A geo-connected society mapped for the future
From 31 May to 2 June 2011, the Conference of Southern African Surveyors (CONSAS) will be hosting AfricaGEO at the Cape Town International Convention Center (CTICC). The event will facilitate interaction, discussion and collaboration amongst industry professionals, in addition to providing an important platform to share the latest developments in surveying and geo-information (including remote sensing and aerial imagery). Participants will also explore the issue of sustainable development and ways to promote and showcase the latest products and services the industry has to offer.
On the final day of the conference, Etienne Louw, Managing Director of MapIT, will present his paper titled ‘How Accurate, Current, Enriched Data is Needed to Fuel the New Interest in LBS Applications Across Africa’ at the speaker session ‘Mapping, cartography & visualisation’.
“The concept of navigation and convenience is changing,” explains Louw. “People now have access to Live incoming data. The innovations of how this technology will change the life of an individual are growing every day. We are seeing that people are relying more on maps to solve their needs.”
Given these trends, MapIT, Southern Africa’s leading enabler of technological mapping solutions, is concentrating on supplying accurate, current, enriched data by adding Points of Interest (POI) to the data. Louw says “One of the ways we add value to our POIs is through an initiative called “Put Your Business on the Map‟. Imagine the Global Positioning System allocating your business an accurate real world position on a digital map. Then anyone wanting to do business with you could – at the touch of a screen – navigate to your doorstep. Or, through new ‘connected device technology’, they could lure you into their business by sending you relevant ‘specials’ when they sense that you are close by.” POI needs are thus endless and Louw will discuss various examples during his presentation.
Louw joined MapIT in 2010 as Managing Director. With 30 years in the ICT industry and 25 years practical GIS experience, Louw is a professionally qualified geo-spatial application expert and has comprehensive knowledge in the use of spatial solutions. With his extensive background and experience in identifying new GIS applications and integrating these, especially to multimedia content that can be overlaid onto digital maps, Louw plans to take MapIT into a field where they can use the unique strengths of their two shareholders, TomTom, (navigational solutions provider) through Tele Atlas Africa (a world leading international mapmaker) and local media giant Avusa.
