SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- Dec 03, 2008 -- Urban Mapping, the leading provider of location-rich content for interactive applications, today introduced URBANWARE Parking, a comprehensive database of off-street parking. The new product includes thorough coverage of both public and privately-owned off-street and airport parking lots in the top 50 U.S. metropolitan areas and a level of data content that is unmatched in the industry.
"Parking is more than a point of interest and it's high time it gets respect," said Ian White, CEO of Urban Mapping. "An address is just a start -- we drill down to provide complex data, such as where to enter, payment options and rates, and how those rates may vary during off hours or special events."
To create the database, Urban Mapping identified attributes relevant to end users, spent countless hours collecting the data and organized it into a standard format that can be leveraged for a wide range of location-based applications. URBANWARE Parking includes detailed information about:
-- General parking lot information -- location coordinates, address,
payment options, validation, maximum clearance, etc.
-- Lot egress -- entrance and exit locations
-- Lot rates -- rate schedules, including off-hour, weekend and event
rates, lost ticket fee, maximum costs
-- Lot photograph -- images of lot structures and egresses
-- Lot operator information -- name, phone, Web URL, logo
"Navigation and location-based applications are extremely valuable for determining 'where and how'," continued White. "Parking is a natural extension of trip planning and just about everyone has experienced the frustration of driving around the block in vain searching for parking. In the future, drivers will be able to review parking options and reserve the ideal spot before departing on a trip."
URBANWARE Parking may be licensed by periodic updates or via an API. All customers may take advantage of the product's rate calculator, which allows for highly accurate parking fees to be known when the journey is planned.
With the API, customers can use a variety of Web services to access parking data that includes functionality for finding the nearest lot, obtaining the rate summary and obtaining the cost for a specific time period. More information on the Parking API, as well as a demonstration of fare calculation and other API methods can be found at http://developer.urbanmapping.com/.
In addition to the U.S. coverage, data for major cities in Canada and Europe will be available in early 2009.
About Urban Mapping, Inc.
Urban Mapping's location-rich Urbanware products enhance the value of local content for interactive applications. The company's flagship product, Urbanware™ Neighborhoods, is a database of informal space and is used by all major portals, map platforms and Internet yellow page publishers, including Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft's Virtual Earth, Idearc's SuperPages.com, MapQuest and AT&T's YellowPages.com. Urban Mapping also offers a database of mass transit systems and a novel geotargeting solution focused on the needs of local search. For more information about Urban Mapping, visit http://www.urbanmapping.com or call 415.946.8170.
Urban Mapping and URBANWARE are trademarks of Urban Mapping, Inc.
Company contact: Lindsay Hong Email Contact 415-946-8170 x812 PR contact: Dean Fisk Email Contact 707-837-1745
