technology provides companies across a variety of sectors with the tools to take
control of where and when their clients, customers and employees receive
location-based information using the Internet and the latest wireless devices."
Tapping the power and reach of Maptuit's eLogistics technology, delivery and
services companies can access a comprehensive database of over 40 million roads
in North America to help their drivers find the quickest and most efficient way
to reach their customers within a city or across a state. Papows says Maptuit is
targeting the $500B transportation industry, which is grappling with rising fuel
costs and looking for tools to help improve their operational efficiency. On
average, a 20 per cent cost efficiency can be achieved using Maptuit's
multi-point route sequencing technology, which calculates the most optimal way
of visiting a number of locations.
ServiceHub Corporation of Cupertino, CA, is representative of companies
licensing Maptuit's eLogistics services. A pioneer in the field of mobile
dispatch, field service management and supply chain communications, ServiceHub
is augmenting its solutions with Maptuit's address matching, map rendering and
routing technology.
The company is also working with 724 Solutions, a leading wireless company
serving the financial services industry, to develop and globally deploy
integrated solutions featuring personalization and customization that will
enable people on the go to conveniently find ATMs, stores, gas stations, and
restaurants and to make financial transactions using wireless PDAs and mobile
phones.
Another customer, Pixxures, Inc. of Golden, CO, which was founded for the
purpose of making digital mapping products more accessible to users worldwide,
has licensed Maptuit's location-based services to augment the company's
high-resolution aerial photography and satellite imagery with map rendering and
address matching functions. Pixxures' technology enables customers to locate
earth imagery of interest based on addresses and zip codes."
"Everyone requires access to a map or a set of directions at one time or
another," says Don Tapscott, Chairman, Maptuit. "Both consumers and business
people need timely and convenient access to geographically specific information
- be it the location of the nearest bank machine, directions to a local event,
or the best way to visit a customer."
The Maptuit Architecture
The core of Maptuit's technology is a central set of servers that provide
geocoding, mapping, routing and location-oriented services. A number of
different application servers sit on top of this foundation and provide turn-key
applications. A separate application server provides access to the core services
for those customers that wish to integrate Maptuit's services into their own.
maptuit.server - an XML service enables companies to integrate attractions, maps
and directions into existing web sites and service offerings. Its open
architecture supports such applications as address verification for ERP systems,
wireless services such as in-car navigation aids, or integrated voice response
systems that provide directions as part of a "411-like" service.
maptuit.locator - provides customers with the means to quickly integrate maps
into their existing web sites along with various attributes such as store hours,
items on sale, etc., Using Maptuit's sophisticated user interface, consumers can
zoom and pan the map, locate attractions and drill down for further information
including directions.
maptuit.portal - enables customers to provide portals with a system for
deploying both wireline and wireless location-based services. The technology
provides contextualized content (categorized locations) in a form that can be
readily acted upon by consumers. For instance, online or wireless consumers can
receive information about, and directions to, a restaurant from a list of
locations within a given proximity.
Maptuit currently has the infrastructure in place to support the U.S. and
Canadian market, and is working with IBM to globally deploy Maptuit's services.
The company intends to extend its services to selected countries in Europe and
Asia.
About Maptuit
Headquartered in Burlington, MA, with offices in Denver, Colorado and Toronto,
Canada, Maptuit is an emerging supplier of wireline and wireless Internet
location-based and eLogistics services. Built upon a comprehensive database of
the street network of North America, Maptuit provides address matching, route
generation, step-by-step directions, map rendering, and real-cost proximity
searching services. Maptuit's unique real-time multi-point route sequencing
technology enables the creation of next-generation logistics solutions that
lower operational costs while enhancing customer satisfaction. For more
information visit www.maptuit.com |
