Pride of place at the event goes to version 5.5 of GeoConcept, the world-class mapping and geographic information system. This introduces a range of enhancements that help users to get data and maps into and out of the application more easily; to customise the interface more precisely to meet their own requirements; to manipulate maps and data more flexibly; and control output more precisely, both on screen and in print.
Presentation of maps gains from the introduction of user-defined colour palettes and the option of working in RGB or CMYK, and provision for page layouts to be copied between maps. Virtual layers can now be scale-dependent, so that devices such as pie charts can vary in size according to the level of zoom. GeoConcept can now read and write maps such as the OS Mastermap series directly in GML (Geographic Markup Language), and maps can be output in SVG (scaleable vector) format – ideal for display on the Web.
Also new is version 2.1 of GeoConcept Internet Server, the system which can deliver the functionality of GeoConcept to end users through a standard Web browser. An important new variant called GCIS Professional is now offered, allowing end users extra power to define the appearance of maps, to interact directly with them and to specify what information is displayed on them – all without the need for development skills.
The new capabilities are provided by means of pre-written Java applets, which deliver a range of interactive dialog boxes from which users select criteria. With these, users can create shaded maps to their own specifications, conduct thematic analysis through devices such as pie charts, and build queries based on parameters they select themselves.
Making its first show appearance is a new sales and marketing module for GeoConcept. This provides users with automated formula fields that allow them to perform typical marketing analysis processes without needing to be experts in GIS. They can define and save territories and catchments (depot territories, for instance), and also save a range of scenarios and layout templates – all of which can be accessed easily on screen through “click and go” buttons or tabs.
Through this approach, non-expert users can handle classic tasks such as analysing market penetration, profitability and catchment, using built-in thematic mapping tools such as shaded maps, 3D proportional pie charts, bar charts, along with statistical tools such as standard deviation.
As market and business analysis becomes increasingly international, many users are expected to benefit from the new Universal Geocoder from Kingswood MapMechanics. This goes far beyond the simple look-up tables often used in the UK to map postcodes to location, taking account of the fact that in other countries postcoding is not always as detailed as it is here. Not only can it geocode addresses in a variety of formats in many different countries; it can also do it extremely quickly.
Universal Geocoder is offered as an optional module with GeoConcept, the leading GIS, but is also available as a stand-alone product to geocode data for use in other software systems. It is not limited to postcodes; it can also geocode locations on the basis of other criteria including town, street and individual house number.
A variety of new products are listed in the new edition of Kingswood MapMechanics’ well-established Data Catalogue, including the new 2001 GB Census Data, which the company has enhanced with added-value elements such as street-level cross-referencing of key population counts. There is now more emphasis on data for overseas locations (for instance, a much wider range of foreign countries is covered now by the business datasets on offer); and because not all sources are geocoded, the company has used its own Universal Geocoder software to offer geocoded versions where required. New continental datasets are included, offering consistent international neighbourhood profiling across borders.
Street-level map data has now been introduced for both North and South America, and on the home front, map data from Ordnance Survey Northern Ireland (the most comprehensive and up-to-date for the area) has been added to the existing mapping data for Great Britain. |
