Digital maps and online routing are making our lives more convenient day by day with electronic street maps now being available at our finger tips.

Smart business owners are increasing the traffic to their website by following the likes of Tiscali and Easymap by providing added value with hi-tech mapping services.

This comprehensive net-based search index, provided by specialist digital map developers, MapIT, gives results quickly and provides a panning facility to orientate the user. Search by street name or suburb, pan left or right, up or down and zoom into a two metre accuracy or a bird's eye aerial view.

Having driven approximately 780 000 people, creating over 2,3 million mapping impressions on the Tiscali site this year alone, it is understandable why MD of MapIT, Ray Wilkinson, is optimistic about the future of spatial technology in South Africa. "This comprehensive search facility is a big step forward in integrating Web-based search methods into route planning for business and tourism. As South Africa's most accurate providers of digital maps, we applaud the likes of Tiscali, Easymap and U-Drive Rent-A-Car for understanding the enrichment mapping can provide to their business," states Wilkinson.

To date this year, MapIT's mapping service has created 4,03 million map impressions. This means by the time you read this, over 1,344 million people would have searched for directions using this service.

As a first for the SA car rental industry, U-Drive Rent-A-Car's recent inclusion of mapping on its site is increasing hits to its site by 400 people per month, and the service is still in its infancy on this site. MD, Stan Herson says, "With the ever-increasing progress of customised maps this innovation is showing early results and as a free service gives us an edge over other car rental operators."

Try it out on the street map pages of: www.tiscali.co.za, www.udrive.co.za or www.easymap.co.za

For more information contact MapIT, 012 345 8000