IOCORE has announced the release of Cartagena, a Web-based spatial and business information integration solution that uses advanced retrieval and visualisation tools to make `geo-business` intelligence available throughout the enterprise.
This is the first internally developed product to emerge from IOCORE, a leading provider of IT services to a host of major companies, both in SA and abroad.
Alison North, product manager: Cartagena at IOCORE, says Cartagena has been developed in response to a need for empowering senior managers to make informed decisions in real-time, using all the information at their disposal.
"With Cartagena, we aim to assist organisations to enhance service delivery, meet customer needs and improve business strategy," she says.
North explains that Cartagena allows spatial information, which encompasses geographic position, to be linked directly with other appropriate business information. This is then placed on the business desktop, exposing trends in an organisation that might otherwise be impossible to see.
"Its dynamic, real-time functionality means that the moment a user updates existing data, the rest of the organisation is immediately able to see it, which avoids decisions being made on outdated information."
She notes that by implementing Cartagena, organisations with existing Geographical Information System (GIS) capability are able to further leverage their investment by introducing a new dimension into their decision-making arsenal, in the form of instantly updated, accurate spatial information.
"Having GIS is not a prerequisite, however, for implementing Cartagena," she adds.
Adding further value, Cartagena consolidates a company`s electronic data such as documents, spreadsheets, images and video into a single, information-rich, managed environment, which can be interrogated via full text search functionality.
"Moreover, it enables a company to actively solicit information from employees and disseminate intelligence into the organisation via a bulletin board, creating a forum for transparent communication and knowledge gathering."
Cartagena incorporates a user-friendly but powerful reporting tool that allows business to produce reports as maps or as text compatible with MS Office.
A major, strategic advantage of Cartagena is its simplicity of use, demonstrated through an intuitive, `manager-friendly` point and click user interface.
She also points out that no understanding of the underlying data model is necessary to interrogate and display business information as maps.
"Because of Cartagena`s chameleon-like design, the system menus adapt to the business information over which they are draped, eliminating time-consuming and costly customisation," she adds.
IOCORE has begun marketing Cartagena to the local market, according to North. "The response has been exceptional, with businesses in a variety of vertical market segments such as financial organisations, the retail and security sector as well as organisations that manage large physical assets, quickly realising its potential."
Cartagena is built on an Oracle Enterprise database, using Oracle Spatial, with OracleText providing the full text search functionality. Map-viewing capabilities are built using MapXtreme for Java.
Commenting on Cartagena`s application within companies that already use GIS as part of their information management systems, Roger Harris, spatial product specialist at Oracle, says: "Cartagena allows GIS to make a quantum leap onto senior management`s desk, making information previously mostly untapped at this level visible to the executive."
The timeliness of the Cartagena solution is in line with international trends as highlighted by, among others, the International Data Corporation (IDC).
In its White Paper, Spatial Information Management: 2001-2005 Trends and Analysis, the technology intelligence provider confirms that businesses are shifting their focus to more customer-centric processes and information systems, making location a necessary aspect of these systems.
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IOCORE is a fast-growing IT solutions company, employing over 1 000 professional staff in Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific, serving many of the world`s best-known organisations. Using advanced technologies and class-leading products we deliver reliable world-class systems in e-commerce, enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, business intelligence, billing, supply chain and financial sector applications.
The company also provides consulting, project management, resourcing and outsourcing services, focusing on cost-effective, on-time delivery to the highest professional standards.
Please visit our Web site at www.iocore.co.za.
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