Avenza Systems Inc., producers of MAPublisher cartographic software for Adobe Illustrator, and Geographic Imager geospatial tools for Adobe Photoshop, recently launched its PDF Maps app and complementary Avenza Map Store on the Apple iOS platform.
With the launch of the PDF Maps app, cartographers and map publishers now have access to consumers that rely on smartphones and tablets as the consumption of paper maps continues to decline.
Avenza’s PDF Maps app is the first and only geospatial PDF reader available for consumer use and has already won praise from the International Map Trade Association (IMTA) for the “Best Use of New Technology and New Media.”
The PDF Maps app supports a growing database of maps featuring tens of thousands of maps authored, distributed or sold by individual cartographers, established map publishers, and government agencies. The marketplace provides a new e-commerce venue that allows those in the industry to have access to more than 200 million Apple iOS users seeking information about specific maps.
The map store differs from most smartphone mapping applications, in that it doesn’t create dynamic webmaps, but, rather, static “published” maps that are more akin to traditional paper maps than modern internet maps. The advantage however, is in the niche applications, such as nautical maps or thematic tourist maps – especially important when customers are in areas without mobile coverage. The published map format also allows for more advanced cartographic techniques.
Published maps aren’t as likely to suffer from the misinterpretation of scale that happens when vector maps are drawn at scales more detailed than the original data was intended.
Avenza’s PDF Maps app and Map Store offer a medium by which map content can be repurposed, providing a valid revenue stream for map publishers in an era when the industry is losing its market to digital products with GPS functionality.
Publishers can upload intelligent PDF maps or GeoTIFFs – with or without the aid of Avenza’s cartographic map software – eliminating the publisher’s need to reprint costly annual updates to paper maps. Pricing of each uploaded map is determined by publishers, not Avenza Systems. Maps that are available for sale can be purchased through the Avenza Map Store much like how music, videos, and books are currently purchased through iTunes.
PDF Maps is available now on the iTunes App Store free of charge. For more information about PDF Maps, visit the Avenza website at www.Avenza.com/pdf-maps.
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