Rand McNally Offers Proprietary Mapping Database to Businesses as New Web Service |
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Rand McNally & Company
8255 N. Central Park
Skokie, IL, 60076
USA
Press release date: November 9, 2005
Rand McNally MapEngine Allows Businesses, Developers to Incorporate America's Most Trusted Maps & Directions in Web Sites, Software Functionality
SKOKIE, Ill., Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- In a move to help businesses increase customer satisfaction, improve operational efficiency and drive retail store traffic, Rand McNally today announced the launch of Rand McNally MapEngine, a new Web service that features the company's proprietary, high quality mapping database. The service allows businesses to integrate high-quality maps, directions and location search functionality into their Web sites.
MapEngine is the only digital mapping product on the market that features Rand McNally's Integrated Dataset for North America (iDNA), the foundation for the company's venerated Street Guides, Thomas Guides® and professional wall maps.
Unlike other mapping servers that rely on raw vendor-supplied map databases, Rand McNally augments, corrects and enhances these datasets and cartographically improves their presentation, resulting in an end product that contains more complete, accurate and true-to-the-locality maps. iDNA also allows MapEngine end-users to easily cross-reference their Rand McNally digital maps with the company's other printed products, resulting in greater productivity for field operations.
"Our business partners have told us that there is a need in the market for something better," said Alan Yefsky, Rand McNally's vice president of new products and strategy.
"Everyone has a horror story about how online maps have steered them wrong. While this may be fine for free consumer sites, businesses that rely on map services for their field operations or to direct customers to their stores have a higher standard," Yefsky added.
Product Options Meet Many Needs
To meet the diverse needs of businesses, MapEngine is available as an application program interface (API) or a hosted Web application.
Rand McNally MapEngine Server API allows developers to integrate Rand McNally map functions into customized applications, making it an ideal solution for online Web portals, dealer/store/facility locators, customer service and call centers, and delivery and logistics operations. In addition to basic geocoding and map display functions, the API also features multipoint route optimization and location searches using custom data in a secure transaction environment.
Rand McNally MapEngine Hosted Locator is a hosted turnkey Web application that provides mapping, routing and location-search functions using static customer location data. With the Hosted Locator, Rand McNally builds, operates and houses a customer-branded location microsite to integrate with the company's existing Web presence, ideal for businesses that wish to outsource these functions and dealer/store/facility locators.
For more information, visit http://randmcnally.com/mapengine .
About Rand McNally
Rand McNally & Company, founded in 1856, is America's indispensable travel guide, providing mapping, routing and trip-planning tools for the consumer, business, education and commercial transportation markets. The company produces print and electronic products featuring national and local maps for the United States and Canada, including the Rand McNally Road Atlas and The Thomas Guide® books. Rand McNally offers trip planning on randmcnally.com. For more information, call 800/333-0136.
Source: Rand McNally
CONTACT: David Clemens of Rand McNally, +1-847-329-6118, dclemens@randmcnally.com ; or, Melissa Leeb of The Reynolds Communications Group, +1-312-541-9300, mleeb@reynoldsgroup.com
Web site: http://randmcnally.com/mapengine
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