Leading Location Intelligence Solution Connects to the Cloud to Simplify Map Creation and Sharing, Supports EU INSPIRE Spatial Data Regulations

Windsor, Berks UK, 13 May 2010 – Pitney Bowes Business Insight (PBBI) has today announced the launch of Pitney Bowes MapInfo Professional® v10.5, the latest version of the company’s flagship application for business and mapping analysis. MapInfo Professional enables organisations to capitalise on location-based data, gaining deeper insights into their customers, resources and overall operations to make better informed decisions.

MapInfo Professional v10.5 provides organisations with new and powerful methods for sharing maps across the enterprise. With MapInfo Professional v10.5, organisations can more fully interact with the cloud, including capabilities to publish maps to the cloud and access data from the cloud. Users can publish maps to the cloud using MapInfo Professional v10.5 in conjunction with MapInfo Stratus, the company’s first completely Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)-based solution for spatial location-based data and services.

MapInfo Professional v10.5 also includes integration with Bing Maps and increased support for key industry standards such as the OGC Catalogue Services Web interface, streamlining access to data residing in the cloud and additional publishing features. By using the new integrated Metadata Browser capability within MapInfo Professional v10.5, public sector organisations will be able to easily search catalogues of spatial data hosted internally by organisations across Europe, as mandated by the EU’s INSPIRE regulations.

MapInfo Professional v10.5 will be fully demonstrated at the MapInfo User Group UK & Ireland event in London on Wednesday 23 June. This will be followed by a series of live webinars entitled "Get INSPIRED with MapInfo Professional v10.5”, which will cover the new features in the software and also include a live demonstration. For more information and to register for the webinars, go to: http://goto.pbinsight.com/mipro/

“PBBI has continued to improve the MapInfo Professional product with the release of v10.5, particularly with regard to its intuitive user interface,” said Roger Jones, GIS Manager, Bournemouth Borough Council. “MapInfo Professional v10.5 will make it even easier to share spatial data and enhance Bournemouth’s ongoing mission to deliver a single view of the citizen.”

"Pitney Bowes Business Insight continues to enhance their customer's ability to derive value from their location-based data,” said Dave Sonnen, senior consultant, IDC. "The new version of MapInfo Professional adds significant capabilities for sharing and analysing location-specific information across the enterprise.”

“The ability to visualise location-based information helps organisations gain deeper insight into their data, which is critical to engaging customers and performing insightful business analysis,” said Chris Sampson, senior director, Bing Maps at Microsoft Corp. “By integrating with our mapping platform, Pitney Bowes Business Insight is able to combine our cutting-edge aerial technology with its leading business mapping and analysis solution, providing organisations with a more holistic view of their spatial data.”

Benefits of MapInfo Professional v10.5 include:

- Ability to Visualise Aerial Imagery—Users can integrate satellite imagery from Bing Maps with maps they’ve created using MapInfo Professional v10.5, providing additional clarity and enhanced detail. Bing Maps includes vivid, photorealistic images and data for geographies across the globe.

- Link to the Cloud—Organisations can share and leverage maps via the cloud using MapInfo Stratus, providing enterprise-wide access to dynamic maps that users interact with on a daily basis. By directly connecting to the cloud from the MapInfo Professional user interface, organisations are no longer limited to internal data sets, expanding data access beyond the desktop.

- More Publishing Options—MapInfo Professional v10.5 supports GeoPDF, which allows organisations to publish both coordinate data as well as tabular information to a PDF file, giving users more flexibility when sharing information with their colleagues.

- Increased Efficiency—MapInfo Professional v10.5 reduces the time needed to create detailed, layered maps with multiple-zoom override. Users can now create zoom-dependent layer styles or label values with just a click of the mouse. Maps that have required 17-plus layers in the past can now be created with only seven layers, while still retaining the same level of intricacy and interactivity.

- Streamlined Access to Data—A MetaData Browser enables users to search and open map files by only typing a few keywords, making it easier to find the data they need. With the MetaData Browsers, organisations using MapInfo Professional can connect to any publicly hosted data catalogue or one that their organisation hosts.

- Supports Key Industry Standards and Regulations—Organisations can utilise the MetaData Browser to search any OGC or INSPIRE-compliant catalogues, helping improve data access and meet key regulations and standards such as INSPIRE in the European Union.

“A large percentage of an organisation’s information about its resources, competition and customers is location based – Pitney Bowes Business Insight is committed to providing solutions that enable companies to effectively leverage their existing data to more effectively acquire, serve and grow customer relationships, helping drive bottom line results,” said Mike Hickey, president, Pitney Bowes Business Insight. “MapInfo Professional provides instant access to the cloud, streamlining the process of making and sharing maps. This ensures that our customers have access to the tools and information that organisations need to make critical business decisions and build deeper customer relationships.”

Availability
Pitney Bowes MapInfo Professional v10.5 will be available in June 2010 in addition to an online trial evaluation. To register for the trial version and a chance to win an Apple iPad, please visit http://go.pbinsight.com/more-pr2.