Startup inspiration can strike anywhere. But for Atlas.co*, a freemium browser-based, real-time mapping tool created by a team of engineers based in Oslo, Norway, the realization that there could be a business opportunity in competing with expensive legacy mapping software struck the founders of Mara Class. during.
“When we took an introductory class in GIS [geographic information system]half of the class wasn’t able to download it because their computer didn’t meet the software requirements,” Frederick Moger, CEO and co-founder, told TechCrunch. “It’s usually a barrier. Yes, right? And I think if you look at… maybe 10 years ago, Adobe kind of had the same problem. And then Figma came into play.
Atlas similarly wants to unlock the power of GIS data, offering a more flexible, user-friendly cloud-based collaboration platform and a software-as-a-service business model, eliminating the drag and cost of legacy software. Scales with free and usage while leaving behind.
Moger points to other cloud platforms — such as Airtable, Canva and Notion — as well as providing the kind of collaborative templates he wants to bring to doing cool things with GIS data. Whereas, on the inheritance mapping side, it checks the name. Esri As a competitor to the main GIS platform.
Google Maps also offers custom maps features and an API for developers who want to embed rich interactive maps elsewhere. Although it is not a complete GIS platform. So it is not possible to fully feature after Atlas for B2B customers.
According to Moger, typical users so far include people working in renewable energy development, urban planning and real estate. Journalists have also, perhaps surprisingly, been among its early adopters – as maps can be a powerful way to convey information quickly.
Creating maps is really easy.
Atlas doesn’t require particularly powerful computer hardware to run, per Moger. And there’s no need to download and install software, because everything runs in the browser.
The tile-rendering component the team developed allows it to transfer mapping data from its infrastructure to the user’s browser “very efficiently,” he suggests — and that means no fancy hardware is needed. is not
On the user interface side, the goal is to design a clean and modern software experience that is easy to pick up. “[What] What we’re doing with GIS is making it available to everyone,” he said. “I think everyone should be able to create interactive maps and spatial apps really, really easily.”
Atlas was founded in 2021 when the founders were still at university. Bootstrapped during the startup’s early stage, he chose to quit those jobs after university to focus on the startup full-time. They launched the platform in June on ProductHunt. They’ve had close to 20,000 signups in 140+ countries so far — mostly free users at this early stage, Moger confirmed.
Key features currently include a builder tool that lets users create spatial maps and interactive dashboards. It also supports data layering — where users can upload information to display on maps and use tools to visualize and style the data.
The software also provides spatial analysis tools for automated functionality such as proximity search, data aggregation and density analysis. Real-time collaboration is also included, with support for things like real-time cursor display to help teams work together to compile visual location data.
The startup just closed a $2 million pre-seed round to continue developing the product. So hiring more engineers is at the top of the team’s to-do list as they focus on expanding Atlas’ feature set.
Moger suggests that there is a growing need for visual and storytelling analysis of geospatial data – including in the wake of the climate crisis. (A good example is the satellite maps of Valencia, Spain, circulating in the wake of the flooding devastation of Hurricane DANA earlier this month, which show Before and after shots.)
“With all the climate change that’s happening, and all the actions we need to take to fight climate change, a lot of new industries actually need to do more and more with geospatial data,” he said. suggested. “They don’t currently have the ability and expertise to work with existing tools. And [those are the] New customers or industries we want to target. This is what we want to enable to use and work with spatial data.
Moger explained that, while previously only one person on a target team might have served as an in-house GIS specialist who was skilled in using legacy software, Atlas aims to empower multiple team members to manage geographic data. To enable collaboration on data.
The funding is led by European climate-focused VC fund Yellow Blue Dot. Other “high-profile” investors in the round include Ben Lang (early employee and former community lead at Notion), and Andreas Klinger (former CTO and founding team).
in Product Hunt).
Commenting in a statement, Joel Larson, partner at Pale Blue Dot, said: “Atlas.co is an important step towards making spatial data accessible for important causes like climate action. We are one such team. Excited to support that sees maps not only as data tools, but also as catalysts for environmental and social change.
*Not to be confused with the 3D generative AI tool Atlas; Atlas Work Benefits Tool for Global Companies; Atlassian’s Teams Software Atlas; Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robot; Or VC Sequoia’s interactive map of European tech talent, to name a few of the myriad uses of the term Atlas in tech. So it might be time to retire that name tbh.
Credit : techcrunch.com
