2008-11-13 12:05:47 - United Maps GmbH has announced today strategic investments from three organizations: High-Tech Grunderfonds, Bayern Kapital, and SpaceTec Capital Partners. United Maps did not disclose the magnitude of the investments, but said the new funding will support United Map's effort to produce a new generation of fully routable, highly detailled and multimodal vector maps.

United Maps strategy is to take basemaps - from vehicle navigation market leaders like Navteq, Tele Atlas or AND - and algorithmically match them with value-added cartographic data and relevant information layers thereby conflated into new data products.

Digital cartography and webmapping by Google Earth, Yahoo! Maps or Windows Live Search Maps are fast-growing segments of online usage worldwide. 'With the

support and funding of our investors, we deploy a disruptive technology and deliver unique map products timed to ride the wave of geodata, geolocation and GPS-based solutions," said Stefan Knecht, CIO and one of the three founders of United Maps. 'Our aggregation of diverse datasets is highly automated and delivers more than 90 percent correct matches. Processes and workflows are optimized for international markets and products.'

United Maps' technological approach has a high potential: "United Maps demonstrates a unique innovation in a fast-growing market for location-based services and media. As a B2B-provider, United Maps extends details and relevancy of mapping services and offers a real value added says Holger Heinen, Senior Investmentmanager at High-Tech Gründerfonds.

Target markets for United Maps' better maps are mobile devices and Smartphones, location-aware Media and Services (LBS) in online portals and business process optimization. United Maps' white-labeled and on-demand services primarily cater for vertical B2B-markets and professional customers.

As Rainer Horn, Managing Director of SpaceTec Capital puts it: .) United Maps delivers the reference frame for precise positioning systems and critical building blocks for the future geoweb.'

Andreas Wiedmann, co-founder and CEO: "I am really looking forward to an already fertile cooperation with our investors High-Tech Gründerfonds, Bayern Kapital - and we appreciate being the first investment of SpaceTec Capital."

With more than 10 experienced cartographers, editors and GIS experts, United Maps produces better maps starting in November 2008. Germany is scheduled in 1Q09, Austria, Switzerland and additional 200 European cities will follow in 2Q09.


== Profile United Maps GmbH ==

United Maps is focussed on vector cartography and geoinformation and was founded in 2008 by Andreas Wiedmann (CEO), Stefan Knecht (CIO) and Carsten Recknagel (COO). With proprietary algorithms, experienced cartographers and efficient workflows, basemaps by leading industry providers are enhanced and added into a new generation of maps for mobile devices, webservices and process optimization (BPO). With unique detail, topical layers and exhaustive editorial input and maintainance, United Maps' products 'fill the gap within road networks' with relevant content and leverage innovative applications and services in the geospace.