Sanborn has grown significantly in the recent years. We almost tripled in size. Another major achievement is that we moved the company into the world of digital mapping. We now own six digital mapping cameras and three LIDAR systems. We increased our data collection and production capabilities significantly. On top of that, we pushed the company into a leadership position in developing 3-D maps. When you open Google Earth and zoom into Denver-Colorado or New York City, you will see Sanborn data turned on in the 3-D visualisation part of Google Earth. I think this 3-D application will continue to grow. We see lot of demand for the ability to visualise information and the ability to create photo-real environment on the web. It enhances everybody’s experience of using map data. We see that as a major market for our growth in the future.

Sanborn’s core competency is the development and management of spatial data – be it imagery, raster or even vector data. What Sanborn has done since 1866 is manage and produce spatial data. We have more than 104 years of experience in that. And that is our core competency – the collection, process, management and delivery of spatial data. It is like providing end-to-end spatial solutions. Another core competency we have developed in the last few years is understanding the customer’s requirement for information, deciding his spatial information need and developing a solution. Not that in all the cases spatial data solves the problem. You need to understand what the customer needs are and cater to them.

Yes. We do have some products. We have developed a product called ‘Citysets’, which is a combination of different sources of spatial data ---vector data, raster data, addresses etc. It has a number of layers. We sell this product in the United States and also internationally for people who need information about a city. We also have a software product called ‘CityBase’. It is a product developed for emergency response and emergency planning. It has a 3-D environment which interfaces with CCTV cameras, car navigation systems and allows a common operating picture to be presented to a group of decision makers. So they can visualise what’s going on and understand how to react to it.

There is another software product ‘GeoBook’ that allows people to use spatial data in a book-form on a computer. It is a simple product, does a basic yet effective function which allows a non-GIS user to organise spatial information and present it in a way that everyone can understand. We have a number of people who never used GIS. They can start publishing in a few hours by using GeoBook.