MapInfo Corporation and Northwood Geoscience Ltd. Announce the Release of deciBel Planner 1.1
New Features Address Specific Needs of Paging Market
biz.yahoo.com
TROY, N.Y. and NEPEAN, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 4, 1999-- MapInfo Corporation (NASDAQ:MAPS -
news) and Northwood Geoscience Ltd. today announced the release of deciBel Planner 1.1. This newest version of their
Windows-based radio frequency (RF) propagation modeling solution now supports paging network planning plus several other
new features that will enhance the way RF engineers construct and use propagation models.
Large and small paging companies can now build predictive network coverage areas, based on the probability that a signal will
be captured by a receiver, and overlay this information with demographic and geographic data. With deciBel Planner, engineers
can analytically compare RF propagation results with field tests, select transmission tower locations, and distribute this
information via MapInfo Professional to other departments.
''Paging is the most efficient and cost effective method of telecommunications for the consumer. By adding the paging option to
deciBel Planner, wireless companies can now perform specific analyses to successfully model a paging network that will best
serve their customers,'' said David Klein, MapInfo's product marketing manager.
''We continue to recognize the importance of this business solution in the growing wireless communications market,'' said
Northwood telecom product manager Neil Pearson. ''With the new capabilities of deciBel Planner 1.1, we are offering paging
and other wireless service providers innovative ways to leverage geographic information and gain a competitive position in the
market.''
Allen Ross, manager of wide and local area networks projects for GTECH, Inc. of West Greenwich, Rhode Island, said,
''With deciBel Planner, we have significantly increased our ability to quickly and accurately respond to customer RFPs/RFIs
and also reduced the time required to evaluate our current network architectures for wireless expansion possibilities.'' According
to Ross, GTECH wireless networks are deployed in 20 U.S. and International lottery jurisdictions serviced by GTECH. Ross
added that the new features in this latest release are of interest to GTECH even though it's not a paging company because
GTECH uses similar simulcast modeling to blanket a specific area for coverage.
New Features
deciBel Planner 1.1 enables RF engineers to extend propagation modeling into the desktop mapping environment by seamlessly
integrating network coverage areas with geographic information. New features include:
Paging Module--offers the specific site and network analyses necessary to successfully model a paging network. This
feature is added to existing cellular/PCS and general broadcast capabilities.
RF Import Tool--seamlessly imports files from MSI's Planet program into MapInfo's GIS system. This enables Planet
users to preserve their investments in data while using deciBel Planner's spatial analysis and thematic mapping functions.
Enhanced Propagation Modeling Interface--enables customers to use multiple propagation models when planning a
network. Engineers can use their combined knowledge of local terrain and propagation models to chose the one that will
give the best results given the geographic nature of the area.
Filter Selection Tool--creates time-saving project filters for focusing on specific aspects of a network, such as phasing in
a new section or creating new server coverages, when part of a network is temporarily decommissioned.
Drive-Test Data Analysis Utility--combines all the steps of sorting, aggregating, comparing and analyzing measured and
modeled data into one easy-to-access tool. It allows users to quickly determine appropriate clutter parameter assignment
values in order to optimize propagation model output.
Availability and Pricing
deciBel Planner 1.1 is available now at a cost of $18,995.00 for a single user license. With no additional charge for the paging
module, deciBel Planner 1.1 remains one of the most affordable tools on the market.
About Northwood Geoscience
Headquartered in Nepean (Ontario, Canada), Northwood Geoscience Ltd. develops and markets specialized GIS mapping
solutions worldwide. The company's two main software products, deciBel Planner and Vertical Mapper, a powerful GIS
analysis and display software package, are distributed in 40 countries by more than 500 accredited partners. In addition,
Northwood sources, builds and compiles precision data sets that enhance the analytical capabilities of its mapping solutions.
Northwood is a Strategic Partner of MapInfo Corporation and winner of MapInfo's 1998 Canadian Partner of the Year award.
Northwood can be found on the World Wide Web at northwoodgeo.com.
About MapInfo
MapInfo Corporation, the information discovery company, is the worldwide leader in business mapping solutions and a
preeminent supplier of spatial information management systems. More than 300,000 users in virtually every industry use
MapInfo's business intelligence applications to discover unseen patterns and trends in their corporate information and customer
databases. Customers deploy MapInfo's products and solutions on the desktop, on enterprise servers, and across the
Internet/intranets in enterprise-wide applications. Available in 20 languages, MapInfo products are distributed in 58 countries by
more than 1,000 partners. Headquartered in Troy, NY, MapInfo Corporation is on the World Wide Web at
mapinfo.com.
MapInfo, MapInfo Professional, MapInfo logo, MapInfo MapX, and SpatialWare are registered trademarks, and MapXtreme,
StreetPro, and TargetPro are trademarks of MapInfo Corporation in the United States. deciBel Planner and Vertical Mapper
are trademarks of Northwood Geoscience Ltd. Other products named herein may be trademarks of their respective
manufacturers and are hereby recognized.
Contact:
MapInfo Corporation Schwartz Communications
Barbara Pilliod Laura Sexton
(518) 285-6000 (781) 684-0770
barbara_pilliod@mapinfo.com lauras@schwartz-pr.com
or
Northwood Geosciences Ltd.
Jane Frarey Wark
(613) 224-2020
jfrareywark@northwoodgeo.com |
