iFactor’s Web Maps Connector (WMC) product has established itself as an accomplished and adaptable product used throughout the United States and worldwide. By providing access to cloud-hosted map data, WMC enables the use of high resolution street and aerial imagery in any GE Smallworld-based solution. With WMC, users have access to regularly and automatically updated maps from a variety of vendors, now including Bing Maps, Open Street Map, Digital Map Products, WeatherBug, Google Maps, Longdo Maps, and Navteq.
Piedmont Natural Gas originally implemented WMC to meet geocoding requirements, but eventually realized its benefits for 
aerial imagery as well. “Piedmont first purchased the Web Maps Connector to address important geocoding requirements, allowing us to replace the manual maintenance of street centerlines,” said Andrew Vondrak, Manager of Asset Management Systems. “WMC allowed us to meet these requirements without any need for ongoing data management or storage. Thanks to ongoing updates to Bing Maps imagery, we found that WMC also offered the best solution for access to aerial imagery. As a result, Piedmont was able to save money by eliminating the costs of additional 3rd party subscription services for imagery.”
While WMC is typically used to access cloud-based map data, it is also versatile enough to meet more unique needs. Xcel Energy purchased WMC to enable access to ArcGIS Data Appliance tile layers from their Smallworld applications. “Xcel Energy is able to leverage the WMC to support data access from our core basemap reference data, the ESRI Data Appliance, within the Smallworld GIS,” said Scott Bundy, Xcel Energy Senior Solutions Consultant. “This enables data consistency across many software solutions throughout the company where we are able to utilize a single solution to support our work processes and minimize our software and data footprints. iFactor’s WMC solution enabled us with rapid development and deployment of the product within our environments with excellent performance results.”
The WMC implementation team also has the flexibility to provide access to regional data vendors. While Bing Maps boasts coverage in 72 countries, WMC can enable locally maintained data layers, giving you the most accurate map imagery possible. For example, Petroleum Authority of Thailand recently implemented WMC to gain access to LongDo Maps from their Smallworld Gas Transmission Office application.
Other unique data layers available in WMC include Digital Map Products, which allows users to view parcel boundaries, and 
WeatherBug, which displays current and historical weather information. Users also have access to a variety of tools within the WMC product, including address lookup, reverse geocoding, and turn by turn driving directions.
With implementations in seven countries, access to an ever-increasing list of data vendors, and partners across several continents, the Web Maps Connector continues to save its customers time and money while increasing user efficiency and productivity.