Felt: Revolutionizing Digital Mapping for the Cloud Era

In the rapidly evolving world of geospatial technology, where cloud-native solutions are becoming increasingly critical, Felt is positioning itself as a game-changer. Founded by Sam Hashemi, a designer with a rich history in modernizing legacy systems, Felt aims to be the premier platform for creating and sharing maps online. It is not just another GIS tool; it is a comprehensive, cloud-native solution designed to integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructures, making mapping more accessible, collaborative, and powerful than ever before.

Hashemi’s journey began with a passion for improving outdated systems. With a background in design and a decade of experience working with various government agencies, from NASA to the Department of Energy, Hashemi found his calling in breathing new life into systems from the 1970s, giving them a modern, user-friendly interface. This drive led him to start Remix, a company that transformed city planning with software tools used by over 500 cities, including London, New York, and San Francisco. The success of Remix, which was sold for $100 million, inspired Hashemi to tackle an even broader challenge: the outdated and often cumbersome world of mapping.

“Felt is the best way to make maps on the internet, the only cloud-native GIS platform,” Hashemi said in a recent interview. “We started Felt to make mapping online collaborative, integrating with anything, and truly effortless.” This vision has resonated with a wide audience, from media giants like ABC and The New York Times to innovative startups and even nonprofits. Felt’s user base has grown to 500 businesses, with applications ranging from live reporting in conflict zones to advanced energy analysis.

What sets Felt apart is its ability to integrate with virtually any existing system. Whether you are working with PostGIS, AWS S3, or even a simple CSV file, Felt handles the complexities of projection, tiling, and hosting across multiple servers, allowing users to focus on what matters—creating impactful maps. This ease of integration, combined with the platform’s powerful sharing capabilities, makes Felt a standout in the crowded GIS market.

The platform’s flexibility is evident in its range of use cases. Media organizations use Felt to create dynamic, real-time maps for storytelling, while startups like Terabotics employ the platform for satellite imagery analysis. Even casual users find value in Felt’s intuitive interface; one user, for example, mapped out a dog-walking journey across France, inviting others to join and meet the dog along the way.

Felt’s recent 3.0 update introduces even more powerful features, including the ability to add interactive components like charts, sliders, and graphs directly to maps. This update also includes a new API and a Python SDK, making it easier for developers to automate map creation and integration into their workflows.

Looking ahead, Felt is poised to expand its capabilities even further, with plans to introduce 3D mapping, integrate with more data sources, and form new partnerships within the geospatial data ecosystem. As the world grapples with increasingly complex environmental challenges, from floods to wildfires, the need for accessible and powerful mapping tools has never been greater.

Hashemi believes we are just at the beginning of a new era in mapping. “Our mission is to make mapping effortless for everyone,” he says. “If we’re successful, there will be ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times as many people creating maps in their day-to-day workflows.”

As Felt continues to innovate and scale, it is clear that the platform is not just a tool for GIS professionals but a versatile solution for anyone who needs to visualize and share spatial data in the cloud. Whether you are planning a city, analyzing satellite images, or simply organizing a community hike, Felt is making it easier than ever to map your world.

For those interested in exploring Felt’s capabilities, the platform offers a free trial at felt.com, where users can experience firsthand the ease and power of this groundbreaking tool.

Tags: 3D mapping, Cloud-native GIS, Mapping software, PostGIS integration

Category: Felt

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 8th, 2024 at 11:29 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.