FORTIUSONE RELEASES GEOCOMMONS MAKER!

01 October 2008, 10:37am

Arlington, VA – October 1, 2008 — FortiusOne, a leading provider of next-generation location intelligence, announced the launch of Maker!—an easy-to-use web application that enables non-technical users to create actionable maps using their own data and GeoCommons open source data. More than 80 percent of all business data maintained by organizations around the world has a location component. FortiusOne's GeoCommons enables you to leverage massive amounts of valuable data to detect trends, risks and opportunities, resulting in a complete view of your business information and revealing new opportunities to enhance profitability.

“Maker! empowers a much broader audience to access capabilities previously restricted to professionals,” said Sean Gorman, CEO and founder of FortiusOne. "The incredible value of GIS analysis has been largely inaccessible due to the high cost and expertise required to implement and use traditional GIS products. Maker! enables simple access to this information and technology without traditional GIS overhead. We are eager to see the new and innovative ways users will draw value and learning from Maker!; the possibilities are truly endless."

Maker! was jointly developed by FortiusOne and the cartographers of Axis Maps. Spun out of the University of Wisconsin's award-winning cartography program, Axis Maps specializes in bringing visual mapping applications onto the Web.

"We are extremely pleased with the work Axis Maps and FortiusOne have done together," said Andrew Turner, CTO of FortiusOne. "As recognized experts in their field, we brought them on board to ensure that Maker! was not only easy-to-use but also cartographically accurate in its design and implementation."

Maker!, along with previously released Finder!, an application for finding, organizing and sharing geographic data, form the foundation of the groundbreaking GeoCommons platform. GeoCommons provides non-technical users the ability to view multiple datasets on a single map, draw conclusions, make decisions and solve problems.

"GeoCommons is the first of its kind; a substantive connection between traditional GIS and the open, intuitive GeoWeb," said Gorman. "By streamlining core GIS capabilities we have shortened the map creation process from hours to minutes. “GeoCommons provides the ability to harness data in an intuitive way enabling the average user to solve problems through maps.”

Maker!

Axis Maps

FortiusOne

Geo: International