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- Enhanced cartography tools to create high-quality maps made even easier -

Toronto, ON, May 5 - Avenza Systems Inc., producers of the PDF Maps app for mobile and geospatial plugins for Adobe Creative Suite, including Geographic Imager for Adobe Photoshop, is pleased to announce the release of MAPublisher 9.4 for Adobe Illustrator. This latest update includes new many features including streamlined import, support for additional formats when exporting a document to web tiles, and a new image attribute type to support images imported from the PDF Maps app on both iOS and Android platforms.

"We’re excited to release MAPublisher 9.4 because of its continued evolution to make it even easier to create great looking maps with enhanced cartography tools,” said Ted Florence, President of Avenza. “The enhancements and features in this release have been developed from customer feedback with significant improvements to import and export interoperability. The primary focus of this release is to increase productivity for cartographers and GIS professionals by enabling them to easily and quickly import data, create high-quality map products, and easily publish or export to print and digital formats,” he added.

Enhancements and new features of MAPublisher 9.4

• Streamlined data import: Import (formerly Simple Import) and Multiple Data Import (formerly known as Advanced Import). Improved interface provides additional coordinate system information and easier access to format specific Adobe Illustrator options that affect how data is imported.
• New image attribute type to store an image for each record in a layer's MAP Attribute table. Image attributes are supported when importing from the PDF Maps app (in KMZ format) and exporting to Google Earth (in KMZ format).
• Export Document to Web Tiles now supports MapBox and Tile Map Service map providers. A new anti-aliasing option to optimize art or type is now available.
• New ability to export a coordinate system file for non-geospatial image formats.
• New ability to specify grid constraints to limit the geographical extent of a Measured Grid. In addition, a new option is available for ticks to follow the line at the grid boundary.
• New file export option to assign metadata for TAB/MIF and KML/KMZ formats. The metadata assignment option allows layer attributes to be assigned to format specific metadata fields.
• Improved preview quality makes it easier to see how settings affect the scale bar.
• Newly designed MAP Layer icons and feature type icons.
• Various user interface and performance enhancements to improve usability.

More about MAPublisher for Adobe Illustrator

MAPublisher for Adobe Illustrator is powerful map production software for creating cartographic-quality maps from GIS data. MAPublisher tools leverage the superior graphics design capabilities of Adobe Illustrator to manipulate GIS data and to produce high-quality maps with accuracy and efficiency.

MAPublisher 9.4 for Adobe Illustrator is available free of charge to all MAPublisher users with an active maintenance subscription and as an upgrade for non-maintenance users at US$599. New licenses start at US$1399. MAPublisher FME Auto and MAPublisher LabelPro are also available as add-ons to MAPublisher 9.4 at prices starting at US$399 per license. Academic, floating and volume pricing are also available. Prices include one year of full maintenance.

More about Avenza Systems Inc.

Avenza Systems Inc. is an award-winning, privately held corporation that provides cartographers and GIS professionals with powerful software tools to make better maps. In addition to software offerings for Mac and Windows users, Avenza offers value-added data sets, product training and consulting services, as well as the PDF Maps app for purchasing and using maps on iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices.

- Major read and write performance improvement for very large geospatial files -

Toronto, ON, December 18 - Avenza Systems Inc., producers of MAPublisher® cartographic software for Adobe Illustrator® and the popular PDF Maps mobile app, is pleased to announce the release of Geographic Imager 4.4 for Adobe Photoshop. This latest update includes significant improvements to read and write performance for all geospatial formats supported by Geographic Imager. This is most noticeable when reading or writing very large files in BigTIFF, DEM, IMG, NITF, and MrSID formats and reading ASCII GRID, FLT, and BIL formats. Many formats read up to 20x faster and write up to 30x faster for very large files.

“We're very excited about this speed optimization for our Geographic Imager users,” said Ted Florence, President of Avenza. “Through some major reworking of our code base, we’ve streamlined how geospatial formats are read and written. This breakthrough will provide our power users with a faster and better performing geospatial image editing platform”, he added. “Geospatial professionals handling very large files will be able to cut processing times down significantly.”

Additional Geographic Imager 4.4 features

• Significant improvements in read and write performance when handling very large files.
• Various bug fixes and user experience enhancements.

More about Geographic Imager for Adobe Photoshop

Geographic Imager is software for Adobe Photoshop that leverages the superior image editing capabilities of raster-based image editing software and transforms it into a powerful geospatial imagery editing tool. Work with satellite imagery, aerial photography, orthophotos, and DEMs in GeoTIFF and other major GIS image formats using Adobe Photoshop features such as transparencies, filters, and image adjustments while maintaining georeferencing and support for hundreds of coordinate systems and projections.

Geographic Imager 4.4 is immediately available and free of charge to all Geographic Imager Maintenance Program members and at US$319 for non-maintenance upgrades. New fixed licenses start at US$699. Geographic Imager Basic licenses start at US$199. Academic and volume license pricing are also available. Geographic Imager is compatible with Adobe Photoshop CS5, CS5.1, CS6 and CC.

More about Avenza Systems Inc.

Avenza Systems Inc. is an award-winning, privately held corporation that provides cartographers and GIS professionals with powerful software tools for making better maps and for working with spatial imagery. In addition to software offerings for Mac, Windows and Apple mobile device users, Avenza offers value-added data sets, product training and consulting services.

In-app map store includes library of more than 100,000 maps from well-known map publishers, cartographers, and offers specialized maps for recreational use on land, air or sea

Toronto, ON (October 1) - Avenza Systems Inc., producers of MAPublisher® cartographic software for Adobe® Illustrator® and Geographic Imager® geospatial tools for Adobe Photoshop®, announced the long-awaited launch of the PDF Maps app on the Google Play Store. The first and only geospatial PDF and GeoTIFF reader for Android devices, Avenza’s PDF Maps app is unique to the space due to its extensive collection of more than 100,000 detailed maps sourced from well-established publishers, cartographers, government agencies and aficionados of outdoor recreational activities, all of which are downloadable directly from within the app.

PDF Maps take advantage of geospatial technology that allows consumers to view maps and measure real world distances and areas. Paired together with mobile devices that utilize GPS such as Androids, the PDF Maps app provides constant access to geographic locations and even points of interest without the risk of losing reception due to cell tower proximity. Designed with its audience of travelers and outdoor enthusiasts in mind, Avenza’s PDF Maps app has already garnered accolades from the International Map Industry Association (IMIA) and Geospatial World for its innovative use of technology on the iOS platform. Since then, its versatility for recreational or business purposes out in the field has been recognized across several industries and it’s gaining momentum.

“The market is currently saturated with map apps that are limited in map data, or too simplified to be functional for offline navigating. We wanted to address those issues by providing a free navigational app that catered to a segment of users who needed something more substantial than the average turn-by-turn digital maps offered today, while providing map-publishers with an iTunes-like environment for distributing their maps direct to devices” said Ted Florence, President of Avenza Systems Inc. “With Avenza’s PDF Maps app Android users can do more than just view their location. PDF Maps provides a meaningful interface to measure distances, drop placemarks and share personal recorded data in various formats. It’s more than just a viewing tool, but will provide the Android market the best of both worlds – access to maps from well-known paper map publishers that work in tandem with the functionality of GPS devices. We’re thrilled to finally make it available to a new market.”

Unlike other map apps that provide one view of a location using GPS coordinates as most maps do, Avenza’s PDF Maps app expands a traveler’s choices, allowing them to access detailed geography or points of interest created by specific map publishers for use on land, sea or air. PDF Maps app for Android allows consumers to access information while at a destination, providing users an opportunity to make the most of their time experiencing their environment rather than searching for cell reception to access directions.

Currently, Avenza’s vast PDF Maps app library covers maps for domestic and international travel organized by state and area. Android users will appreciate the breadth of tool management features available. All maps –free and purchased-- are accessible through the in-app map store and offer the following capabilities:

• Add maps from the file system, Dropbox, a URL, email, or Map Store
• Browse, purchase, and download maps from the Avenza Map Store (existing iOS PDF Maps accounts are compatible)
• Show GPS position on maps
• Add Placemarks
• Import and export KML
• Find Coordinates
• Measure Distance or Area
• Open current view in Google Maps

Avenza’s PDF Maps in-app Map Store features a variety of publishers that focus on recreational activities as well as all segments of the map-use market. Below is a small sampling of maps available:

• Camping and hiking including National Park Service maps and other regions of the world
• Nautical and marine navigation including NOAA and FAA charts for North America and other regions of the world
• Topographic use including USGS and Canadian Topographic maps and other regions of the world
• Maps for tourists, transit, travel, special events, historic and much more

PDF Maps is available now in the Google Play Store free of charge. For more information about PDF Maps, visit the Avenza website/pdf-maps. Pricing of each map is set by the publisher and free maps remain free to users through the PDF Maps app in-app store.

More about Avenza Systems Inc.

Avenza Systems Inc. is an award-winning, privately held corporation that provides cartographers and GIS professionals with powerful software tools for making better maps. In addition to software offerings for Mac and Windows users, Avenza offers value-added data sets, product training and consulting services.

Latest Enhancements Include Real-Time Tracking with GPS and Map Features List

Toronto, ON, September 10 - Avenza Systems Inc., the leading developer of cartographic software --such as MAPublisher for Adobe Illustrator and Geographic Imager geospatial tools for Adobe Photoshop -- announced the launch of PDF Maps app 2.0 for iOS devices. Unique to the space, the enhanced version incorporates suggestions from consumers that currently use the first and only geospatial PDF and GeoTIFF reader on Apple iOS for travel, outdoor activities or business purposes out in the field. Based on the needs of its primary consumers, PDF Maps app 2.0 provides iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users the ability to track speed and elevation in real-time and import and export data more succinctly.

The PDF Maps app takes advantage of geospatial technology that allows travelers to view and measure real world locations and attributes. Paired together with mobile devices that utilize GPS, such as an iPhone, the PDF Maps app provides constant access to geographic locations and even points of interest without the risk of losing reception due to cell tower proximity making it the ultimate travel accessory for any activity in areas where internet bandwidth is not available or while roaming outside one's data zone. With the latest updates in PDF Maps 2.0, users will appreciate the breadth of tool management features:

• Tracking real-time movement with GPS which includes noting speed and elevation statistics
• Saving, exporting and importing tracks in KML format
• Saving measurements to line data as well as importing and exporting lines in KML format
• Map Features list for easy organization of placemarks, lines and tracks including folder enhancements
• Improved export accuracy

"When we first launched PDF Maps app in, we knew there was a segment of digital map users that needed something more robust than the turn-by-turn digital maps that were useful in an internet-laden urban environment, and more accessible than the expensive GPS devices that could be used offline. PDF Maps app filled that gap, and since then, we've grown a dedicated following that understands we've created a tool that supports how they want to travel, work and play... offline," said Ted Florence, President of Avenza Systems Inc. Today, we've come to a point where we can take consumer feedback and refine it in a way that benefits everyone which has been an invaluable experience for us, and we're excited to introduce the latest version of Avenza's PDF Maps app 2.0 to the map users that have provided their own insight to help create it.

Unlike other map apps that provide one view of a location using GPS coordinates as most maps do, Avenza's PDF Maps app expands a traveler's choices, allowing them to access detailed geography or points of interest created by specific map publishers for use on land, sea or air. PDF Maps app 2.0 allows consumers to access information while at a destination, providing users an opportunity to make the most of their time experiencing their environment rather than searching for cell reception to access directions.

Currently, Avenza's vast PDF Maps app library covering maps for domestic and international travel includes more than 100,000 maps organized by state and area. All maps available through the in-app iTunes-like map store offer the following capabilities:

• Access and load maps through in-app purchase, iTunes File Sharing, Wi-Fi or cellular network to read maps anytime
• Access and interact with saved maps without the need for a live network connection (offline)
• View your location on the PDF map using the built-in GPS device or via Wi-Fi triangulation
• Find coordinate of any location in the map, including the ability to type in a coordinate to search
• Display coordinates as Lat/Long (WGS84), Lat/Long (Map Default), Northing/Easting, or Military Grid Reference System (MGRS/United States National Grid (USNG)
• Support for GeoTIFF files to create tiles similar to how a geospatial PDF is tiled
• Map rendering in higher resolution
• Overlay Google search results
• Add waypoints and collect/record information about locations, including photos
• Measure distances and areas
• Open current map extents in the Maps app
• Quickly view, zoom and pan maps using gestures (pinch, drag and flick, double tap)
• Change pin colors, position and label names

PDF Maps app 2.0 is available now on the iTunes App Store free of charge for personal and private use. Commerical, government and academic use licensing is available for a nominal fee. For more information about PDF Maps, visit the Avenza website or the PDF Maps website. Pricing of each map is set by the publisher and free maps remain free to users through the PDF Maps app in-app store.

More about Avenza Systems Inc.

Avenza Systems Inc. is an award-winning, privately held corporation that provides cartographers and GIS professionals with powerful software tools for making better maps. In addition to software offerings for Mac and Windows users, Avenza offers value-added data sets, product training and consulting services.

- Powerful geospatial add-on now compatible with Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud™ -

Toronto, ON, July 8 - Avenza Systems Inc., producers of MAPublisher® cartographic software for Adobe Illustrator® and the popular PDF Maps mobile app, is pleased to announce the release of Geographic Imager 4.3 for Adobe Photoshop®. This latest update includes new features and is fully compatible with the recently released Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud. New to Geographic Imager is the ability to save and quick save to the USGS DEM format. In addition, this ability extends to the Tile feature to allow creation of USGS DEM image tiles. A number of enhancements have also been made to the Geographic Imager panel tabs, including extended statistics available for DEMs and the ability to copy tab information values to the clipboard. This release continues the availability of the Geographic Imager Basic license, which provides support for the geospatial framework in Adobe Photoshop as well as limited import and export abilities at an introductory price level.

“We've been working hard on this release of Geographic Imager to closely follow the major update to Adobe Creative Cloud,” said Ted Florence, President of Avenza. “While the new Creative Cloud promises new productivity and features to streamline workflows, we're also happy that Geographic Imager still proves to be a viable solution for geospatial professionals that need a solid geospatial image editing platform,“ he added. “We're excited to see how we can further expand within the new Creative Cloud platform.”

Additional Geographic Imager 4.3 features

• Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud compatible (32-bit and 64-bit)
• Export to USGS DEM format
• Tile DEM images to USGS DEM and grayscale GeoTIFF formats
• Panel improvements, including new DEM statistics and ability to copy tab values to clipboard
• Various bug fixes and user experience enhancements.

More about Geographic Imager for Adobe Photoshop

Geographic Imager is software for Adobe Photoshop that leverages the superior image editing capabilities of raster-based image editing software and transforms it into a powerful geospatial imagery editing tool. Work with satellite imagery, aerial photography, orthophotos, and DEMs in GeoTIFF and other major GIS image formats using Adobe Photoshop features such as transparencies, filters, and image adjustments while maintaining georeferencing and support for hundreds of coordinate systems and projections.

Geographic Imager 4.3 is immediately available and free of charge to all Geographic Imager Maintenance Program members and at US$319 for non-maintenance upgrades. New fixed licenses start at US$699. Geographic Imager Basic licenses start at US$199. Academic and volume license pricing are also available. Geographic Imager 4.3 is compatible with Adobe Photoshop CS5, CS5.1, CS6 and CC.

More about Avenza Systems Inc.

Avenza Systems Inc. is an award-winning, privately held corporation that provides cartographers and GIS professionals with powerful software tools for making better maps and for working with spatial imagery. In addition to software offerings for Mac, Windows and Apple mobile device users, Avenza offers value-added data sets, product training and consulting services.

- New high-quality MAPublisher tutorial videos available now -

Toronto, ON, May 29 - Avenza Systems Inc., producers of the PDF Maps app for iOS and geospatial plugins for Adobe Creative Suite, including Geographic Imager for Adobe Photoshop, and Red Geographics, a cartography, training, and consulting company based in The Netherlands, are pleased to announce the release of a complete set of MAPublisher tutorial videos. The tutorial videos, offered in English only, contain more than four hours of content and are divided into 11 sessions, ranging in length from 15 to 45 minutes. The sessions cover MAPublisher fundamentals and advanced features including map theme styling, geoprocessing, and exporting data to formats such as geospatial PDF.

“We have revised the MAPublisher tutorial videos to include new content and features while maintaining a high-quality level of instruction, comparable to that of an in-class session. We're excited that users will now have another training resource to use and work through at their own pace and repeat if necessary”, said Hans van der Maarel, owner of Red Geographics. “These videos will be a great asset for beginner MAPublisher users as well as experienced users who want to refresh their skills”, he added. “Red Geographics continues to be a leader in MAPublisher training and these high-quality instructional videos demonstrate their level of commitment and professionalism”, said Ted Florence, President of Avenza. “The instructional content of these videos provide the perfect self-learning environment and is bound to turn anyone into a MAPublisher expert very quickly”, he added.

The complete MAPublisher training video set is available immediately at US$129 from Avenza and Red Geographics, with a US$30 discount being offered to MAPublisher Maintenance Program members. The videos are also available from Avenza resellers. Delivery is via download only.

More about MAPublisher for Adobe Illustrator

MAPublisher for Adobe Illustrator is powerful map production software for creating cartographic-quality maps from GIS data. MAPublisher tools leverage the superior graphics design capabilities of Adobe Illustrator to manipulate GIS data and to produce high-quality maps with accuracy and efficiency.

More about Avenza Systems Inc.

Avenza Systems Inc. is an award-winning, privately held corporation that provides cartographers and GIS professionals with powerful software tools to make better maps. In addition to software offerings for Mac and Windows users, Avenza offers value-added data sets, product training and consulting services, as well as the PDF Maps app for purchasing and using maps on iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices.

More about Red Geographics

Red Geographics, founded in and based in The Netherlands, operates in the fields of GIS, geographical data, Spatial ETL, 3D visualization and digital cartography, offers consultancy and training, performing data translation and transformation services as well as creating both 2D and 3D maps and visualizations. Red Geographics is also a distributor of software products aimed at the GIS/Cartography market.

- New ability to export web tiles compatible with online map services -

Toronto, ON, May 21 - Avenza Systems Inc., producers of MAPublisher® cartographic software for Adobe Illustrator® and the popular PDF Maps mobile app, is pleased to announce the release of Geographic Imager 4.2 for Adobe Photoshop. New formats are supported, including writing to the DEM TIFF format which saves raw DEM values and exporting web tiles to Google Maps or Microsoft Bing Maps format. In addition, there are a number of new and exciting product features and enhancements. This release also is also available at the Geographic Imager Basic license level which provides support for the geospatial framework in Adobe Photoshop as well as limited import and export abilities at an introductory price level. Also new in this release is the addition of the Georeference feature with the Geographic Imager Basic license.

“We've been working on some very innovative features lately, one of them being the ability to export web tiles using Geographic Imager from Adobe Photoshop,” said Ted Florence, President of Avenza. “The web tiles are compatible with several online map services which allows our users to spend less time worrying about image referencing and more time creating online mapping solutions,“ he added. “Another great feature in this release is the new ability to save to the DEM TIFF format, which is interoperable and can be reopened in Geographic Imager or in other geospatial software packages. There has been a demand for extended format support and we're continuing to listen to our users’ needs.”

Additional Geographic Imager 4.2 features

• Available Geographic Imager Basic license
• DEM TIFF write support, format saves raw DEM values
• Ability to Export Web Tiles to Google Maps or Microsoft Bing Maps format
• Geographic Imager panel improvements, including new Survey and Ruler tabs
• Crop by Vector File Extents, use the geographic extents of a vector file to crop an image
• Streamlined user interactions with command boxes and simpler messages
• Various bug fixes and user experience enhancements.

More about Geographic Imager for Adobe Photoshop

Geographic Imager is software for Adobe Photoshop that leverages the superior image editing capabilities of raster-based image editing software and transforms it into a powerful geospatial imagery editing tool. Work with satellite imagery, aerial photography, orthophotos, and DEMs in GeoTIFF and other major GIS image formats using Adobe Photoshop features such as transparencies, filters, and image adjustments while maintaining georeferencing and support for hundreds of coordinate systems and projections.

Geographic Imager 4.2 is immediately available and free of charge to all Geographic Imager Maintenance Program members and at US$319 for non-maintenance upgrades. New fixed licenses start at US$699. Geographic Imager Basic licenses start at US$199. Academic and volume license pricing are also available. Geographic Imager 4.2 is compatible with Adobe Photoshop CS5, CS5.1 and CS6.

More about Avenza Systems Inc.

Avenza Systems Inc. is an award-winning, privately held corporation that provides cartographers and GIS professionals with powerful software tools for making better maps and for working with spatial imagery. In addition to software offerings for Mac, Windows and Apple mobile device users, Avenza offers value-added data sets, product training and consulting services.

- Open to all map makers who use Avenza mapping products -

Toronto, ON, May 1 - Avenza Systems Inc., producers of geospatial plug-ins for Adobe Creative Suite, including MAPublisher for Adobe Illustrator and Geographic Imager for Adobe Photoshop, and the PDF Maps app for iOS, is pleased to announce the return of its Annual Map Awards. The competition is open to all mapmakers from around the world who use Avenza products in the creation of their maps which were completed or published during. The various category awards recognize achievement in the art and science of cartography and promote the advancements and innovation made in mapping. Both professional mapmakers and students are encouraged to apply for the awards.

"In a few short years, we have witnessed the dramatic improvement in design and quality of maps,” said Ted Florence, President of Avenza. “The visualization of information and how it is conveyed on a map is becoming more and more innovative. Mapmakers are living in a very fortunate time when map creation technology and the availability of high quality data sets are easily attainable,” he added. “We're constantly trying to push the creativity of our users with new geospatial tools available in our products. We now want to see the incredible maps created with those tools.”

Category winners will receive their choice of a one year license of MAPublisher or Geographic Imager and will be featured in the Avenza Map Store. Both winning and notable entries will also be displayed in a map gallery on Avenza. Avenza is currently accepting map submissions until June 30. There is no fee for map submissions. Visit for more information about map categories, submission guidelines, and judging criteria.

More about Avenza Systems Inc.

Avenza Systems Inc. is an award-winning, privately held corporation that provides cartographers and GIS professionals with powerful software tools to make better maps. In addition to software offerings for Mac and Windows users, Avenza offers value-added data sets, product training and consulting services, as well as the PDF Maps app for purchasing and using maps on iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices.

- Includes streamlined export options and new automation tools -

Toronto, ON, March 26 - Avenza Systems Inc., producers of the PDF Maps app for iOS and geospatial plugins for Adobe Creative Suite, including Geographic Imager for Adobe Photoshop, is pleased to announce the release of MAPublisher 9.2 for Adobe Illustrator. This exciting release includes a number of new and exciting product enhancements. Export has been improved and streamlined to make it easier to quickly export MAP Views and MAP layers. Also included in this release are several new tools including Automation and Path Utilities.

"We're delighted to release MAPublisher 9.2 which includes improved export functionality and advanced map-making automation,” said Ted Florence, President of Avenza. “Not only can our users create high-quality maps with MAPublisher, they can also use it to increase file interoperability across multiple platforms and overall workflow efficiency,” he added. “We've improved export to geospatial PDF because we are focused on delivering this very popular format to suit the needs in many industries and agencies in all levels of government and to make it easier to produce maps for our mobile PDF Maps platform.”

Enhancements and new features of MAPublisher 9.2

• Streamlined export document to geospatial PDF with clearer indications of how layers and attributes are being handled and exported to appear in Adobe Acrobat.
• Improved MAP View and MAP layer export with multiple layer export supported.
• Export document to image can export a georeferenced image of the entire artboard.
• New Automation tool to configure settings that initiate MAPublisher operations upon data import to automate map production, such as manage MAP Views, apply MAP Theme stylesheets, create grids and graticules, label using MAP LabelPro, and export to geospatial PDF.
• New Path Utilities tool to perform optimization actions on line and area layers.
• New ability to view attributes in a tear-off panel.
• Various user interface and performance enhancements to improve usability.

More about MAPublisher for Adobe Illustrator

MAPublisher for Adobe Illustrator is powerful map production software for creating cartographic-quality maps from GIS data. MAPublisher tools leverage the superior graphics design capabilities of Adobe Illustrator to manipulate GIS data and to produce high-quality maps with accuracy and efficiency.

MAPublisher 9.2 for Adobe Illustrator is available free of charge to all MAPublisher users with an active maintenance subscription and as an upgrade for non-maintenance users at US$599. New licenses are US$1399. MAPublisher FME Auto and MAPublisher LabelPro are also available as add-ons to MAPublisher 9.2 at prices starting at US$399 per license. Academic, floating and volume pricing are also available. Prices include one year of full maintenance.

More about Avenza Systems Inc.

Avenza Systems Inc. is an award-winning, privately held corporation that provides cartographers and GIS professionals with powerful software tools to make better maps. In addition to software offerings for Mac and Windows users, Avenza offers value-added data sets, product training and consulting services, as well as the PDF Maps app for purchasing and using maps on iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices.

Alliance provides new platform to access more than 500 National Geographic maps via Avenza’s database

TORONTO (January 28) – National Geographic Maps, one of the most trusted names in cartography for nearly 100 years, has joined with Avenza Systems Inc. to offer a new channel to access its rich map content. The alliance enhances Avenza’s digital map database by adding more than 500 maps from National Geographic, a world-renowned source, and furthers National Geographic Maps’ established reach with mobile consumers.

The Avenza PDF Maps app takes advantage of geospatial technology and allows travelers, recreationists and map lovers to view, acquire and interact with maps on their mobile devices, including iPhone and iPad, without worrying about data accessibility and international roaming charges. In addition, PDF Maps offers an in-app store to facilitate the transaction and delivery of those maps, consolidating, in a digital format, consumers’ access to hundreds of maps from multiple publishers.

“In the last decade, advances in technology have shifted how consumers receive and use information, and we have responded by making our rich map content available on a variety of platforms,” said Charles Regan, senior vice president and general manager, National Geographic Maps. “Avenza’s PDF Maps app provides a unique way for consumers to access our content with an easy-to-use in-app map store and a set of robust features that will enhance the map user’s experience.”

Hundreds of maps from National Geographic Maps’ extensive library are now available in Avenza’s PDF Maps system, including popular travel and destination titles covering five continents, historical and thematic maps, and educational and reference titles. The app provides constant access to geographic information and points of interest, with additional interactive tools such as measuring, place marking and location tagging. PDF Maps operates without the risk of lost reception, due to cell tower proximity – making it the ultimate traveling tool, as it does not rely on an Internet connection.

“Avenza PDF Maps provides the ability for anyone to share map-related information by documenting locations with customized notes, photos and descriptions,” said Ted Florence, president of Avenza Systems Inc. “This expands the utility of a map beyond location guidance, as it is also a tool to share experiences and locales with notes and photos. We continue to strengthen our community of map publishers and further advance the mapping tools consumers demand, and we look forward to seeing how the industry evolves in a digital age.”

PDF Maps is available now on the iTunes App Store free of charge for personal use. National Geographic maps can be accessed via the PDF Maps in-app store. For more information about the app, visit the Avenza PDF Maps website or Avenza’s main website. Pricing of each map is set by the publisher, and free maps remain free to users through the PDF Maps in-app map store.

About National Geographic Maps

National Geographic Maps was established as a division of the National Geographic Society in 1915 and has been producing maps for National Geographic magazine and other Society media for nearly 100 years. National Geographic Maps publishes wall maps, outdoor recreation maps, travel maps, interactive maps, atlases and globes that inspire people to care about and explore their world.

About Avenza Systems Inc.

Avenza Systems Inc. is an award-winning, privately held corporation that provides cartographers and GIS professionals with powerful software tools for making better maps as well as the PDF Maps mobile mapping system. In addition to software offerings for Mac and Windows users, Avenza offers value-added data sets, product training and consulting services.