The cloud looms large for MapInfo Professional v10.5, the latest version of Pitney Bowes’ business and mapping analysis application.

Users can publish maps to the cloud using MapInfo Professional v10.5 in conjunction with MapInfo Stratus, the company’s first completely Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)-based solution for spatial location-based data and services.

MapInfo Professional v10.5 also includes integration with Bing Maps and increased support for key industry standards such as the OGC Catalog Services Web interface, streamlining access to data residing in the cloud and additional publishing features.

Users can integrate satellite imagery from Bing Maps with maps they’ve created using MapInfo Professional v10.5, providing additional clarity and enhanced detail. Bing Maps includes vivid, photorealistic imagery for geographies across the globe.

MapInfo Professional v10.5 supports GeoPDF, which allows organisations to publish both coordinate data as well as tabular information to a PDF file, giving users more flexibility when sharing information with their colleagues.

It reduces the time needed to create detailed, layered maps with multiple-style overrides. Users can now create zoom-dependent layer styles or label values with just a click of the mouse. For example, maps that have required 17-plus layers in the past can now be created with only seven layers, while still retaining the same level of intricacy and interactivity.

A Metadata Browser enables users to search and open map files by only typing a few keywords, making it easier to find the data they need. With the Metadata Browser, organisations using MapInfo Professional can connect to any publicly hosted data catalog or one that their organisation hosts.

“A large percentage of an organisation’s information about its resources, competition and customers is location based. Pitney Bowes Business Insight is committed to providing solutions that enable companies to effectively leverage their existing data to more effectively acquire, serve and grow customer relationships, helping drive bottom line results,” said Mike Hickey, president, Pitney Bowes Business Insight.

“MapInfo Professional provides instant access to the cloud, streamlining the process of making and sharing maps. This ensures that our customers have access to the tools and information that organisations need to make critical business decisions and build deeper customer relationships.”

Pitney Bowes MapInfo Professional v10.5 will be available in Australia late June.

www.pbinsight.com.au