To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/publicearth/41308/
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091118/NY13405 )
Global explorer Duncan McCall created PublicEarth after years of traveling the world, sharing information with fellow travelers on paper maps, while trying to avoid difficult border crossings and, occasionally, landmine fields. Popular information was always easy to come by, but the really valuable information was not. The problem extended to the urban landscape: "Web search results are dominated with businesses and restaurants," says McCall. "I want to be able to find interesting things about where I'm going -- where can I go for a walk and see something unique, something I wouldn't even know to search for? We created PublicEarth to be the one source for everything that is interesting about where you are right now, or where you're going."
David Hose, the chairman and CEO of PublicEarth and a long-time veteran of both geographic information systems and the mobile industry, saw a need for a comprehensive database of detailed long-tail information, and wanted to connect it systematically with more popular searches. Ultimately that data should flow to all of the GPS devices, mobile phones and mapping applications in the world.
"We knew that we had to launch with a sizable database. But we also knew that the millions of places we have right now make up less than one percent of the mappable places in the world. So we are providing easy to use tools that allow anyone to add places that they find interesting or important," says Hose, "It will take time to be anywhere close to complete, but we have a remarkable start."
PublicEarth has spent the last year working with numerous 'special interest' communities, providing features they requested, and helping them incorporate their specific information needs into the database. Their goals were to expose their unique content to a broader audience, and make it more accessible. For instance, PublicEarth offers simple widgets that allow communities to bring their content back to their own Web sites, but also add value by connecting it to complimentary and relevant nearby places.
A broad variety of communities have been working with PublicEarth, including:
-- Trailer Life Directory, the most comprehensive listing of RV parks in
North America, and the "Official Directory of the Good Sam Club", the
world's largest RV Owners Organization.
-- Forecast Public Art, publisher of Public Art Review, the respected
source of information on public art worldwide
-- Offroad Adventures Online, a Web site with a collection of full mountain
bike ride reports, routes guides, preparation tips, equipment and images
James Murnaghan, founder, Offroad Adventures Online: "PublicEarth is a great opportunity to promote our brand and drive additional visitors to our Web site. In addition, the 'what's nearby' widget is a really quick and simple way of enhancing the routes on our site with some great additional relevant information from PublicEarth."
Public art is another community that is utilizing the new service. Jack Becker, executive director, Forecast Public Art & publisher of Public Art Review comments, "PublicEarth has unlimited potential for deepening the experience of appreciating and interpreting public art worldwide. It will revolutionize the way future generations learn who artists are, what they do, and how they contribute their creativity to the public realm."
About PublicEarth, Inc.
Founded in 2008, PublicEarth is dedicated to delivering interesting, unique, and up-to-date place information. The PublicEarth Web site offers simple access to millions of places, and spans an ever-expanding list of categories contributed by both non-commercial and commercial organizations. Tools are provided to make the adding and organizing of locations easy, and the use of information flexible.
Web site: http://www.publicearth.com/