GfK GeoMarketing recently released an updated and expanded digital map edition for Russia. A particular highlight is the unprecedented map of the country's two-digit postcodes. Also noteworthy is the maps' comprehensive and gapless coverage of the entire country, from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean.

The new 2008 digital Russia Map Edition contains a total of 22 postcode, administrative and topographic maps, including, for the first time, a map of the country's two-digit postcodes. GfK GeoMarketing's in-house cartographers completely re-digitized the maps contained in the edition to reflect the 2008 status.

The available administrative maps are subdivided into maps of Russia's seven federal districts, 80 administrative regions and 2,532 districts. The highlight of the topographic maps is the depiction of more than 108,000 cities that gives users a detailed overview of their geographic distribution. The cities have been subdivided into six categories according to number of inhabitants. The layers depicting the country's administrative regions and cities include both Cyrillic and international place-name attributions.
"This new map edition is a response to the significant demand for maps and data for Russia," comments Doris Hardt-Beischl, director of sales at GfK GeoMarketing. "In spite or even because of the economic crisis, there is an immense need for reliable cartographic information on dynamic markets like Russia."

The Russia Map Edition is one among a series of GfK GeoMarketing's comprehensive and newly updated map editions for Asian countries. From now until early summer 2009, GfK GeoMarketing will be releasing updated postcode, administrative and topographic maps for all Asian countries. Many of the updated map editions for Asian countries are already available, including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan. GfK GeoMarketing offers the world’s largest collection of digital maps depicting postcodes and administrative regions. The company's collection of maps for 240 countries is regularly updated and expanded.

Applications
Digital maps serve as the foundation for the geographical analysis of data. They are used in conjunction with specialized cartographic software applications to support companies in their sales territory and expansion planning, among other things. Data on customer addresses, branch turnover and market potential can be associated with a postcode map and then visually displayed and analyzed.

Data formats
GfK GeoMarketing's digital maps are available in the following data formats: *.lay (RegioGraph and DISTRICT, GfK GeoMarketing's mapping software solutions), *.tab/*.mid/*.mif (MapInfo Professional), *.shp (ESRI ArcGIS) and *.gdb (GeoDatabase). GfK GeoMarketing's maps are vector-based, which allows for infinite zoom capability. GfK GeoMarketing's in-house *.lay format of the Russia Map Edition includes integrated street data from Tele Atlas. This additional data means that natural boundaries such as rivers and mountains can be taken into account when planning sales or service territories with RegioGraph. The data also make it possible to calculate drive-time zones around company locations.

Additional information on the digital Russia Map Edition can be found at
www.gfk-geomarketing.com/russia or by contacting Nicole Lahr at +49 (0)7251 9295160 or
n.lahr@gfk-geomarketing.com.

Print-quality illustrations can be found at
www.gfk-geomarketing.com/russia_map_edition (approx. 1.3 MB).

Download press release (approx. 56 KB)

About GfK GeoMarketing

GfK GeoMarketing is one of Europe’s largest providers of geomarketing solutions for customers from all branches of trade. Its services include:

• Consultancy
• Market data
• Digital maps
• RegioGraph and DISTRICT geomarketing software solutions

The company is a subsidiary of the international GfK network. Ranked among the world’s top 5 market research organizations, the GfK Group consists of 115 subsidiaries and approximately 10,000 employees, with operations in 100 countries.

Press Information:
Cornelia Lichtner
Public Relations
Tel. +49 (0)7251 9295 270
Fax +49 (0)7251 9295 290
c.lichtner@gfk-geomarketing.com