TORONTO, (April 25, 2012) - Avenza Systems Inc., producers of MAPublisher^® cartographic software for Adobe^® Illustrator^® and Geographic Imager^® geospatial tools for Adobe Photoshop^®, celebrates its recognition as a mobile mapping leader at this year’s Geospatial World Forum in Amsterdam, Netherlands by winning the conference’s Geospatial World Innovation award for Mobile Mapping with its PDF Maps app and digital map store solution for the iOS platform. PDF Maps is an all-encompassing solution for the use, distribution, and sale of digital versions of paper maps to mobile devices. It includes both an app for consumers to use, discover, and purchase maps directly from and to their devices as well as a backend store to facilitate the transaction and delivery of the maps. Paired together with mobile devices that utilize GPS, such as an iPhone, the PDF Maps app provides constant access to geographic locations and points of interest without the risk of losing reception due to cell tower proximity.

Attended by more than 2,000 professionals representing government agencies, private industries, research, and academic institutions as well as developmental agencies from around the world, the Geospatial World Forum raises the awareness level of the increasing relevance of geospatial technology in everyday life. Its goal is to open the lines of communication amongst the end-users, geospatial technology experts, and policy makers in an effort to utilize spatial technologies productively in areas such as infrastructure, utilities, energy, land management, business enterprise, mining, and governance.

“Given the visibility of such a global conference, Avenza takes great honour in accepting the mobile mapping award for the technology utilized in our PDF Maps app,” said Ted Florence, president, Avenza. “Our history and expertise in developing tools for the cartographic industry along with the advances in navigation satellite systems and mobile devices have allowed us to realize our strengths and provide a navigation platform that can be used by consumers as well as private and public sectors in ways that have never been done before. We are ecstatic to be acknowledged by our peers and look forward to being part of the discussion of how geospatial technology can be further utilized in a meaningful manner.”

Competing against seven other notable products in its category from around the world, Avenza’s PDF Maps app secured the award for its revolutionary ability to acquire, display, and interact with digital maps on mobile devices and tablets. The innovative tool 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 PDF Maps app and Avenza Map Store offer a medium by which map content can be easily 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.

“Geospatial Media and Communications is dedicated to promoting application and use of geospatial technologies worldwide. In order to encourage innovative applications of geospatial technologies, the company through its publication division – Geospatial World, awards organisations from different parts of the world with the Geospatial World Excellence Awards on applications, technologies and policies,” said Sanjay Kumar of Geospatial Media. “This year, we are pleased to felicitate Avenza Systems Inc. for their innovative solution, ‘PDF Maps,’ an iOS application in the Mobile Mapping category. This innovative product is a promising solution bringing maps into mobile phones and tablet devices, and will result in better and easier usage of maps by every day users.”

To win its category, the PDF Maps app was judged on its innovativeness, practicality, social relevance of the tool in today’s world as well as the quality of documentation and availability.

Currently, Avenza’s vast PDF Maps app library covering maps for domestic and international travel and reference includes more than 55,000 USGS (United States Geological Survey) topographic maps organized by state and area. Some of the capabilities offered by the PDF Maps app:

• Quickly view, zoom, pan, and read geospatial PDF, GeoTIFF, and GeoPDF^® maps
• Browse, preview, purchase and download professionally created maps from the Avenza Map Store from over 125 publishers and government agencies worldwide
• Access and load maps through iTunes File Sharing or over a Wi-Fi or cellular network. Saved maps can be used without the need for a live network connection (offline).
• View your location on the map using the built-in GPS or via Wi-Fi triangulation
• Find coordinates 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)
• Add waypoints and collect/record information about locations, including photos
• Export, import and share waypoints and associated data, including photos using iTunes, e-mail or Dropbox
• Overlay Google search results
• Measure distances and areas
• Change pin colors, position, and label names

PDF Maps is available now on the iTunes App Store free of charge for personal use. For more information about the app, visit the Avenza website at www.avenza.com/pdf-maps. Pricing of each map is set by the publisher and free maps can be downloaded at no cost through the PDF Maps in-app map 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. For more information visit www.avenza.com.