Microsoft SQL ServerCustomer Solution Case Study

Software Developer Speeds Time-to-Market and Improves Scalability with Hybrid Cloud

OverviewCountry or Region: AustraliaIndustry: Manufacturing—Software publishing

Customer ProfileBased in Melbourne, Australia, Maptel develops mobile mapping and geographic information system (GIS) solutions.

Business SituationMaptel wanted to create a mobile application that could connect to centrally stored information without the cost and burden of deploying data management infrastructure.

SolutionMaptel based its solution on Microsoft SQL Server 2012 and Microsoft SQL Azure, a cloud-based service on the Windows Azure platform.

Benefits Speeds innovation and time-to-market Improves scalability and flexibility with

cloud-based deployment Supports environmental sustainability

with centralized, extensible solution

“With SQL Server 2012 and SQL Azure, you can prototype a solution on highly scalable infrastructure with a relatively small investment…. As a result, you can deliver solutions to the market faster.”

Elvin Slavik, Managing Director, Maptel

Maptel, which develops mapping and data collection software, wanted to design a solution that would make it easier for citizens to access government services. It sought to develop an application that would run on mobile phones and help people locate recycling and waste disposal locations and services, but building the data management infrastructure would be time-consuming and costly. In order to ease development and implementation, Maptel based its new software on a Microsoft solution that includes enhanced geospatial capabilities and cloud-based deployment. As a result, both Maptel and its customers gain faster time-to-market and an affordable, highly scalable infrastructure. The solution, which can be implemented in virtually any location worldwide, also supports the goal of a more sustainable environment.

SituationBased in Melbourne, Australia, Maptel develops mobile mapping and geographic information system (GIS) solutions. Running on mobile devices, Maptel software is used worldwide by private companies and government agencies from the local to the federal level. In 2011, the company took on the new challenge of improving citizen access to government services.

Maptel was asked participate in the Microsoft Spotlight 2011 contest, an Australian initiative for developing Windows Phone applications that facilitate interaction between government organizations or between citizens and government. “We had a lot of ideas,” says Elvin Slavik, Managing Director at Maptel. “But the one we decided to focus on was making recycling and sustainability more accessible in everyday life.”

The company wanted to design software that would show users where to find recycling and waste disposal services, and return results based on a street address. To develop the solution, the company needed a data platform that could handle both geospatial information and relational data models, and work with multiple devices and data sources.

However, designing the solution was only part of the challenge—Maptel also wanted to simplify development and implementation. “Cost was an obvious concern,” says Slavik. “But we also wanted to focus on developing the application itself instead of building the infrastructure behind it.”

The company knew that its customers would have similar concerns. Slavik says, “Government agencies that would provide the data typically don’t have the IT skills or infrastructure to support the solution.”Maptel planned to offer its software to customers worldwide and needed to ensure optimal scalability and flexibility. It wanted a solution that could be deployed by government agencies of any size.

SolutionMaptel decided to base its new solution on SQL Server 2012 Enterprise data management software to take advantage of enhanced spatial capabilities and support for more data types. Equally important, Maptel could ease implementation by deploying on Microsoft SQL Azure, a cloud-based service on the Windows Azure platform. “SQL Server 2012 with Windows Azure was an obvious choice for us,” says Slavik. “The skills and the source code we had already developed for on-site deployment would also work in the cloud.”

Maptel began developing its “Waste Not” solution in May 2011. The company created the software on-site with SQL Server 2012 and the Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate development system and then migrated the solution to SQL Azure. Confident that Waste Not was ready for wide-scale deployment, Maptel released the solution to market four months later. Waste Not is already in service with several customers in Australia, including the city of Melbourne and smaller, private organizations.

Maptel customers typically choose a hybrid-cloud deployment model so that they can maintain some information stores

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on-site while publishing subsets of data to the Waste Not environment in the cloud. “Organizations can manage and build data locally and then publish outside the organization onto centrally managed infrastructure,” says Slavik. “With SQL Azure, that pattern is far more feasible than it has been in the past.”Maptel helps customers migrate their data to SQL Azure, which can take anywhere from a few minute to several weeks to complete. Then, end users can download the client application for free from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Maptel uses the enhanced geospatial capabilities in SQL Server 2012 and SQL Azure to create queries based on physical location. Working with the phone’s global positioning system (GPS), the application determines a user’s street address and returns local information such as the next pickup date for garbage, a list of items accepted, and the location of the closest recycling facility.

The company is also using the Open Data (OData) protocol in SQL Server 2012. A web protocol for querying and updating data, OData provides access to information from a variety of devices and applications. As a result, Maptel can create client applications for phones from different vendors that will connect to the same database on SQL Azure.

In addition, Waste Not aggregates multiple data sources with SQL Azure. In Australia, the solution connects with GeoScience Australia, a federal provider of satellite imagery and topographic maps, and local government organizations.

Maptel believes the solution can improve waste management and recycling for both businesses and individuals. “For example, a shipping company might need to find waste disposal sites in multiple countries,” says Slavik. “With SQL Azure, you could use a service like Waste Not to discover things anywhere on the planet at any scale.”

The company is already anticipating new projects with SQL Server 2012. “Microsoft has improved its geospatial capabilities with SQL Server 2012, and developing mapping software is what we do,” says Slavik. “So we look forward to spending much more time with it.”

BenefitsBy taking advantage of Microsoft technology and cloud-based services, Maptel can deliver its innovative solutions more quickly. Easier deployment, reduced costs, and more flexibility also help Maptel customers meet their own business goals.

Speeds Innovation and Time-to-MarketBy developing solutions on-site with SQL Server 2012 and deploying on the cloud with SQL Azure, Maptel can bring its products to market more quickly and affordably. “With SQL Server 2012 and SQL Azure, you can prototype a solution on highly scalable infrastructure with a relatively small investment,” says Slavik. “The development strategy provides an opportunity to economically test a lot of ideas. As a result, you can deliver solutions to the market faster.”

In addition, the company can take advantage of new technologies and trends such as hybrid-cloud deployment while using familiar development tools. “The fact

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“SQL Server 2012 with SQL Azure gives organizations the best of both worlds.... They can keep some data on-site to meet regulatory requirements, while publishing subsets to the cloud to benefit from a more scalable and centralized infrastructure.”

Elvin Slavik, Managing Director, Maptel

that Microsoft provides a pathway from where we are to where we want to go is a huge benefit for us,” says Slavik. “We gained a seamless transition of skills and technology between the SQL Server 2012 and SQL Azure environments.”

Lowers CostsMaptel customers are also reducing implementation costs and complexity. As a result, innovative, highly scalable solutions such as Waste Not are within reach of virtually any organization. “A government agency might want a solution based on SQL Server 2012 that could be accessed from any location worldwide but would lack the infrastructure to support it,” says Slavik. “Instead, the agency could purchase reliable data-center services with the Windows Azure platform and implement a global solution quickly and affordably.”

Offers Cloud-Based Scalability and FlexibilityThe Microsoft solution gives Maptel the flexibility it needs to serve its diverse customer base. Slavik says, “With SQL Server 2012 and SQL Azure, we can scale out to government agencies of all sizes—from quite small organizations with limited IT skills and infrastructure, to large federal agencies with sophisticated data management programs.”

And by running Waste Not in a hybrid cloud environment, Maptel customers gain the benefits of a hosted solution while retaining local control. “SQL Server 2012 with SQL Azure gives organizations the best of both worlds,” says Slavik. “For example, they can keep some data on-site to meet regulatory requirements, while publishing subsets to the cloud to benefit

from a more scalable and centralized infrastructure.”

Gains Extensible SolutionsWith its enhanced scalability and streamlined development features, the Microsoft solution aligns with the theme of a sustainable environment based on a more efficient use of resources. “Sustainability is a global initiative in governments and private organizations all over the world,” says Slavik. “So having a solution based on SQL Server 2012 and SQL Azure that can be deployed virtually anywhere on the planet is an exciting prospect.”

Slavik adds that improved efficiency is only part of the picture. “Organizations that have an interest in environmental sustainability—whether it’s managing forestry products or recycling waste—often struggle to meet objectives without having the skills or resources to do so,” he says. “With the Waste Not solution based on SQL Server 2012 and SQL Azure, we can give them a bridge between their own objectives and the people they serve.”

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“Sustainability is a global initiative in governments and private organizations all over the world. So having a solution based on SQL Server 2012 and SQL Azure that can be deployed virtually anywhere on the planet is an exciting prospect.”

Elvin Slavik, Managing Director, Maptel

Microsoft Server Product PortfolioFor more information about the Microsoft server product portfolio, go to:www.microsoft.com/servers

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For More InformationFor more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers in the United States and Canada who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to:www.microsoft.com

For more information about Maptel products and services, call (61) (3) 9863 7655 or visit the website at: www.maptel.com.au

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published March 2012

Software and Services Microsoft Server Product Portfolio− Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Enterprise

Microsoft Visual Studio− Microsoft Visual Studio 2010

Ultimate

Windows Azure platform− Microsoft SQL Azure

Windows Phone