The following are customers and partners achieving success using the Virtual Earth platform (MapPoint Web Service) to meet their business challenges in the following industries:
Real EstateBridgeStreet Worldwide - Corporate Housing Provider Boosts Revenue with Interactive Mapping Solution
Company: BridgeStreet Worldwide
Industry: Real Estate/Hospitality
Products: Virtual Earth Platform, Microsoft MapPoint 2006, Microsoft .NET, Microsoft Office Excel 2003, Microsoft SQL Server 2005, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
LoopNet's Commercial Real Estate Application Powered By Microsoft's Virtual Earth
Company: LoopNet
Industry: Real Estate
Products: Virtual Earth
Sperry Van Ness Delivers Virtual Earth Based Application
Company: Sperry Van Ness
Industry: Real Estate
Products: Virtual Earth
Retail and Food ServiceMovie Gallery Develops A Creative Way to Convert Website Visitors into Loyal Customers
Company: Movie Gallery (Hollywood Video)
Industry: Retail
Products: Virtual Earth
FedEx Kinko’s Delivers Greater Printing Convenience for Business Customers
Company: FedEx Kinko’s Office and Print Services
Industry: Retail
Products: Virtual Earth (MapPoint Web Service), Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 , Microsoft .NET Framework
Starbucks Supports Corporate Marketing Programs and Strategies with Virtual Earth (MapPoint Web Service)
Company: Starbucks
Industry: Food Service, Retail
Products: Virtual Earth (MapPoint Web Service)
Travel and HospitalityWashington State Tourism Creates Immersive Online Experience
Company: Washington State Tourism
Industry: Government, Travel, Hospitality
Products: Virtual Earth (MapPoint Web Service)
One-Stop Location Solution Drives Eight-Brand Hospitality Website
Company: Choice Hotels International
Industry: Hospitality, Retail
Products: Virtual Earth (MapPoint Web Service)
Vermont Tourism Website Builds Business with Location Solution
Company: Vermont Tourism & Marketing
Industry: Retail, Hospitality, Government
Products: Virtual Earth (MapPoint Web Service), Microsoft .NET Framework
Transportation and LogisticsMobile Web Site Helps Streamline Port Operations and Increase Trucker Efficiency
Company: Virginia International Terminals (VIT)
Industry: Transportation, Logistics
Products: Virtual Earth (MapPoint Web Service), Microsoft Windows Server 2003
Automotive Services Company Chooses State-of-the-Art Mapping Technology and Saved £5,000 in a Week it Measured Cost Savings
Company: Inchcape plc
Industry: Transportation, Manufacturing
Products: Virtual Earth (MapPoint Web Service), Microsoft Windows Server 2000, Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 software for Pocket PCs
Search and Rescue Organization Deploys Intelligent Mapping System to Save More Lives at Sea
Company: Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)
Industry: Charity, Logistics
Products: MapPoint Web Service, Microsoft .Net Framework
GovernmentVermont Tourism Website Builds Business with Location Solution
Company: Vermont Tourism & Marketing
Industry: Retail, Hospitality, Government
Products: Virtual Earth (MapPoint Web Service), Microsoft .NET Framework
Location Partner On the Road to Building Business
Company: Competitive Computing
Industry: Government, Retail
Products: Virtual Earth (MapPoint Web Service), SQL Server, Visual Studio .NET
BridgeStreet Worldwide - Corporate Housing Provider Boosts Revenue with Interactive Mapping Solution
Company: BridgeStreet Worldwide
Industry: Real Estate/Hospitality
Products: Virtual Earth Platform, Microsoft MapPoint 2006, Microsoft .NET, Microsoft Office Excel 2003, Microsoft SQL Server 2005, Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
Overview:
Automotive service company Inchcape Automotive wanted to track where its customer assets were at any point in time. Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner Anglia Business Solutions implemented a new infrastructure based on Microsoft MapPoint® Location Server, Microsoft MapPoint Web Service, Microsoft Windows Mobile™ 2003 software for Pocket PCs, and Microsoft SQL Server™ 2000. With the new technology in place, Inchcape and its customers can see where their vehicles are along the delivery process so customers have greater confidence in the safety of their assets. And because MapPoint Location Server can calculate the shortest distance between two specific points, Inchcape can provide its drivers with the quickest routes. As a result, quotes, which are calculated according to mileage, are more accurate, saving the company money and helping to ensure accurate customer billing. See complete case study
LoopNet's Commercial Real Estate Application Powered By Microsoft's Virtual Earth
Company: LoopNet
Industry: Real Estate
Products: Virtual Earth
Overview:
LoopNet, Inc., a leading information services provider that power over 300 commercial real-estate sites, was looking for ways to strengthen its market share in a highly competitive commercial market. The company has developed a powerful new suite of property search tools which integrated high resolution satellite and bird's eye property imagery from the Virtual Earth platform.
LoopNet’s innovation on top of the Virtual Earth platform has yielded some of the most exciting property search tools seen by the commercial real estate industry in years. The technology has enabled customers to more efficiently and quickly search, identify and view commercial properties. At the same time LoopNet has significantly strengthened customer loyalty when the average time the customer spent on LoopNet’s site searching for properties increased almost threefold.
Sperry Van Ness Delivers Virtual Earth Based Application
Company: Sperry Van Ness
Industry: Real Estate
Products: Virtual Earth
Overview:
Sperry Van Ness, one of the nation’s largest commercial real estate investment brokerage firms with 600 advisors across 35 states, has partnered with Colorado Technology Consultants to deliver a revolutionary set of services for commercial brokers and real estate investors nationwide. The services offer new mapping and imagery provided by the Virtual Earth platform, creating a competitive advantage for Sperry Van Ness in marketing commercial real estate throughout the United States.
By integrating Virtual Earth’s immersive bird’s eye imagery and seamless overall mapping experience within the Sperry Van Ness platform, real estate advisors can showcase a client’s property and surrounding area in a view from multiple distances, directions or points of reference. Investors viewing property from the Sperry Van Ness Property Website can use these Virtual Earth capabilities to zoom in and out, customizing the view of the property. The flexibility of the Virtual Earth platform and the uniqueness of bird’s eye imagery are enabling Sperry Van Ness to deliver a truly innovative property search experience to its customers.
Movie Gallery (Hollywood Video)
Company: Movie Gallery (Hollywood Video)
Industry: Retail
Products: Virtual Earth
Overview:
With ongoing competition from brick-and-mortar companies and new web-based competitors, Movie Gallery was looking for a creative way to convert website visitors into loyal customers. When searching for a nearest movie rental location, convenience is paramount to consumers. They want to easily and quickly find store location information and get customized driving directions to the nearest location thus making the store locator page one of the most visited .
Leveraging the Virtual Earth platform, a Gold Certified partner Wallingford re-invented the Movie Gallery’s store locator and delivered an application with rich features and superior user experience. Customers can explore nearby stores with drag-n-drop maps, choose between road and aerial imagery or select a larger size map. Backed by enterprise-class support and high service availability, Movie Gallery is creating stronger connections with its customers knowing that they won’t be seeing any competitive ads.
Location Partner On the Road to Building Business
Company: Competitive Computing
Industry: Government, Retail
Products: Virtual Earth (MapPoint Web Service), SQL Server, Visual Studio .NET
Overview:
This Microsoft Gold Certified Partner needed to develop location solutions that generated more business. Competitive Computing (C2) has just begun to accelerate into the new business opportunity lane, with Microsoft® MapPoint® Web Service. One of its first customers, Vermont’s Department of Tourism, immediately saw the C2 website solution as the clear winner. Rural businesses needed marketing and accurate geocoding, which MapPoint Web Service delivered immediately. Tourists needed a single source of information about and directions to lodging, dining, events and attractions. Again, MapPoint Web Service delivered the horsepower, linking businesses with thrilled visitors. Competitive Computing is seeing its location-related sales accelerate up to 10 percent and its development time drop three times as much with MapPoint APIs and design tools.
See complete case study
Vermont Tourism Website Builds Business with Location Solution
Company: Vermont Tourism & Marketing
Industry: Retail, Hospitality, Government
Products: Virtual Earth (MapPoint Web Service), Microsoft .NET Framework
Overview:
Tourism is a main source of revenue for the state of Vermont, so Vermont pays close attention to details in that sector. Using the IT expertise of Competitive Computing (C2) and Microsoft® MapPoint® Web Service, Vermont’s Department of Tourism and Marketing developed a model website. It generates referrals and revenue for approximately 2,600 businesses and detailed maps and directions for its one million monthly visitors. The website helps offset the challenge presented by restrictions on roadside signs, which dramatically affect businesses’ marketing ability. MapPoint Web Service tools enable customer databases to be easily uploaded, and customized geocoding solves rural location challenges with pinpoint accuracy. Travel-related calls needing live operators are down 24 percent due to the comprehensive location and direction information now integrated into the state’s tourism website.
See complete case study
One-Stop Location Solution Drives Eight-Brand Hospitality Website Company: Choice Hotels International
Industry: Hospitality, Retail
Products: Virtual Earth (MapPoint Web Service)
Overview:
Finding a great night’s sleep is common to both the road-worn traveler and Choice Hotels International, worldwide franchisor of Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, MainStay Suites, Econo Lodge, and Rodeway Inn brand hotels. Though Choice Hotels considered website directions a basic commodity, it knew maps were a critical element to its success. After an in-depth evaluation process which road-sided other solutions, Choice Hotels selected Microsoft® MapPoint® Web Service. MapPoint Web Service delivered a one-stop solution for its eight worldwide brands website with location inquiries scoring in the top three features. The existing Java-based IT investment was easily extended because of MapPoint Web Service open XML and SOAP standards. Future location features such as a trip planner will help customers stay with Choice Hotels for an entire trips-worth of lodging needs.
See complete case study
FedEx Kinko’s Delivers Greater Printing Convenience for Business Customers Company: FedEx Kinko’s Office and Print Services
Industry: Retail
Products: Virtual Earth (MapPoint Web Service), Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 , Microsoft .NET Framework
Overview:
Already known for its wide range of business services, FedEx Kinko’s Office and Print Services wanted to offer even greater convenience for its business customers. To achieve that goal, the company developed File, Print FedEx Kinko’s, a smart client application that provides Microsoft® Office users with easy access to more than 1,100 FedEx Kinko’s Office and Print Centers nationwide. The smart client uses Web services to bridge the gaps between the programs that customers use to create business documents, file preparation utilities that help capture customer intentions correctly, and the e-commerce infrastructure that FedEx Kinko’s uses to serve customers. Integration MapPoint Web Service helps users find the most convenient location out of 1,100 FedEx Kinko’s centers for printing the order. With the new solution, the company is providing customers with greater convenience and faster service, consistent high quality, and the opportunity to reduce costs through improved productivity and direct shipping of printed materials.
See complete case study
Mobile Web Site Helps Streamline Port Operations and Increase Trucker Efficiency Company: Virginia International Terminals (VIT)
Industry: Transportation, Logistics
Products: Virtual Earth (MapPoint Web Service), Microsoft Windows Server 2003
Overview:
Located on one of the deepest harbors on the East Coast of the United States, the Port of Virginia is experiencing significant growth in container traffic. Virginia International Terminals (VIT), the company that operates the port’s four terminals, determined that making key logistical information directly available to truckers in real time was critical to maintaining efficient operations in the face of that growth. VIT decided to extend the services provided through its existing Web site—including access to terminal cameras, container tracking, and other logistics information—to a mobile Web site that truckers can access through a Web-enabled cell phone or other mobile device. Through this mobile access, truckers are able to time their arrivals more efficiently, which helps minimize lines at terminal gates, increase trucker satisfaction, and give the port a competitive advantage.
See complete case study
Automotive Services Company Chooses State-of-the-Art Mapping Technology and Saved £5,000 in a Week it Measured Cost Savings Company: Inchcape plc
Industry: Transportation, Manufacturing
Products: Virtual Earth (MapPoint Web Service), Microsoft Windows Server 2000, Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 software for Pocket PCs
Overview:
Automotive service company Inchcape Automotive wanted to track where its customer assets were at any point in time. Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner Anglia Business Solutions implemented a new infrastructure based on Microsoft MapPoint® Location Server, Microsoft MapPoint Web Service, Microsoft Windows Mobile™ 2003 software for Pocket PCs, and Microsoft SQL Server™ 2000. With the new technology in place, Inchcape and its customers can see where their vehicles are along the delivery process so customers have greater confidence in the safety of their assets. And because MapPoint Location Server can calculate the shortest distance between two specific points, Inchcape can provide its drivers with the quickest routes. As a result, quotes, which are calculated according to mileage, are more accurate, saving the company money and helping to ensure accurate customer billing.
See complete case study
Search and Rescue Organization Deploys Intelligent Mapping System to Save More Lives at Sea Company: Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)
Industry: Charity, Logistics
Products: MapPoint Web Service, Microsoft .Net Framework
Overview:
The RNLI wants to improve safety on small fishing vessels by introducing a new automatic system that will quickly alert the search and rescue authorities that a vessel is in serious difficulties. Active Web Solutions, a Microsoft® Certified Solution Partner, worked with the RNLI to create a mapping and tracking application. The culmination of the RNLI’s research and development is a new product called MOB Guardian that will be available during 2006.
See complete case study
Washington State Tourism Creates Immersive Online Experience Company: Washington State Tourism
Industry: Government, Travel, Hospitality
Products: MapPoint Web Service
Overview:
Increasing tourism activity is the primary goal of the Washington State Tourism’s website which allows residents and visitors to get acquainted with areas in Washington and learn more about them prior to visiting. Instead of the traditional, lists-oriented interface, Washington State Tourism wanted to create an immersive online experience that would lets tourists discover and map places, events, and activities throughout the Northwest region.
The Virtual Earth platform enabled Washington State Tourism to develop an incredibly powerful, yet simple tool to discover a variety of information about Washington State. Residents and tourists can search for lodging and activity information, points of interest such as parks, lakes or trails and instantly visualize them a map. Online visitors can also select custom viewing areas – a feature built using MapPoint Web Service API polygon support – to observe habitats of species native to Washington and much more.
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