Mapsco Dropped the Ball

Disclaimer: Everything contained within this post is speculation on my part, I have no information about the internal workings of Mapsco.

People outside of Texas and Colorado are most likely not familiar with Mapsco (history here). Mapsco produces physical map books, where the entire metro area is broken down over a series of pages and each page is broken down into a grid. You look up a street in the index, and it tells you what grid cell, which is a letter, the address block (2500 - 2700 for example) belongs to. For example, the Mapsco number for the address 11811 Preston Rd. Dallas, TX 75230 (their Dallas retail store) would be 15X; Page 15, Cell X.


Obviously this code is map book specific, both by listing a page and the fact that there is no metro area designation. Some simple modifications, such as grid number vs. page and the addition of a metro prefix, such as DFW, would allow the code to transition from paper to web and back, without adding much heft. It is pretty cool really; shorthand for a physical address would be very, very welcome in today's terse world of IM, texting, etc.

For those in the Dallas / Fort Worth area, until a couple of years ago, Mapsco was almost ubiquitous, at least for businesses that did any amount of local travel. In fact, real estate ads in the newspaper would often list the Mapsco number of the house so you wouldn't have to look it up, just turn to the page in the booklet and be on your way. How great.

Then the Internet changed everything. As web map systems started becoming better and better, adding semi-accurate driving directions, the need for Mapsco suddenly disappeared. It seems the company decided that the only way it could remain relevant was to move away from consumer-oriented mapping and focus on detailed business and government mapping. This was always a large portion of their business, but it seems, at least if you look at their website, that their focus is definitely in those other areas. They have not stopped making retail map books, but I believe they made a strategic decision to focus on business and government. A quick glance at the vendor list from the gigantic Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting in San Francisco last week does not indicate that Mapsco had a presence.

How has this potential shift worked out for them? I don't know. They are still around. I'm not sure if they had plans to move into other states before then decided to hold off when they shifted focus, or even if they did shift focus. This is all from an outside perspective. As a consumer in the DFW area, Mapsco used to be synonymous with mapping, and it simply is not anymore.

So what if you go to the Mapsco site and want to see an interactive map? You are sent to a third part mapping site called Multimap http://www.multimap.com/. I cannot see a direct connection between the two companies (though there may be one), but Multimap does not seem to offer the Mapsco number in their mapping system. I'm guessing someone at Mapsco said "you know, we should at least provide some type of interactive mapping system on our site." Perhaps this was done a few years ago before mashing up with Google, Yahoo! Or Microsoft (GYM) Maps was easy (or possible). At least if Mapsco hooked up with GYM, they might have made a buck or two off of contextual advertising!

But wait, after some digging around on their site, you will find that they do have an online version of their maps; only its not free, and 12 months of "internet mapping" is included with their "VIP" packages. The cheapest is $50 per year, which probably isn't bad for what you get; a package that includes a map book and 50 inquiries with a Data Service Specialist. Also, they do use their Mapsco number in their Store Locations list, and even have a link to a static image of the map grid. Now that is what I'm talking about.

So why am I picking on Mapsco? What did they do to me? Honestly, it is just something I've been obsessed with for a while and thought I would share. A bit of therapy, really. Mapsco may have a thriving business doing what they do. If not, perhaps they might want to listen to my words if as nothing else, a tech-savvy consumer living in their top market.

First of all, let me get one thing clear. I do not believe Mapsco should ditch the map books. There will always be a market for paper maps; and there's are very easy to use. Even when mobile web devices are ubiquitous, there will still be people who want real maps, and the Mapsco numbering system is fantastic. If you need to use a real map, Mapsco is the way to go.

However, I believe they could seriously augment their brand (which still has great value in the DFW area, at least) by offering an online mapping system. You tell me what your Mapsco code is, perhaps in a Craigslist ad or via IM. I throw that in a browser toolbar extension or desktop widget, snag the map, print and I'm out the door. You could do that with addresses now, but it is not always that simple or quick.

How many times have you entered a very detailed, very correct address into GYM maps only to get a puzzled look from your browser? Entering a 6 or 7 digit code to get a map is much better than typing in a whole address. In my experience too, GYM maps are slow. This is with a fast system on a fast broadband connection. I often find myself going back to the "classic" maps rather than the new dynamic maps (at least on Yahoo!) so I can see the full map. I often go to Yahoo! from Google when it simply won't load all of the map pieces. Mapsco wouldn't have to even be dynamically generated. Just give me the grid cell image I'm interested in. Fast, easy, and I'm on my way. In an ironic twist, I believe by improving their brand's standing and putting them back in the "map business" in consumers' minds, this will probably drive up sales of their map books.

Does this solve the problem of door-to-door directions? No. But it will sure get you in the vicinity quick. Take that and the street address and you are good to go. If you want directions, Mapsco could mashup with Google. They need to stick to what they do best and that is the grid and numbering system. Everything else out there someone else is doing and they can just leverage those other systems.

Is it too late for Mapsco, though? Not at all. While, as I said earlier, Mapsco is not where most people's minds go when the term maps is mentioned these days, people still know about the brand and remember it with great affection. I've mentioned this to many people who fondly remember using Mapsco. Unfortunately "Are they still around?" is generally the follow-up to that memory. I'll add this. Not only do I think they still have great brand recognition, this would also be the best time to do this.

From a technology standpoint, this would be relatively easy to implement. First, it seems a company called MapLogic, who licenses GIS data from ESRI, has a product called MapLogic LayoutManager that lets you create real-world map books, complete with street index and everything. It seems some modifications to that system would allow Mapsco to overlay their grid onto any location ESRI has data for (basically everywhere in the world) and put it into book form. This same data could also be leveraged for their web site. According to their site, Mapsco collects their own map data, which means they will have a difficult time scaling their operations (unless they have super-deep pockets).

From a business standpoint their brand is still very well known, at least in the areas where they gained traction over the last 50+ years, and they could leverage that swimmingly. I believe a lot of people in Dallas would really like to see Mapsco come back with a killer service, and would really support them. I know I would.

By the way, Mapsco... if you are reading this, I can help you make this happen! I also have lots of other ideas I didn't list here that I can see coming from this system.

- Lincoln