Geo-social Networking Start-up—ZoomAtlas Reaches 22,000 Notes Posted

BOSTON, March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston-based ZoomAtlas today announced that it logged 22,000 user notes posted as of March 14, 2010. Uniquely different from other geo-social networking sites focused on gaming or adding incremental information to existing mapping sites, ZoomAtlas is the geo-social networking site that combines the best of social networking with advanced mapping technology to reconnect users with friends and family by posting notes at important places in their past or present.

The ZoomAtlas social map is the largest, most detailed, lifelike wiki-map of the United States that blends satellite imagery with computer-generated and user-drawn properties. Since its Web site launch Nov. 16, 2009, www.zoomatlas.com has seen more than 320,000 unique visitors and 16,500 registered users.

ZoomAtlas has experienced significant involvement from users in the baby boomer generation, with 1975 as the average year referenced in notes posted on the site. Through ZoomAtlas, many baby boomers are reconnecting with long-lost friends and family from their past, and are sharing memories at important places in their collective lives.

Its focus on the past is not the only thing that sets ZoomAtlas apart from other geo-social networking sites. Its interactive abilities are unique from other maps as ZoomAtlas is one of the few mapping services not built on Google, Yahoo, MSN, NAVTEQ or TeleAtlas.

“ZoomAtlas owns and controls our map layer, giving us complete flexibility, which can in part be attributed to our success,” said Mark Sherman, CEO and founder of ZoomAtlas. “Geo-social networking start-ups that rely on mashups with Google Maps or Microsoft’s Bing Maps are challenged by a business model that is based on incremental improvements of another company’s base maps.  As these Internet powerhouses add new features for users to interact with their maps, users have little reason to visit those smaller mapping sites. Furthermore, since we own the base layer, users are free to edit every feature on the map, to correct errors or add exquisite detail, using our unique map editor or prebuilt objects like houses and sports fields.”

The ZoomAtlas database currently contains 140 million places in the U.S. Users can search for any business or residence by address or business name, as well as search for a street, block, neighborhood, city, town, zip code, county, state, airport, park, mall, sports complex, cemetery, house of worship, school, hospital, military installation, or geographic feature.  The database will continue to expand over time as users add places and map their lives.

The map enables users to post information and notes for people at places and locations they spent time in their past, including residences, restaurants, schools, parks, workplaces, churches and more, to find and reconnect with family and friends. Users can also use the detailed editing tools to edit map features, including roads, railroads, runways, waterways, parking lots, sidewalks, sports fields, property lines, and even landscape details like grass, flowers or bricks.

Anyone can use the site anonymously, including searching, editing articles, and uploading pictures. Users who post notes, register on the site or use Facebook Connect, so that ZoomAtlas can contact users when a friend locates them or there is a reply to their note.

About ZoomAtlas

ZoomAtlas, founded by Mark Sherman in 2007, is a free, photo-realistic map that enables individuals to reconnect with friends, family and places from their past while leaving tips, stories and recommendations. Sherman is responsible for the strategic and technical direction of the company. In his 25 years of technology experience, Sherman has designed applications ranging from computer graphics systems to trading systems for financial firms. In 1996, he co-founded Microsurf, Inc., a comprehensive network of consumer Web sites including MortgageQuotes.com and MoverQuotes.com that focused on relocation and other home services, which later was sold to TMP Worldwide/Monster.com. The technical advisory board is headed by Ward Cunningham, the Chief Technology Officer of AboutUs.org. Cunningham is well known for his contributions to the developing practice of object-oriented programming; the variation called Extreme Programming, and is the creator of the world's first wiki.

SOURCE ZoomAtlas