Fans find easy access to football ground information thanks to new online facility
Paris, July 2, 2003 - Thanks to advances in computer software, football administrators, local authorities and fans of the "beautiful game" can now easily access detailed information on football grounds and their facilities through a website http://www.reff.org.uk(opens in new window). Already implemented in the UK, the approach is equally suitable internationally and can be applied to other sports facilities, according to GeoConcept SA, Europe's leading supplier of geographic information software, whose interactive digital mapping tool, GeoConcept Internet Server (GCIS), is at the heart of the new facility. A key role in implementing the new system was played by Kingswood MapMechanics, the GIS expert and long established distributor for GeoConcept. The software has been implemented in the UK for the Football Foundation, and powers the digital maps for the Foundation's website, the Register of English Football Facilities (REFF). The REFF website was developped to give local authorities and other interested bodies an accessible, visual guide to help plan the provision of sports facilities and see where extra funding is needed and where funds should be channelled. "We are delighted to be playing a part in this project," said Eric Lanzi, CEO of GeoConcept. "The implementation of GCIS for the REFF website is an excellent example of how sports facilities can come alive online. Similar projects across the world could encourage more people to use local sports facilities and give local authorities immediately available information." Among other facilities, GeoConcept's GCIS gives an interactive search facility to look for exact locations, facilities, and other useful information on listed football grounds held on the REFF website. Simple on-screen tools enable the visitor to find the nearest football grounds in a specified area, and to check other details such as the availability of certain facilities, car parking, changing rooms, etc. Online visitors are able to view particular areas of interest by entering a town name, postcode or known facility name. Zoom functions give different levels of mapping (down to street level), enabling the visitor to view specific areas or to look at all football grounds within a specified area. The digital mapping tool also means visitors can plan a journey to the football ground using the route information displayed for each pitch. Football grounds are denoted by a football icon, and holding the cursor over one of these triggers pop-up information about that ground. Clicking on the icon opens a new screen with more detailed information. The REFF website was developed at a cost of £2 million and has already proved popular, with around 3.5 million hits since it went online. PMP, a leading sports consultancy who developed the REFF website in collaboration with PwC, chose GeoConcept Internet Server to provide the digital maps for the site due to the ability of GCIS to handle complex geographic queries and searches. GCIS is particularly web-oriented, and delivers a compact package of information to the user. The Football Foundation, Britain's biggest sports charity, is working on new features that will give local authorities even more useful information. One function to be rolled out will give registered users the option to make selective searches of areas of interest. Thanks to its innovative software, GeoConcept is able to continue providing mapping information as functions increase in number and complexity, and as information continues to be updated.,About GeoConcept SA (http://www.geoconcept.com),GeoConcept SA designs, develops and markets PC-based map-processing software and systems. These high performance, user-friendly products target the rapidly growing geographical information systems (GIS) market. GeoConcept's success over the last 10 years comes from its commitment to the three main aims of the company: a policy of continued technological innovation, the desire to make GIS systems accessible to all (excellent price-performance, user-friendly interface and Internet-enabled), and the will to increase map legibility so as to maximize their value. GeoConcept products have attracted prestigious clients and are now available in several languages. The company has already sold more than 50,000 licenses to 7,500 customers in 30 countries. Some 69% of the equity is held by the founders and well-known investors including Innovacom 2 and La Financiere de Brienne and Galileo. GeoConcept has its head office in Paris with 60 salaried staff and has shareholdings in several companies in GIS-related fields.,
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