Visio Unveils Easy-to-Use Desktop Mapping Product.NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 17, 1997-- Visio Maps Uses ESRI's MapObjects Code and Demographic Data to Deliver A Complete Solution for Creating and Sharing Data-Rich Geographic Maps Visio Corp. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on "VSIO") today announced at PC Expo A trade show for resellers, corporate managers and technical professionals from CMP Media LLC, a subsidiary of United Business Media. First held in New York in 1983 with 120 exhibitors and 9,600 attendees, the show grew from the personal computer's early years to 550 vendors and more than its new product Visio(R) Maps, a desktop mapping Using a desktop computer to perform digital mapping functions. software product that allows users to create, share and distribute high-quality, data-rich maps quickly and easily. Designed for the needs of users who are not geographic information systems (GIS) specialists, Visio Maps is the result of a business relationship announced in November 1996 between Visio and Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc., Redlands, CA, www.esri.com) The world's leading developer of geographic information systems (GIS) software, including programs that plot ZIP codes and addresses, demographic information and detailed, color-coded data. ), the market leader in GIS software This is a list of notable GIS software applications. See also the comparison of GIS software. Open source software Most widely used open source applications:
Visio Corp., which brought unmatched ease of use to business diagramming and technical drawing for the Windows desktop user, has incorporated ESRI's MapObjects technology within Visio Maps to deliver a new standard for mapping throughout the organization. "The GIS market has experienced explosive growth as more and more corporations recognize the need for map-based data to analyze trends, patterns and relationships for better decision-making," said Gary Gigot, vice president of worldwide products at Visio. "Because Visio software is a visualization tool, its technology can be extended naturally to the GIS market, which will take the current use of Visio to a new level in problem solving problem solving Process involved in finding a solution to a problem. Many animals routinely solve problems of locomotion, food finding, and shelter through trial and error. ." Visio Maps Bridges a Gap in the Growing Market for GIS GIS and mapping software are becoming increasingly popular in a variety of industries and vertical markets. Geographic information is a common denominator common denominator n. 1. Mathematics A quantity into which all the denominators of a set of fractions may be divided without a remainder. 2. A commonly shared theme or trait. in more than 90 percent of existing information. GIS technology usage has increased in the past two decades, moving from the realm of academic research to markets such as government, environmental and utilities services and now, into mainstream business usage. Worldwide sales for GIS software products indicate growth at an annual rate in excess of 13 percent, and sales are likely to top the $1.3 billion mark by the end of 1997, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Dataquest. By introducing Visio Maps, Visio brings its well-known ease of use and power to a market category that until now has been dominated by difficult and expensive software packages. These products have traditionally required the user to be a GIS specialist, and cost more than $1,000. Visio Maps is designed for the more than 1.3 million current users of Visio software who require more sophisticated mapping capabilities; GIS users who work with, but generally do not create, GIS maps; and software developers who can use Visio Maps as a development platform. "I haven't used a GIS desktop mapping product, but I can see its value," said Richard Reis, distributed systems Distributed systems (computers) A distributed system consists of a collection of autonomous computers linked by a computer network and equipped with distributed system software. architect at a large telecommunications company See telecom company. . "I am looking forward to a product that will permit me to easily create maps showing user and system locations. I appreciate Visio's easy-to-use interface and its capability to connect and align shapes. About Visio Maps An add-on to Visio software products, Visio Maps allows users to take advantage of the same familiar user interface and SmartShapes(R) symbols that are available in Visio, Visio Professional and Visio Technical. In addition, Visio Maps provides more than 120 new SmartShapes symbols for transportation, recreation, buildings and facilities, oil, gas and water, weather and forecasting Weather and Forecasting is a publication of the American Meteorological Society. Articles on forecasting and analysis techniques, forecast verification studies, and case studies useful to forecasters. , as well as general-purpose labels such as legends. The product also provides mapping features offered by high-end GIS tools, including thematic shading of data, address-matching to street level, the ability to find locations by data, and spatial selection tools. Finally, Visio Maps imports and exports data from standard ODBC-compliant databases, such as Microsoft Excel (tool) Microsoft Excel - A spreadsheet program from Microsoft, part of their Microsoft Office suite of productivity tools for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh. Excel is probably the most widely used spreadsheet in the world. Latest version: Excel 97, as of 1997-01-14. , Microsoft Access A database program for Windows, available separately or included in the Microsoft Office suite. Access is programmable using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Access can read Paradox, dBASE and Btrieve files, and using ODBC, Microsoft SQL Server, SYBASE SQL Server and Oracle data. , Microsoft FoxPro and Borland dBASE, in standard data file formats, thus enabling users to add and manipulate their own information within maps. With demographic and geographic data Geographic data is about much more than electronic pictures of maps. The geographic data that describes our world allows for city planning, flood prediction and relief, emergency service routing, environmental assessments, wind pattern monitoring and many other applications. provided by ESRI, Visio Maps provides data sets -- including country, state, major city, major county, five- and three-digit ZIP code zip code System of postal-zone codes (zip stands for “zone improvement plan”) introduced in the U.S. in 1963 to improve mail delivery and exploit electronic reading and sorting capabilities. area, area of dominant influence (ADI), Census Tract A census tract, census area, or census district is a particular community defined for the purpose of taking a census. Usually these coincide with the limits of cities, towns or other administrative areas and several tracts commonly exist within a county. , and metropolitan statistical area (MSA (Metropolitan Service Area) An urban area with at least 50,000 people plus surrounding counties. There are 306 MSAs and 428 RSAs (rural service areas) in the U.S. MSAs and RSAs are used to allocate cellular licenses. ) boundaries, as well as five-digit ZIP code points, lakes, rivers, population centers, main roads and highways List of articles related to roads and highways around the world. International/World
In addition, ESRI's MapObjects, which is a collection of powerful mapping and GIS components that includes an ActiveX Control A software module based on Microsoft's Component Object Model (COM) architecture. It enables a program to add functionality by calling ready-made components that blend in and appear as normal parts of the program. and more than 30 ActiveX Automation objects, provides the framework upon which the application is built. Visio Maps will also be compatible with ESRI's desktop GIS tool, ArcView, enabling users to share maps and data with GIS specialists in their organizations. "We are proud to be partnering with Visio to offer a single, total-enterprise GIS solution for companies of all sizes," said Jack Dangermond, founder and president of ESRI. "By using our MapObjects code and providing compatibility with our ArcView product, Visio gives ESRI's GIS-specialist customers the unique ability to share maps with every individual in their organizations. This will dramatically increase their productivity and reinforce the importance of visualizing geographic data in business applications." Using Visio Maps The potential use of Visio Maps spans many industries: -- A network manager could show the geographic area that underlies a wide area network by linking a network-configuration diagram to a map. As the configuration diagram changes, the map is automatically updated to reflect the change. -- A florist franchisee with multiple flower shops could track revenue by store, examine locations of nearby competitors, and plot details about delivery status of orders using street-level data. -- A school district, which is required to replot its school district boundaries yearly as regional population fluctuates, could easily access current census data and its own school records to create school-district maps. -- A bank or financial institution could check to ensure that it is complying with current regulations by analyzing loan distributions by demographic area. Pricing and Availability Visio Maps will be available in August 1997 directly from Visio Corp., as well as from leading national distributors, corporate resellers and retail channels. The product is a 32-bit application designed to work with 32-bit versions of Visio 4.0, Visio Professional 4.5, or Visio Technical 4.5. Visio Maps will have a U.S. estimated street price of $199. To place an order or to obtain more information on any Visio product, customers can contact Visio at 800-24-VISIO (248-4746), ext. 93W. Additional details about Visio can be obtained on CompuServe (GO VISIO) or Visio's Web page at http://www.visio.com/solutions/ About Visio Corp. Visio Corp., a leading supplier of enterprisewide business diagramming and technical drawing software, was founded in September 1990. The Seattle-based company pioneered the drawing and diagramming market with the release of Visio 1.0 in November 1992 and has since released additional Windows-based products for the creation and exchange of drawings and diagrams in business. Visio's powerful product architecture, combined with partner programs and third-party relationships in key market segments, is establishing Visio as a desktop platform standard for the creation of graphical solutions. The company markets the Visio product line in nine languages and in more than 35 countries with more than 1 million users throughout the world. About ESRI ESRI was founded in 1969 as a research group devoted to improving methods of handling geographically referenced data. Today, ESRI is the leading developer of geographic information system (GIS) software, with more than 100,000 clients worldwide. ESRI also provides consulting, implementation, and technical support services support services Psychology Non-health care-related ancillary services–eg, transportation, financial aid, support groups, homemaker services, respite services, and other services . In addition to its headquarters in California, ESRI has regional offices throughout the United States, international offices and distributors in more than 70 countries, and more than 500 resellers and developers. ESRI's goal is to provide users with comprehensive tools to help them quickly and efficiently manage and use geographic information to make a real difference in the world around them. ESRI can be found on the World Wide Web at www.esri.com . -0- Visio and SmartShapes are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Visio Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks, trade names or company names referenced herein are used for identification only and are the property of their owners. CONTACT: Waggener Edstrom Lauren Stine, 425/637-9097 laurens@wagged.com |
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