Mapcom Systems
Encyclopedia
Mapcom Systems is the software developer of M4 Solutions - a map-based Geographical Operations System
(GOS) software suite designed to display and allow access to the data of telecommunications providers in a geographic view. Founded in 1971 by Thurmond Vernon, Mapcom Systems contracts with telecommunications independents, cooperatives, fiber communities, and campus telecommunications providers. The company is located in Chesterfield County, Virginia
. Mapcom currently employs approximately 50 employees.
(ODBC) connection.
In the mid-1990s, an infusion of capital from Virginia Commercial Finance, Inc., helped Mapcom to triple sales and employment totals. The company became known as Mapcom Systems in 2001 after a change in ownership. The company's focus shifted from being services-oriented towards offering software solutions to telecommunications companies.
The integration engine and capabilities of the company have changed the perception of information management in the telecom industry, especially among small providers. A number of recent partnerships demonstrate the growing significance of integration in the field. Mapcom has agreements with billing software providers like UDP, the Mid America Computer Corp. (MACC), Quintrex Data Systems, Martins, CDG, Telesphere, Commsoft, and various in-house solutions. In 2006, Mapcom was able to reach an agreement with international corporation Navteq
to "integrate Navteq map data" with Mapcom's M4 product. Fleet Management Systems (FMS) agreed to an "authorized distributor relationship" with Mapcom in 2007, combining the satellite Global Positioning System
(GPS) communication technology of FMS with the dispatcher-technician communication technology of Mapcom's product M4 Dispatch Manager. Another integration and joint marketing agreement - this time between Mapcom Systems and Centina Systems in 2008 - aimed to increase oversight services Mapcom could deliver to clients for responding to network disruptions. Partnerships also exist between Mapcom Systems and Atwater Mapping & Consulting Services, Calix
, Communications Consulting Services, Inc., Henkels & McCoy, McCall-Thomas Engineering Company (MTE) and Westronic.
Currently, Mapcom sells Version 8.5.3 of its M4 Solutions software.
Mapcom also markets corollary programs to deal with telephony
, cable
, fiber, work order
s, network equipment, record keeping, and integration specifics. The M4 Solutions software suite is marketed as a Geographical Operations System
for telecommunications companies.
, the Caribbean
, and Central America
. Recently, the company has also expanded its cliental to include American university campuses. Mapcom operates in competition with StellarRAD Systems, Bentley Systems
, SAPIENCE360, Martin Group, and Telcordia Technologies
, among others.
Geographical Operations System
In telecommunications, a Geographical Operations System combines the integration of data with geographic mapping ability in a consolidated process for telecommunications companies. The process can be defined as, "...the marriage that integrating Geographic Information Systems and Operational...
(GOS) software suite designed to display and allow access to the data of telecommunications providers in a geographic view. Founded in 1971 by Thurmond Vernon, Mapcom Systems contracts with telecommunications independents, cooperatives, fiber communities, and campus telecommunications providers. The company is located in Chesterfield County, Virginia
Chesterfield County, Virginia
Chesterfield County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. In 2010, its population was estimated to be 316,236. Chesterfield County is now the fourth-largest municipality in Virginia . Its county seat is Chesterfield...
. Mapcom currently employs approximately 50 employees.
History
Mapcom Systems began as a company contracted to Continental Telephone, an eventual acquisition of Verizon. Mapcom produced hand-scribed maps of Continental Telephone's network lines and equipment, and developed a Service System Control method for integrating the large amount of data contained in thousands of individual maps. In 1988, developers at the company began to write software programs for data translation, leading ultimately to the development of M4, the primary product Mapcom marketed and sold to telecommunications clients. The original M4 program included a database linked to a mapping portion within the program via an Open Database ConnectivityOpen Database Connectivity
In computing, ODBC is a standard C interface for accessing database management systems . The designers of ODBC aimed to make it independent of database systems and operating systems...
(ODBC) connection.
In the mid-1990s, an infusion of capital from Virginia Commercial Finance, Inc., helped Mapcom to triple sales and employment totals. The company became known as Mapcom Systems in 2001 after a change in ownership. The company's focus shifted from being services-oriented towards offering software solutions to telecommunications companies.
The integration engine and capabilities of the company have changed the perception of information management in the telecom industry, especially among small providers. A number of recent partnerships demonstrate the growing significance of integration in the field. Mapcom has agreements with billing software providers like UDP, the Mid America Computer Corp. (MACC), Quintrex Data Systems, Martins, CDG, Telesphere, Commsoft, and various in-house solutions. In 2006, Mapcom was able to reach an agreement with international corporation Navteq
NAVTEQ
Navteq is a Chicago, Illinois-based provider of Geographic Information Systems data and is a dominant company in providing the base electronic navigable maps...
to "integrate Navteq map data" with Mapcom's M4 product. Fleet Management Systems (FMS) agreed to an "authorized distributor relationship" with Mapcom in 2007, combining the satellite Global Positioning System
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
(GPS) communication technology of FMS with the dispatcher-technician communication technology of Mapcom's product M4 Dispatch Manager. Another integration and joint marketing agreement - this time between Mapcom Systems and Centina Systems in 2008 - aimed to increase oversight services Mapcom could deliver to clients for responding to network disruptions. Partnerships also exist between Mapcom Systems and Atwater Mapping & Consulting Services, Calix
Calix
Calix is a supplier of telecommunications access equipment for service providers. The company was incorporated in 1999.Calix is a North American provider of broadband communications access systems and software for fiber- and copper-based network architectures that enable communications service...
, Communications Consulting Services, Inc., Henkels & McCoy, McCall-Thomas Engineering Company (MTE) and Westronic.
Currently, Mapcom sells Version 8.5.3 of its M4 Solutions software.
Products
Mapcom Systems presently markets and operates its software programs to companies that maintain telecommunications and fiber optics networks. The M4 Foundation is a digital mapping program that ties individually mapped elements to accessible database tables, providing users with a method for real-time updates to data records in accordance with changes made to the digital, geographic land base.Mapcom also markets corollary programs to deal with telephony
Telephony
In telecommunications, telephony encompasses the general use of equipment to provide communication over distances, specifically by connecting telephones to each other....
, cable
Cable
A cable is two or more wires running side by side and bonded, twisted or braided together to form a single assembly. In mechanics cables, otherwise known as wire ropes, are used for lifting, hauling and towing or conveying force through tension. In electrical engineering cables are used to carry...
, fiber, work order
Work order
A work order or job order is an order received by an organization from a customer or client, or an order created internally within the organization...
s, network equipment, record keeping, and integration specifics. The M4 Solutions software suite is marketed as a Geographical Operations System
Geographical Operations System
In telecommunications, a Geographical Operations System combines the integration of data with geographic mapping ability in a consolidated process for telecommunications companies. The process can be defined as, "...the marriage that integrating Geographic Information Systems and Operational...
for telecommunications companies.
Market
Mapcom currently lists over 125 telecommunications clients across the Continental United States, AlaskaAlaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. Recently, the company has also expanded its cliental to include American university campuses. Mapcom operates in competition with StellarRAD Systems, Bentley Systems
Bentley Systems
Bentley Systems, Incorporated is a software company that produces solutions for the design, construction and operation of infrastructure. The company’s software serves the building, plant, civil, and geospatial vertical markets in the areas of architecture, engineering, construction and operations...
, SAPIENCE360, Martin Group, and Telcordia Technologies
Telcordia Technologies
Telcordia Technologies, formerly Bell Communications Research, Inc. or Bellcore, is a telecommunications research and development company based in the United States created as part of the 1982 Modification of Final Judgment that broke up American Telephone & Telegraph...
, among others.