What is theMapCloud and how is it used?

theMapCloud is Idox Geospatial’s online service for accessing ready-to-use geospatial datasets through standard web services. Its purpose is relatively simple: instead of finding geographic data from multiple sources, downloading it and then preparing and hosting it yourself, you can connect to datasets that Idox has already made available online.

Whether theMapCloud is suitable for you depends less on whether the underlying data could be obtained elsewhere and more on how much time and effort your organisation spends making that data usable.

How does theMapCloud work?

theMapCloud provides geospatial information through Open Geospatial Consortium standards including Web Map Service (WMS) and Web Feature Service (WFS).

These services can be connected to compatible GIS software and applications, allowing users to consume the data without storing and managing a separate local copy of every dataset.

WMS provides map imagery generated from geographic data, while WFS can provide access to the underlying geographic features. Which is appropriate depends on how the information needs to be used.

For organisations already working with GIS, this provides a relatively straightforward way to add additional data sources to existing workflows.

What sort of data is available?

theMapCloud includes a substantial catalogue of open and other geospatial datasets covering subjects relevant to infrastructure, planning, environmental analysis and location intelligence.

Rather than treating each source as a separate acquisition exercise, users can access multiple datasets through a consistent service.

That can be particularly useful when an organisation regularly combines information from different public bodies or needs to make the same external datasets available to several users.

Why use theMapCloud when much of the data is open?

This is key: Open data may be free to obtain, but that doesn’t mean it’s free to manage.

Using it directly can involve finding the authoritative source, downloading files, understanding different formats and structures, transforming data where necessary, loading it into GIS, checking for new releases and repeating the process whenever the source changes.

One dataset may represent very little work. Maintaining many of them can become a recurring administrative task.

theMapCloud effectively shifts some of that work away from the user. Idox sources, processes and hosts datasets so they can be consumed through consistent web services.

The value is therefore in convenient, maintained access, rather than simply access to information that couldn’t otherwise be obtained.

Is theMapCloud right for my organisation?

For an occasional requirement involving one easily obtainable open dataset, downloading directly from a publisher may remain the simplest option. But if you’re using several external datasets regularly, and don’t want the burden of processes for downloading, preparing, hosting and updating them – then theMapCloud is far more attractive.

That can be especially relevant to utility and infrastructure GIS teams, where time spent maintaining background datasets competes with higher-value analytical and operational work. The practical calculation is straightforward: compare the cost of the service with the internal effort required to maintain equivalent data access yourself.

Idox Geospatial can help organisations identify which datasets are available through theMapCloud and where managed web services could remove repetitive data preparation or maintenance from existing GIS workflows.

How we can help

If you can't find exactly what you need, we can help you choose the right mapping data solution for your project via email, chat or over the phone.

For more information, reach out to our Customer Support team.

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