VertiGIS has been successful in its bid to acquire 1Spatial’s worldwide business.
As announced last week, the development means the two UK companies will combine to form one larger corporation with offices around the globe, including 1Spatial’s current Australian business.
The acquisition, which received an almost-100% approval vote from 1Spatial shareholders and has gone through the usual legal processes, is now fully finalised.
It’s also the latest milestone in a program begun by VertiGIS in 2017, of acquiring geospatial software businesses to enhance and grow its product portfolio.
A letter circulated by VertiGIS’ CEO, Andy Berry, earlier this year (when the takeover offer was made), said that “1Spatial customers will continue to receive the same high-quality service they have always experienced. The existing expertise and support structures will remain in place, and all current service levels and commitments will be fully maintained.”
“In addition, joining the VertiGIS group will enable 1Spatial to further strengthen and enhance its offerings by drawing on the broader resources, capabilities and expertise across the VertiGIS group.
“VertiGIS is delighted to be working with such a strong and respected customer base, [and we] look forward to supporting 1Spatial’s customers with an even more robust and elevated service in the years ahead,” he added.
To get an idea of what all this means for 1Spatial’s Australasian operations and customers, we spoke with the company’s Country Manager, Andrej Mocicka.
Can you give us a brief history of 1Spatial’s local operations?
1Spatial Australia first started in about 2007, providing the 1Spatial products of Radius Studio, Radius Topology and other such products. Over the years, the company has redeveloped its own technology and offers the 1Integrate and 1Data Gateway products and applications such as Positional Accuracy Improvement (PAI) and our ArcGIS Utility Network Migration tools.
A few years after establishing itself in Australia, 1Spatial ended up purchasing Lagen Spatial. And with that, it took on the distribution of Safe Software’s FME product in Australia. We are the largest partner for Safe Software in Australasia, and internationally we’ve been hovering at either number two or three of their partners in terms of value of sales.
We are the largest partner for Safe Software in Australasia, and internationally we’ve been hovering at either number two or three…
It’s a UK company, 1Spatial, isn’t it?
Yes, the head office is in Cambridge in the UK. It has offices in Ireland, Belgium, France, Tunisia, the US and Australia, with more than 350 staff around the world, including 15 here in Australia. We have staff in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Cairns, selling the FME product and the 1Spatial technology.
What is the 1Spatial Technology?
There are two main 1Spatial products that we offer, 1Data Gateway and 1Integrate, which are what was used along with FME for the NUAR project in the UK. This technology is also what we use for our Geospatial Data Validation Hub (GDV Hub), which has been developed for the Australasian market to validate and to perform logical corrections to digital data for the property development industry.
What does VertiGIS do that’s different to what 1Spatial does?
1Spatial and VertiGIS work in different but complementary areas of the geospatial landscape. 1Spatial specialises in Location Master Data Management (LMDM), helping governments, utilities and infrastructure owners to create and maintain high-quality spatial data. This includes complex tasks like data validation, quality assurance, and integrating large, diverse datasets. When accuracy and governance of geospatial data are critical, organisations turn to 1Spatial.
On the other hand, VertiGIS focuses on GIS applications that make spatial data useful in everyday operations. This includes solutions for asset management, fieldwork, facility management, permitting, land management, and more. Its products help users visualise, analyse and act on spatial data across industries like utilities, telecoms, C&I and public sector.
So, in a nutshell, I’d say 1Spatial ensures the data is accurate; VertiGIS helps put it to work. Together, we can now cover the full geospatial lifecycle, from reliable data to actionable solutions and with Safe Software’s FME, we can provide the complete toolkit for your data needs.
So, in a nutshell, I’d say 1Spatial ensures the data is accurate; VertiGIS helps put it to work.
How are the two companies going to integrate?
The way I see it, the integration is being handled thoughtfully and collaboratively, with a strong focus on our customers at the centre. Both organisations bring real, distinct strengths, so the priority is to bring those together without losing what already works well.
In the short term, it’s very much business as usual; same teams, same products, same commitments to customers. At the same time, we’re setting up joint working groups across product, engineering, services and customer success. That’s where we’ll start to explore how our technologies and expertise can complement each other even more effectively.
The goal is to align our roadmaps in a deliberate way, by combining 1Spatial’s strengths in data quality and linear referencing with VertiGIS’s industry-focused GIS applications and workflows. As Andy Berry has emphasised, the message to customers and partners is clear: the priority is an integration that elevates our technology in a way that best benefits them.
What will this mean for customers?
Customers will benefit greatly from the expanded range of products and services now available through VertiGIS in Australia and the APAC region. With more coordinated technology tailored to the spatial industry, we can offer a broader spectrum of solutions, all under one roof. Whether tackling a specific challenge or exploring new opportunities, customers will have access to more than just our FME and 1Spatial technologies.
And while the range of offerings has grown, the level of support our customers rely on will remain as strong as ever, if not even better, thanks to these enhanced resources.
Are you excited about all of this?
From my point of view, I can only see great opportunities. I only see positives; I can’t see any negatives.
