Mar 12, 2009 - Pittsburgh, PA -  In an effort to help non-profits, government agencies and businesses facing tight budgets to make the most efficient use of their resources, social venture Rhiza Labs is launching an entry-level offering of Rhiza Insight, its acclaimed web-based GIS application, for a lower monthly price.  “In a recession, it is especially important for mission-driven organizations to do as much they can with as few resources as possible,” remarks Josh Knauer, CEO of Rhiza Labs.  “With Rhiza Insight’s online mapping and data-sharing tools, organizations can actually save money by increasing the number of staff who can perform the types of GIS analysis usually reserved for experts.”
 
Insight is “GIS for the rest of us,” and makes it simple for anyone to quickly create rich maps they can share with others through e-mail, RSS, Google Earth, blogs and more. With custom Insight websites, it is easier than ever for counties, municipalities, economic development organizations, human services groups, planning agencies and other organizations to visualize, analyze and share geographic data online.
 
“Now is an excellent time to invest in online tools that turn all staff members into skilled GIS analysts, even if they’ve never touched a GIS program before in their lives” says Knauer. “In a recession, everyone needs to work smarter, and the right software can make a big difference. Insight increases productivity with easy to use tools that amplify the capacities of existing human resources."
 
All Rhiza Insight websites can share data across organizational boundaries if organizations choose, helping to create an “Information Commons” of community data that grows every time new data is added to any Rhiza Insight website.   “We’re passionate about making public data easier for everyone to access and understand, so we encourage our customers to share their public data as well, if they choose,” says Knauer.
 
To learn more about Rhiza Insight and how it can help your organization understand and visualize community information, visit www.rhizalabs.com.
 
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Rhiza Labs creates software that helps non-profits, government agencies and businesses to share information, understand community needs, track community assets and collaborate around shared collections of data. Leveraging the power of the Information Commons, Rhiza Labs builds award-winning open systems that make it easy to share, analyze and understand data.