ESRI Announces Release of MapShop 1.5.

Business Editors

REDLANDS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 8, 2002

ESRI, the world's leading developer of geographic information system (GIS) software, and The Associated Press (AP), the world's oldest and largest news organization, announced the latest release of MapShop software, version 1.5.

MapShop is a robust, easy-to-use tool for creating custom maps for the news media.

The system provides access to timely and accurate geographic map data and content, from global events to local street-level detail, assisting the user in the creation of all types of news and map graphics.

MapShop is a Web application for creating and customizing maps for output to editable EPS, GIF, shapefile, and other formats. The MapShop 1.5 release enhances the functionality and data offering in MapShop. MapShop 1.5 includes the U.S. shaded relief imagery and a more detailed world basemap, including hot spots such as Afghanistan, as well as the ability to locate U.S. addresses and define cartographic style preferences.

MapShop subscribers also have access to powerful desktop GIS tools (ArcView) and all the GIS data available through the Web application. Built using the Geography Network infrastructure from ESRI, MapShop is an affordable way for media outlets of all sizes to create quality map content and to make geographic information much more readily available to the public.

The latest release of MapShop includes several new features such as:

-- U.S. Address Matching -- ability to create a map of specific U.S. street
addresses

-- Preferences -- ability to set design preferences including the map color
palettes for individual subscriber organizations

-- Markers -- enhanced marker placement functionality

-- Census 2000 -- new census demographic content and enhanced search tools

-- Higher resolution images of terrain -- from 72 dpi to 200 dpi

-- More detailed data of some parts of the world from government data sources

"We at ESRI have always believed that maps are a very effective tool for communicating information to people," said Deane Kensok, Internet solutions manager at ESRI. "MapShop enables visual journalists to make a map on a tight deadline, whether they are reporting election results, census updates, or breaking news events."

MapShop allows an authorized user to define an area of interest through a search function, latitude/longitude coordinates, or by zooming to the desired area of a map. Once the area is selected, a user can add layers of information such as boundaries, roads, rivers, towns, satellite imagery, or shaded relief. A user's design style preferences can also be stored so maps can be regenerated again and again, each time in the user's unique cartographic style.

When satisfied, a user can simply download the map graphic to his or her computer in any number of available formats (EPS, GIF, JPG, PNG, shapefile). If further refinement is desired, a user can open the map in any of the common desktop software packages such as Freehand or Illustrator.

A MapShop 1.5 subscription includes a one-year service period as well as GIS software and training, and can be used by anyone at the newspaper for creating as many maps as they like during the year. The software includes ArcView, the world's most popular desktop mapping and GIS software. In addition, MapShop provides a rich and diverse collection of data. The value of the data included in a MapShop subscription is several hundred thousand dollars. Data includes both commercial and government data sets such as topographic, street network, demographic, environmental, flood zone, U.S. Census, and other data.

The latest release of MapShop provides every newspaper department an advanced set of tools. Applications reach both editorial and business sides of an organization. Editors can create advanced, sophisticated data-rich maps, join with local data sets to create unique localized maps, and support computer-assisted and investigative reporting. In addition, ArcIMS users can remain in the Web environment and share data across the network as well as across the Internet.